The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
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Should I read it?
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Diane
(last edited Oct 02, 2011 01:45PM)
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rated it 5 stars
Oct 02, 2011 01:43PM
This really was an amazing book. I must agree with Joseph regarding the financial aspect as off-putting, yet it did add to the complexity(financial things tend to be a drag period, for me anyway). When you think about all that was going on and the emotional make-up of the characters it's rather mind-blowing that he could put it together so well. It's not a light read, but that's what makes it so wonderful and rare. Well worth digging into as are the rest of the trilogy.
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Definitely read it....it is so well written and a very gripping story. The characters are well developed and very interesting. You will want to read the other two.
Well worth reading, although each book can stand alone, I think it is better to read the trilogy in order, starting with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Next, read The Girl Who Played With Fire, and finally, read The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest. Reading the series in order gives a better prospective of how Lisbeth became who she is. I love stories with lots of intricate detail, this series definitely has that.
They are so worth reading! The Swedish films are not very good- besides the main actress, they kind of get worse. Not that I think American movies are always better, because they're not, but I am DEFINITELY looking forward to the new version.
If you don't you will be the only one who hasn't
I understand, Emtee. I gave it a 5 but wanted to give Goon Squad 0 pts. It is what it is. We just can't all love all of the books.
@ Meyagi16- they just lack quality, somehow. The new one comes out in December :)
Amanda wrote: "It depends. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under the age of eighteen. It's got a disaster of a financial case to sort through, some rather foul language, some highly foul behaviour, a few char..."Excellent summary of the book - and the trilogy.
I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone. I don't usually like genre fiction, but there was something about this series that really worked.
YES! Just get past the first 30 or so pages.
The first one in trilogy is brilliant (btw. It´s original name translated to english is "men who hate women"), the second one is so-so and the third sucks. But the first one, unlike second or third, can well be read as a stand alone novel...
Yep read it, the three books are very good page turners, I really enjoyed them
The answer to your question depends on what you're up for. If you don't mind graphic scenes this will not disappoint! Read the second and waiting to read the third after I have finished others. There is another Swedish Author, Henning Mankell that I also enjoy. Have been to Sweden and walked the path of the movies done from his books. The next best thing would have been to meet him. Some people have listened to CDs, so you have a choice. Happy Reading, L.D.
If you have sexual abuse of ANY kind in your background - skip it. The 1st book (Tattoo) is riddled with it although no warning is given on the back of the book.
My two bits... The book has an interesting plot and a good suspense. What brings it down is the detailing to unnecessary lengths. The main characters lack any feeling and are almost clinical in their approach, including to sex, which is distasteful. I tend to think that maybe the Swedish original dealt with it with more sensitivity. Skimming over the unwanted details and sticking to the main story will be a good way to improve reading skills (:)) and at the same time make the book worth reading. That applies to the vols. 2 and 3 as well.
For me, I really could not get into the book until I was about half way through. After that it became easier. However, there was so much information to process that it became difficult to follow at times. After that, books 2 and 3 are amazing and I loved those! I am a school librarian,and I would not put this in our library. I definately believe it should be for older readers!
Book one (Tattoo) is a bit of a struggle to get into but if one sticks with it all of a sudden it grabs you and takes you over. Terrific book and reader MUST move on to the second (Fire) and then the final Hornet's Nest. I read all three straight through and when I got to the end of Hornet's Nest I hadn't had enough of Salander. I went back to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and read it and the whole series straight through again. First time I have ever done such a thing. Wonderful, wonderful books. Love the foreign film - not sure the American one is going to be able to live up. Too bad they didn't use the same actress, she was perfect.
I loved the whole series. Great writing, great stories, great characters. And it brought me back to crime novels, nordic ones particularly.
One of my favorite trilogies
Karleene wrote: "Book one (Tattoo) is a bit of a struggle to get into but if one sticks with it all of a sudden it grabs you and takes you over. Terrific book and reader MUST move on to the second (Fire) and then ..."
I agree with you. My husband and I listened to the books on a long trip. We both were entranced. We loved the movies. I am afraid the Hollywood version will be more graphic. You think maybe?
I agree with you. My husband and I listened to the books on a long trip. We both were entranced. We loved the movies. I am afraid the Hollywood version will be more graphic. You think maybe?
Meera wrote: "My two bits... The book has an interesting plot and a good suspense. What brings it down is the detailing to unnecessary lengths. The main characters lack any feeling and are almost clinical in the..."
Meera, I loved those books too. I think the intention was to keep her aloof. She deals with things clinically since she needed to protect herself to survive. Abused people are very clinical in all they do.
Meera, I loved those books too. I think the intention was to keep her aloof. She deals with things clinically since she needed to protect herself to survive. Abused people are very clinical in all they do.
Trixie wrote: "I heard mixed reviews about it. What are you inputs? It sounds interesting, but I'm not sure if I'll get into it.
Recommend, or not?"
Loved it! The original movies were awesome as well.
Recommend, or not?"
Loved it! The original movies were awesome as well.
Sonia wrote: "Meera wrote: "My two bits... The book has an interesting plot and a good suspense. What brings it down is the detailing to unnecessary lengths. The main characters lack any feeling and are almost c..."You are right. In fact, her character is convincing. But between Blomkvist and Berger... I thought it was too flat. And so also between B and the abused woman he traces to Australia (sorry, tend to forget names).
And the details I was talking of was even the mundane things like - he read the book, he had coffee, then he slept... you know, small chunks of text that come as actually mini chapters in between, which could have been trimmed to make the flow smoother.
