Anyone finding it hard to get through?

[Elisa Santos]

Lisbeth has all the classical trends of having Aspergers - vthe lack of conection towards others and the extreme skill she has for techy stuff. This can also be a trace of someone who lives a traumatic childhood, adolescence and adult age...as i said before: misfitted, mistreated and the wall of silence is a shiled to her. She yeld to Mickel because she was able to detect in him honesty a real will to help her and not leave her be and not someone to take whatever advantage he could possibly take out of the situation. Mickel is honest in his intentions towards her.

[Kathryn]

I have to disagree. I think to some extent, she does love him. In the end of Dragon Tattoo, it says,

"Their body language (Blomkvist and Berger) left no room for misinterpretations-it was obvious what they had in mind.

The pain was so immediate and so fierce that Lisbeth stopped in mid-stride, incapable of movement. Part of her wanted to rush after them. She wanted to take the metal sign and use the sharp edge to cleave Berger's head in two. She did nothing as thoughts swirled through her mind. Analysis of consequences. Finally she calmed down.

'What a pathetic fool you are, Salander,' she said out loud.

She turned on her heel and went home to her newly spotless apartment. As she passed Zinkensdamm, it started to snow. She tossed Elvis into a dumpster."

There it shows she was at least somewhat hurt at seeing them together. And remember, she didn't talk to him for a while, wouldn't return his emails, phone calls, etc. in the second book.

I don't think she expected anything out of their relationship to be of any seriousness. I think it was more the fact he was really the first man to come along and treat her with respect, didn't abuse her, respected her intelligence by not undermining it, and ultimately just treated her like a human being.

[Elisa Santos]

Yes, Lisbeth, to some extent cares and was willing to see the full extent of whatever that could be between them,but Erika stuck in the midle and she didn´t want to handle with that, which i am sure that no woman would, no matter how passionate or in love she could have been.

[Chary]

I read the series and loved all books. The English translation is not as good as the Spanish one...but is a great book. I didn't find difficult to follow the plot.

[Deb]

I try to keep a promise to myself that if I am not interested by the first 50 pages, I put the book down. But here was so much hype about this book that I broke that promise and kept plodding along. I wanted to experience this book that had everyone talking.

Yes, it was a very intriguing and exciting story. But for me the story could have survived without the bike riding, she devil, who had so much backstory that I was more bored than interested.

The story was good. But I regretted giving over so many hours of my life to all the secondary plots that only added bulk to the book.

[John]

Kathryn wrote: "I have to disagree. I think to some extent, she does love him. In the end of Dragon Tattoo, it says,

"Their body language (Blomkvist and Berger) left no room for misinterpretations-it was obvious..."

Kathryn,

I absolutely agree with you, she does love him. Whether her love will ever be requited is another matter.

[John]

Dee wrote: "I wouldn't call Lisbeth a sociopath - that implies a lack of empathy on a negative scale (meaning they don't realize what they are doing is wrong)...more likely she has something like aspergers whi..."

Dee,
I too don't think Lisbeth's a sociopath. She may well be "suffering" from Asperger syndrome, which is sometimes referred to as high-functioning autism. We can learn more about Asperger's at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger...

[Elisa Santos]

John wrote: "Dee wrote: "I wouldn't call Lisbeth a sociopath - that implies a lack of empathy on a negative scale (meaning they don't realize what they are doing is wrong)...more likely she has something like a..."

I know exactly what you are refering to - Asperger´s is another form of autism as what the doctors may refer to as modified autism in the capacity that the bearer is not enclosed in himself (like in the classical one), can function in society and, in the case of Lisbeth the high-performance gives her the extra-push in to all internet things - like an obcession: she instintively knows all about the subject without much explaining donne - with the right tecniques and help, the person can function in society, can fit in and have a normal life.

[Dee]

i don't know if you guys have read all 3, but in the 3rd one, there is some alluding to issues that lisbeth's father had and other ppl

[Mickey]

I'm not sure sociopaths don't know they're doing something wrong. I think they just don't care. I find Lisbeth unlikeable and I didn't really like anyone else in the Dragon Tattoo either. Hence, I didn't read the other books. There has to be at least one character that I find both interesting AND worth caring about.

[Elisa Santos]

Lisbeth was not a sociopath - she was just a surviver, trying to get on with her life and nobody gave a toss about her until Mickel, so, she does not fit in to the category.

[Jeanine]

I've tried these books on several occasions and I just can't do it. Life's too short and I have too many other great books on my To Read Shelf to force myself to try to get through something that just doesn't capture my attention!

