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?
Okay, I'm finally finding time to blog about our book. I loved this book. I think I would rate it a 9. I read 500 pages in one weekend, which for me is insane. Maybe given that, I should rate it a 10. I seldom read mystery books and this one hooked me right from the start. Please keep in mind I am a banker by profession. I loved the financial aspect of this book.
ReplyDeleteI thought the killer might be Cecelia. It never entered my mind that Harriott might be alive. I think the book could have ended after the mystery was solved. The last 30 pages were boring.
Favorite character: I liked Michael until the end. He lost grace with me when he didn't leave his commitment free sex lifestyle and ask Lisbeth to marry him. I really did want those two to end up together! I wanted him to drop Berger like a hot potato! My favorite character ended up being Lisbeth. I want to know more about her and why she is the way she is.
What in the heck was Lisbeth doing in Zurich? I was kind of lost during that part.
Martin's torture chamber scared me to death. I was reading it one night in bed and kept thinking I heard noises in the rest of the house.
Kris, in response to the way Lisbeth handled her guardian, I would do exactly what she did to that creep. JK, but he got what he deserved! That part was a bit graphic for me.
The setting in Sweden was different. It was strange not to be able to picture the setting or know how to pronounce the cities.
I can't wait to hear what everyone thought!
Okay Aunt...........
ReplyDeleteI rate the book a solid 9.
Did the ending surprise me...to be honest not really, I did speculate that Harriet was alive the whole time. So I wasn't surprised that she was in Australia. One of my other speculations about the ending was that maybe the priest was having sex with her or molesting her and so maybe he was the killer. I did think after the murder was solved that the book went on way too long.
I did like Lisbeth. I thought she was a complex person and I am interested to learn more about her in the next book.
The sex stuff........I thought it was very graphic. Scary!! But I did like that Lisbeth tatooed rapist on that guys stomach!! Paybacks are a bitch!
Fav. Character.......I guess I liked Lisbeth the best. I liked that she had a mysterious allure about her. Like I said, I do want to learn more about her in the next book.
Like my mom said I thought it was different to be set in another country. It was different not to know the names of the cities,let alone pronounce them.
Michael having sex with everyone and anyone......typical!! I thought it was lame that he had sex with Lisbeth. But I liked that she finally fell in love. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book.
Jen, seriously? You wanted Mikael to end up with Lisbeth? She was like half his age! I wanted him to be her guardian, not her lover.
ReplyDeleteAs for Lisbeth, my prediction (and it really is a prediction because I don't know anything about the next book) is that Lisbeth's father sexually molested her as a child. I felt that Lisbeth's relationship with her mother was an odd one that was consistent with Lisbeth being angry that her mother let something like that happen.
I agree about it being interesting that it was written by a Swedish author and took place in Sweden. All I know about Sweden is that they make cool furniture (IKEA).
I tried to like Lisbeth, but just couldn't. She was just too odd. But I found her sort of compelling and would read more about her in a next book.
Was anyone creeped out by Henrik's weird brother? I also suspected him, but then I suspected everyone at some point.
OK PEOPLE...I finally finished the book today. I couldn't wait to get to the computer to express my feelings at this very moment. So, here is a stream of consciousness: UGH! First, it took me about 100 pages to get into the book. Because Maggie has said that she liked it, I kept at it. I was very confused in the beginning, and I think that was mostly due to the setting, Sweden, and the financial stuff. Finally, I was hooked and I thought constantly about all posssible scenarios surrounding Harriet's disappearance. I never believed for a moment that Harriet had been murdered. Honestly, I thought it was going to turn out that Harriet was Lisbeth's mother and that she had run away because she was pregnant...and it HAD to be kept a secret.
ReplyDeleteI am still not sure why this book is entitled The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, because this book is not really about Lisbeth. I understand that she played a major role, but really, if you are going to have a title like that, don't you think that more should be revealed about the title character? Perhaps that was the intention, but when the book ended, that is something that struck me as odd...and annoying.