Yes, by God, read it. These books are awesome! Some people find the first part of book 1, and some parts of the 3rd book, slow, but I didn't. Since books are almost always better than movies, I'd recommend reading the series first. You could finish them all in a week. Well written & fast moving (for the most part; you can always skim through parts).The original Swedish movies are also good; the Lisbeth is perfect but I thought they left out some stuff, and the Blomvkist guys didn't quite fit my imagination of him. Looking forward to seeing how the US adaptation stacks up...
Ok, here's the deal. It's really slow to start out, it took me forever to actually like reading it. Once I did finally get into it, I loved it. I've read the whole series, they're awesome.
I admit I was sucked in by the hype, but waited intil I was able to snag all three volumes at one time from the library (hey, money doesn't grow on trees). The first book was a bit slow, but picked up towards the final 3rd of the book. I liked it well enough to go on to book #2, and was glad I did. the second ends with a cliffhanger which dares you not to go on to the 3rd. The characters are not lovable, but you come to care about them. The subject matter is rather intense, but, hey, I've been an adult for several decades and am not too easily shocked. Give it a go, IMHO
I loved this series. I usually figure out the mystery in th first chapter. No with this series.
Overall, there are better writers in the Scandinavia belt than Stieg Larsson. I have read this book, but I suggest to try Norwegian Jo Nesbo, instead i.e The Snowman
All three books are excellent... I have read the first two and hardly few pages left to read in 3rd book. A bit sad that this is the last in the series. I would agree with some of the comments that 2nd and third are better than first. But it will be good to read the first to know the charecters well before you jump to the next. Or else you may not get the proper connection to the events.
I considered it a colossal waste of time: one slightly interesting character; hundreds of pages of tripe.
*Just* when I thought nothing was going to happen in the first book, BAM! It took off. I am a rare bird in that I like financial dealings and find them interesting (I teach writing and make no money, so why this is, I don't really know) and so I was into the book for a bit, then it dragged, and then I could NOT put it down. I will read the next two.A lot of my fellow writer friends pooh-pooh books such as these but I thought the characters were intriguing and the situations even more.
This was a book club selection for us. And I loved it so much I purchased the other two in the series and am ready to re-read them. They are really good.
Excellent series. Stieg Larsson is together with Henning Mankell one of Sweden's top crime fiction author. Both authors are very concerned about the hidden prejudices, dark secrets, and political problems in Swedish society. The books are brutal at times but thrilling and very well written. Not for the tender-footed reader but boy, I couldn't put them down.The movies are excellent as well. Usually, I'm disappointed when I watch a film after reading a book. However, they picked really great actors for the main characters.
Christa
You should read the book. lisbeth is a great character though the characters eat way too many sandwiches and drink coffee.
Mageela wrote: "You should read the book. lisbeth is a great character though the characters eat way too many sandwiches and drink coffee."LOL. You're right. I forgot about the coffee and the sandwiches!
You should definately read it. One of the best I`ve ever read, simply amazing.
Loved this book as disturbing as it is.
Don't buy into the hype. I'm not sure how some books manage to make it into the spotlight, but this one is unwarranted. I think a lot of people who claim they 'loved' the book, are really just afraid to go against popular opinion. 'If everyone is reading this book, it must be good." There are plenty of good reads out there that don't require you to slog through boring and unnecessary passages. I suspect the author was padding the story to make a page count.
Marsha wrote: "Don't buy into the hype. I'm not sure how some books manage to make it into the spotlight, but this one is unwarranted. I think a lot of people who claim they 'loved' the book, are really just afra..."Marsha, I think we are all mature enough here to judge for ourselves if we like a book or not, without being influenced by "popular opinion."
I don't think the author was interested in "page count" but rather he was very concerned about social and political issues. And I agree with you that he sometimes went overboard with some of those passages that deal with Swedish society and politics.
That didn't spoil my enjoyment though. I still consider him a major author who told a story that needed to be told. But hey, we all have different tastes and that's okay.
Christa
I read all three books and watched the movies as well. I liked them all, they are very violent, but they really flow.
I couldn't get into this one. I know lots of people who loved it, but I thought it stared off kinda slow and dull. I really wanted to like it, but I just didn't.If you want to try it though, go for it. You may like it. My friends did.
I simply couldn't get through them.
Little wrote: "Even though he adds much more than he should could it be a translatory issue"A translator would never add text that wasn't there. The author was very much into social issues and so he tried to cram all that into his novels. I read some articles about him. His story was all over the place when he unexpectedly died of a heart-attack. He was quite young still. He was an intriguing and troubled man. His life is an interesting story all by itself.
I did some research on him also and it made you wonder when he died so suddenly. i believe he intended to write 10 of these books. I liked the 1st Girl with the dragon tattoo, very dark and violent, but I found it interesting. The last 2 I didn't like as well. You might try watching the Swedish version of the 1st book and then determine if you want to read it. I checked out the movie at the library or you could get it at red box I think.
I agree that you either like it or you don't. I loved it. It's just one of those books.
Agreed. I loved it; my sister hated it.
tried reading it but was very confused...saw the Swedish version of the movie and now may give it another try...also am going to the new version of the movie as well.
Trixie wrote: "I heard mixed reviews about it. What are you inputs? It sounds interesting, but I'm not sure if I'll get into it.Recommend, or not?"
I read it and was very confused, but saw the Swedish movie version and understand it much better, so will try reading it again.
Normally for me it is easy to pick up a book and begin to read it. Unfortunately, with this series I had a lot of trouble.I kept putting the book down often because it was hard to follow and I would say boring in some instances. I finished the first book because I kept telling myself to keep reading. The second, book was a bit easier , but by the third book I didn't even bother.
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