[Kelly]

I loved this book from beginning to end. It is not the typical book that I read but I sure had a hard time putting it down..I hope you can all get through it. It will be worth your time.

[Mckenzie]

ya i didnt even finish the book

[Nicole]

Don't spend so much time on the "language" that's the part that was the most difficult for me.

[Cassidy]

It's a great book, but you do have to get through the first part, which took my step mom and I both SEVERAL tries to do. My advice would be to skim the firt few chapters, to get an idea. OR go on Sparknotes.com and read summaries of the first few chapters so you know the characters and what's going on but you don't have to torture yourself. (:

[JoHanna]

I gave it a try 3 times and stalled out on chapter 2 all three times. Gave it to my husband and he zoomed through the whole book in 3 days. He loved it. I'm going to give it one more go.

[Christian]

I really enjoyed this book, though it did bog down a bit in the middle. For anyone having difficulty, I urge to persevere. The second and third move along with much better pace.

[Deb]

It should've been named, "The Girl With the Draggin' Baggage".

[Deb]

wow.I am going to give it another try.....I also was very confused with it but i persevere.....hope the movie helps too.

[Deb]

I want to read the whole series if i can just get through the first Book!!!!

[Deb]

Ivy wrote: "Ok, I have had this book for months and continue to try to get through it but I just can't seem to get through the second chapter. I keep hearing from everyone its great, but you have to first get ..."

I had the same problem....I finished it but didnt know a thing I read!! I am going to give it another try, because I hear the other 2 books are easier to read! The Host by Stephanie Meyer was the same way, after the first 100 pages it was really good.

[Deb]

Christian wrote: "I had a lot of problems getting through the first book, that I saw the Swedish movie before starting the book didn't really help. In my opinion was the second part considerably better written."

Hmm. I ordered the Swedish movie on netflix hoping it would help...guess not???? well am going to give it another try.

[Deb]

Kerra wrote: "Joy H. wrote: "The mysterious flowers may have been interesting, but all the financial and court business in the first chapter was not."

Exactly!!! I was hooked after the flowers mystery, but th..."

Oh I hope I can reread it and understand it better!! I am anxious to read all 3 books!

[Deb]

Brook wrote: "SOOOOO glad there are other people saying this!! After all the media buzz around these books, I was excited to read the first one. 200 pages in, I was scratching my head trying to figure out why th..."

GOOD IDEA! I also had trouble with the book..read it but didnt even understand it! I would like to reread and go onto the other 2 books..wish me luck!

[Deb]

Carol wrote: "What slowed me down in the first 100+ pages was the unfamiliar names of places and characters. I put a sticky note on the family tree page for easy reference and didn't obsess too much about keepin..."

Thats good..i want to reread it again...had trouble with the first time and was totally lost..thought it was just me!

[Nyles]

This is really a great book! it may b a bit slow at first because of the introductions but you'll get a hang of it... I did and I'm glad i read it until the end!
I loved it!
And i must say, the 2nd and 3rd books are the best because it's Lisbet personal Story.. This is just a side job for Lisbeth!

[Deb]

Cici wrote: "lol! Yes, I loved the girl with the dragon tattoo and the girl who played with fire, but it took me forever to read them. Now, I'm on the last one and yet again it's difficult to get through. Once ..."

Ok.I have to reread the first one as i did not "get" it at all...hopefully I will understand better this time and move on to the other 2 books.

[Deb]

Joy H. wrote: "Carol mentioned the unfamiliar names. I can't stand it when too many characters are introduced at once without any character development. I also don't like being flooded with proper names and place..."

Yes definitely..I am trying it again..and see if I can make it through the first 100 pages better!!!

[Deb]

Catherine wrote: "I had trouble getting through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but for different reasons. A lot of the explicit parts had me wincing and I literally had to put the book down to process it.

Reall..."

That is true! I am going to try to reread it and then see if I can make it to the rest of the books!

[Deb]

Monique wrote: "It's very slow at the beginning, but definitely the whole trilogy is worth reading. There are also movie versions of the books, worth watching!"

I am having trouble with the book ..I read it a few years ago and now want to give it another try....wish me luck!

[Deb]

Dee wrote: "I saw the preview for the american one the other night at the theatre - wasn't looking forward to it, but now seeing it, i'm kind of intrigued"

The American preview catches my eye everytime...then i realize its that movie and think, I didnt understand the book!!!! I want to reread it

[Deb]

Kristaluce wrote: "Great read.....the first 50-75 pages are BORING!!! Stick with it, you won't be sorry!!"