I thought the mystery end was weird...I wouldn't say that I was surprised, I just would say that I don't think it really fit with the story. I am not surprised that Harriet was abused, because of her withdrawn behavior. However, I am surprised that Martin was as disturbed as he was and continued to carry out such horrific acts of sexual violence. It was very "Saw"eque.
I was disturbed by the graphic sex and violence, but I was not surprised. We see so much of that today in movies, that it no longer has an element of shock. I still find it equally horrid. I am happy with Salander's response to her abuse by her guardian...I know it sounds bad, but it made me feel relieved that she took action. I was sick to my stomach with the details of Bjurman's abuse towards Lisbeth that I almost put the book down for good. But, I had to know what she was going to do!!!
Lastly, my favorite character was Lisbeth. I cannot relate to her but I can sympathize and understand how closed off she is, since it is clear she was subject to terrible abuse. I liked how she evolved throughout the story and that she was able to find love. However, I was really disappointed that the author chose to leave Lisbeth in pain at the end. Honestly, he could have left the story open to interpretation with Lisbeth on her way to see Mikael...the end was lame. I think the next book will show that Lisbeth will use her "talents" to help others!
The last 30 pages were complicated, to long, and boring (so I agree with everyone else on that topic). Overall, I really liked the book and the detail that went into the investigation. I was intrigued! I would definately read the next one in the series.
Josey, you ending would have been better!
ReplyDeleteI thought Martin's craziness was a bit far fetched. Could he really have turned out as evil as his father?
Maggie saw the movie today. How was it?
Sorry I’m so late to post…I just finished the book after I got back this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI like almost everything I read, but I really didn’t like this book. It took me about 300 pages (seriously) to get engaged. I found the financial stuff tedious, probably because I didn’t understand it. I thought the unveiling of the murderer, with the accompanying drama, was exciting, but it happened so fast and then it was back to more of Mikael and his financial investigations. Oy vay! I thought it was much too long.
My favorite character—no competition—was Salander. Talk about someone who figured out how to make her way in the world! Unlike the financial details, the computer hacking activities were interesting to me. (It affirms my belief that NOTHING we do on the computer is private.) Salander had an intensely practical approach to her life. Whatever caused her hang-ups, she was dealing with it in her own way. I thought what she did to her “guardian” was well-deserved and quite clever. She’s a survivor. I agreed with Josey about the ending. I didn’t see Lisbeth and Mikael getting married, but I disliked that she was so disillusioned about him in the end. Throw her a bone, for heaven’s sake!
The sex and violence didn’t bother me. I read a lot of mysteries, plus a lot of European authors, so I’m pretty used to that. But I keep coming back to the point that all of it happens, or rather is revealed, in such a small portion of the book. It seemed like the author felt he had to throw it in and then get back to the financial intrigue he really wanted to write about.
I wasn’t especially surprised to learn Harriet was still alive. I can’t say I knew for sure she was, but it was in the back of my mind when they never found the body.
I never want any of the Vangers for neighbors, no matter how rich they are!
Someone gave me Larsson’s next book, but I honestly don’t know whether I’ll read it. I would like to learn more about Lisbeth, so maybe I will. But I rate this book about a 6, so I may wait until one of you reads it and gives it a good review. (Of course, you all liked this book!)
Supposedly the next book is better than the last and it gets good right away. So Aunt Bec give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was really very much like the book. It tied things up in a few different ways. I'm not sure how much to let you all know cause I don't know if you are going to go see it so I won't give everything away. I told my mom that she couldn't see it because the violent scenes were really violent....so gruesome to see them in real life. Yuck!! I did enjoy Lisbeth tattooing that bastard but the words were in Swedish!! So I couldn't read it but I knew what it said!!! The movie kind of gave you a prelude to the next book/movie. Personally I am interested to learn more about Lisbeth. Oh, and Mikael was so unattractive in this movie. I thought he would be good looking considering he was such a ladies' man. Lisbeth was exactly what you would expect.