May Book Choice

The votes are in, and the book we will be reading for May is A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. Let's begin discussion on June 1. Happy reading!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – some lighthearted springtime reading! If you like commitment-free sex and violence (in your reading, not your personal life), this book’s for you.

Seriously, I was warned that the book would take some time to get into, and I found that to be true. Once I got into the flow of the book, however, I found it to be a gripping mystery with a snazzy surprise ending.

I say ending, but I’m really talking about the ending of the murder mystery part. I felt that the book went on too long once the mystery was solved. It gave me closure and pleased me that Wennerstrom got “his” in the end (or did he since he actually escaped incarceration), but my feeling is that the settling of the Wennerstrom matter went on a bit too long.

Some questions I want to pose for my fellow readers:

Did the conclusion surprise you? From the get-go, I felt that it was possible that Harriet wasn’t dead. I’ve read enough murder mysteries to know that if you don’t find a body, stay tuned. But I have to admit, I had been lulled into believing she was dead, and when Martin said he didn’t do it, I was astounded. I immediately suspected Cecelia, because she was so elusive and weird throughout the book. So when he went to Australia, found the woman, and said “Hello Harriet,” I was totally taken by surprise.

Give me your thoughts about our friend Lisbeth Salander. I’m going to withhold my thoughts because I want to hear all of yours first.

What do you think we would learn about Salander if we were to read the next book? Larsson wrote a follow-up, “The Girl Who Played With Fire” which supposedly tells us more about her. What are your predictions?

Were any of you bothered by the aforementioned sex and violence? The book really was one of the more graphic murder mysteries I’ve ever read. While they didn’t describe the murders detail-by-detail, Martin and his father were two of the sickest characters I ever came across in any book. And, being old and prudish, I was somewhat troubled by Mikael’s tendency to jump into bed with anyone interested. I, for one, wish he had not succumbed to Lisbeth.

Favorite characters? Kind of a hard one when you’re dealing with a despicable family like the Vangers. I guess I liked Henrik, though I distrusted him throughout the book. I was fearful he was going to be revealed to be the murderer, though I couldn’t begin to think why he would have hired Mikael. Speaking of Mikael, I liked his journalistic ethics. But what was up with Cecelia?

Talk to me about your reactions to how Lisbeth handled her guardian, the extraordinarily despicable Bjurman. Wasn’t he one of the most horrific characters in any book you’ve ever read?

Did any of you think the book was too long? As I mentioned, I felt the wrapping up of the Wennerstrom stuff went on too long.

Any other thoughts?