OH good..I am definitely giving it another go so I can read the next 2 books!

[Deb]

Kaye wrote: "It's very hard to get through the first third of book after that there is no turning back. There is so much character background info up front it makes it difficult but worth staying with it."

That is good to know as I havd a lot of trouble concentrating on this book!

[Deb]

Jo wrote: "I was hooked right away although a little confusing at the start. I justt kept going and then couldn't put it down."

Thats good to know..I found it hard to get through and am hoping to reread so I can can read the next 2 books!

[Constance]

It didn't take me forever to get started, but I'm pretty sure I skimmed parts of the first chapter when I first read the book when he's explaining how he got the information that lead to him going to court. After getting passed that part I honestly couldn't stop reading it and have read it many times since. My sister had an issue and didn't continue reading, but I've encouraged her to give it another shot because it really is a great book. It kept me on the edge of my seat and the other two books (especially the third one, in my opinion) are just as good!

[Deb]

Deb wrote: "I also struggled with this book at first but wound up loving the series. I remember a co-worker of mine saying the same thing about it. If you decide to continue reading it, I suggest reading in ..."

Thats a great idea as I also had trouble following the book thanks for the tip!

[Deb]

Madelon wrote: "Ivy wrote: "Ok, I have had this book for months and continue to try to get through it but I just can't seem to get through the second chapter. I keep hearing from everyone its great, but you have t..."

GOOD to know..I had trouble with the first book..I hope to reread and then move on to the next books!

[Deb]

Liv wrote: "Ruthie wrote: "The only reason I am glad I stuck this one out and listened to everyone saying to "get through" the first 1/2 is because there is two and a half books of pure enjoyment once you get ..."

I think if I reread the first one I may get into it better so I can move on to the next 2 books.

[Detta]

Ivy wrote: "Ok, I have had this book for months and continue to try to get through it but I just can't seem to get through the second chapter. I keep hearing from everyone its great, but you have to first get ..."

Set a goal of a few pages a day. You won't regret it.

[Kathy]

Just hang in there and you will be hooked!

[Kathy]

Just hang in there and you will be hooked! I kept craving a cup of coffee and a sandwich reading this series.

[Xan]

I have to steer away from what most are saying. The only unbearable part for me was Chapter 1. For only being roughly 30 pages, it took me days to get through it- it was dry, the information really didn't make sense unless you were familiar with the jargon being used. In contrast, I found Chapter 2 to be much more interesting- it still is setting the scene for when the book actually takes off, but this is where you get to meet Lisbeth Salander and learn more about her and her story.

[Beth]

I'm glad to see all the other people who weren't as impressed with this book as all the gushing reviews.

[Deb]

Beth wrote: "I'm glad to see all the other people who weren't as impressed with this book as all the gushing reviews."

I know! After getting into this monstrosity, I had to wonder--How did it make it on top selling book lists? The only conclusion was that the numbers of those who bought it and the numbers of those who actually read it would have portrayed a truer picture.
I did think the mystery was great. But all the other peripheral plots...including our heroine almost choked the life out of the tale.

[Karen]

Kristaluce wrote: "Great read.....the first 50-75 pages are BORING!!! Stick with it, you won't be sorry!!"
I did stick with it through the whole dreadful book and was exceedingly sorry that I wasted my time.

[Lisa]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one, I'd heard great things about this book, it failed to grip me through the first chapter and by the second I gave up and I hate doing that, I just couldn't get into it at all.

[Jackie]

I knew right away that I needed to keep a list of all the characters. It was well worth it, as there were so many to remember that it almost interferes with your ability to connect the dots. In the end, I did like it very much. I can understand why you would find it hard to get through.

[ibNell]

Did we really need that many pages for the plot? The first 200 of backstory was so slow - and then not even sure you needed it when you you found out the story....once it got going it was ok. But I really think it's very overrated. I loved Lisbeth character and that's what kept me going - wish one of my favorite authors would have came up with her(the story could be superb).
Really slow to start and to bogged down with detail that I do not think was needed. But I did read all three books to find out what happens, so I guess it has it's interesting areas - did I mention Lisbeth is kickass!

[MJ]

I used to work at Borders and never, ever bought into best sellers just for the sake of reading the book everyone was reading. Um.. I am on page 400 and something and it's been one long drawn out bore with a few pages of awesomeness. I really hope the end is redeeming or I am going to be severely let down.