273 of 289 people found the following review helpful:
Intelligent tense thriller with a conscience
Some incredible thrillers are coming from Scandinavian countries these days. Anyone who is a fan of the Kurt Wallander series of books by Henning Mankell will know what I mean. Now we have a new addition to the shelf, courtesy of deceased author, Stieg Larsson.
This is the first volume in the Millenium trilogy and after finishing this first book, I am very...
93 of 114 people found the following review helpful:
good read but over-hyped and hackneyed
Wanted to give this 4 stars but too many nagging doubts although i generally enjoyed it. Plus points are: it's well paced although there's a lot of background about business law, finance and the press - this is quite interesting but at times (particularly at the start) it reads like a textbook; the trail of detection is reasonably well threaded through the story and there...
Some incredible thrillers are coming from Scandinavian countries these days. Anyone who is a fan of the Kurt Wallander series of books by Henning Mankell will know what I mean. Now we have a new addition to the shelf, courtesy of deceased author, Stieg Larsson.
This is the first volume in the Millenium trilogy and after finishing this first book, I am very much looking forward to the next two volumes. Larssson died in 2004 soon after delivering the manuscripts for 3 crime novels to his publisher. It's a pity that this gifted author isn't around for a long time to come.
The tale is split between the shady secrets of a wealthy family and the murky dealings of a famous businessman. Mikael Blomkvist, a recently convicted journalist, is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of his niece almost 40 years ago. Vanger promises Blomkvist the means to clear his good name as part of the payment and Blomkvist accepts.
The author manages to maintain an excellent pace throughout, but still delivers a strong social lesson while providing the thrills. It is an intelligent thriller with a conscience. Probably one of the best of its kind in recent years.
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This first novel of a trilogy more than satisfied all I
look for in a thriller/crime novel.The plot concerns itself
with a complicated international financial fraud, and the
buried evil past of a wealthy incestuous Swedish industrial
family.As the novel progresses a male journalist and young
female emotionally disturbed punk hacker join forces to
investigate both strands of the plot.In their different ways
both of these main characters are engaging ,and I am excited
to see how their relationship develops in the two further novels.
This is a totally engrossing novel ,full of suspense,characterisation,
and intelligent insights into contemporary culture and corruption.
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When Mikael Blomqvist arrives on remote Hedeby Island to do research for the biography of Swedish industrialist Henrik Vanger and his large family, he is looking for a place where he can avoid attention. Blomqvist, a financial journalist for Millenium magazine, is due to serve a three-month prison sentence soon for libeling a man he accused of criminal activity. For his own reasons, he did not challenge the charge and offered no defense, preferring to get the sentence over with in the face of enormous publicity. The temporary job he accepts the on this remote island involves the search for Harriet Vanger, Henrik's niece who disappeared from the island when she was sixteen--thirty-seven years ago.
Sometimes helping Blomqvist in his research is Lizbeth Salander, a young woman thought to have Asperger's syndrome, who is under the guardianship of the state. Salander has suffered enormous sexual and emotional abuse and has withdrawn to the point that she trusts no one. Marking events in her life through tattoos and body piercings, she lives as solitary a life as possible, connecting primarily through the internet where she has "met" several fellow computer hackers. Gradually, Salander begins to respond to Blomqvist's honesty and respect for her talents as she discovers important new information about the Vanger family.
Though the novel starts rather slowly as the characters are introduced and the genealogy of the Vanger family is explored, author Stieg Larsson succeeds in creating a sense of Sweden's social culture and atmosphere as he sets up this "closed room" mystery and creates vibrant characters to carry the action. The reader cares about Blomqvist and Salander from the beginning, as both are vulnerable and have suffered unjustly, and as the novel develops, the author also creates sympathy for the elderly Henrik Vanger. Larsson himself, however, was the editor of an anti-racist magazine, and his unforgettable depiction of some of the other Vanger relatives, who were ardent adherents of fascist and Nazi movements, carries the ring of authenticity.
As the novel develops, the skeletons in the Vanger family closet emerge, and a host of repulsive crimes, including murder, rape, torture, and the wanton abuse of women over many years are laid bare. The novel becomes an utterly compelling can't-put-it-downer, as the reader "travels" with Blomqvist and Salander, sharing their frustrations and their physical danger as they investigate this decades-old disappearance. Developed in minute detail, this rich novel is especially satisfying because it leaves no loose threads, connecting every detail to produce a blockbuster conclusion which satisfies in every way. The first novel of a trilogy which Larsson completed just before his premature death in 2004, at age fifty, this thrilling novel will leave its fans panting for the next installment. n Mary Whipple
The Girl Who Played with Fire, the second novel in the trilogy
The third novel, tentatively titled The Air Castle That Blew Up, has no publication date yet.
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Wanted to give this 4 stars but too many nagging doubts although i generally enjoyed it. Plus points are: it's well paced although there's a lot of background about business law, finance and the press - this is quite interesting but at times (particularly at the start) it reads like a textbook; the trail of detection is reasonably well threaded through the story and there are interesting characters. By the end however there were a number of weaknesses that rather devalued the book for me:
- Salander is not a credible character, one minute dysfunctional, one minute sharply acutely self aware, supposedly socially awkward and a fragile introvert one minute, the next a dominatrix, holding her own with international businessmen or perpetrating hi-tech stings against multi national corporations, supposedly educational subnormal and yet able to grasp complex legal, business and technological concepts. Asperger's syndrome is suggested - hmmmm!
- The use of technology for bugging, hacking, wire tapping, surveillance, digital image manipulation etc while generally pretty well researched is a bit too convenient and we've seen it all before
- the serial killer who leaves cryptic biblical clues - gosh that's new!
- the powerful family business empire with lots of skeletons in closets (literally) and everyone hates everyone else,
- Blomkvist comes across at times like a moralising hypocrite preaching about the ethics of the press etc when he's a self acknowledged bad parent and hops into bed with three different women in the space of about 2 chapters
- Salander's experience with her new guardian is gratuitously sadistic, used obviously to advance the plot but the situation is difficult to believe
- there are lots of short sections inserted to break up the action but serving no real purpose eg describing how Blomkvist has a shower, buys a paper and then goes out for a walk. The book is long enough without this
- the old missing person supposed murdered but whose body has never been found plot was a bit obvious
- the sadistic serial killer with the outwardly normal demeanour and respectable profession is always a bit implausible.
There are some other annoying cliches throughout but despite these this is a good read if you don't require gritty realism and it wont stop me trying the next in the trilogy. Three and a half stars on second thoughts!
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Stieg Larsson died a few years ago, just after he'd got his manuscripts for this triology accepted by the publisher. He was a great journalist, inspired, and died at his desk.
We in Sweden are so greatful that he submitted all the manuscripts at once, so we could follow the triology all the way through, forever exciting, gripping and important - in the tradition of the best - Sjövall Wahlöö, Mankell....
The books have been an unbelievable, unique success in Sweden.
All three books have the same protagonists, but the style in each is different and original. A thriller, a classic who-dunnit, and so on. And one really cares about the two major characters. The books are now being filmed, and the casting was exceptionally good. We look forward to the films.
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A word of warning. Don't expect this book to be cut from the same cloth as novels by Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, Karin Fossum, Hakan Nesser. These authors create plots and characters that are inextricably linked to their Scandinavian background. Larsson's book could be set anywhere. The characters are not recognizably Scandinavian, nor are the plot elements. It's not a terrible book, but the protagonist is colorless, the villain barely sketched in, and too much space is devoted to the hero's various liasons, which end up stalling the momentum. The eponymous gal with the tat is more interesting, but her main function seems to be to advance the plot by using almost superhuman technological skills. I'll pass on the rest of the trilogy, thanks.
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'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is superior, morally ambiguous, crime writing, that involves the reader both cerebrally and emotionally.
The first thing that struck me when reading 'TGWTDT' is how Scandinavian it is. Any lovers of Nordic Crime, in particular Henning Mankell, will enjoy this too. Like Mankell's books, Larsson's novel is about so much more than merely solving the crime.
The author carefully dissects many aspects of modern life; in particular, journalistic ethics and society's treatment of women. The novel contains corporate skulduggery, family feuds and violent murder and in parts is very involving.
I found the novel rather dragged at the beginning; the opening two hundred pages really just set the scene for the following three hundred and I think the introductory chapters, could have been pared down substantially. That said, once the action began, thanks to the characters' carefully laid back stories, I was locked in and completely gripped.
'TGWTDT', won't appeal to everyone. In addition to the drawn out beginning, Larsson's outlook on human nature is pessimistically bleak and there are some violent scenes that make for uncomfortable reading. If you can see beyond these and are prepared to read past the sluggish opening, you will find yourself enjoying a significant addition to the crime fiction genre.
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This book was the best read I have had in months (and I do read a lot!). Nothing since has come anywhere near the sheer 'immersion factor' this gripping novel exerts on the reader. The plot is complex, clever, the characters all utterly convincing (Lisbeth being a real masterstroke ), the general atmosphere rather spooky and very nordic...It is a hit on all sides and I could not recommend it strongly enough to everyone. The only downside is the cover jacket and the title, misleading potential readers into believing that the book is about a chinese woman. A very strange decision from the english publisher.
I wish to add to this review, that I wrote when I only had read the first volume , in english. Now a few months later, I have read the two following volumes in french, because I could simply not wait years until the english publisher decides to release the whole three. This waiting time in between volumes is simply ridiculous as we are dealing here with possibly the most gripping trilogy ever written.
I must say that the two to come are just as brilliant, clever and immensely satisfying as the first. Rarely is a plot so twisted, so interesting, the characters so genuine and ultimately the whole story so resounding.
I deeply regret that Larsson died (or was helped to die ??) and that we will never have another chapter in the tormented life of Lisbeth Salander.
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I gulped the 500+ pages of this book in 24 hours. It's a highly intelligent and enjoyable thriller.
The publisher, though, should be taken out and shot. First, the choice of cover, and the title change from Men Who Hate Women, is just vulgar sensationalism. Why was there a need to titillate potential buyers when dealing with an international multi-million seller?
Second, the copy editing is a disgrace. Again, with a huge best seller, couldn't they have taken more care? Other reviews have given examples of poor grammar, so I won't reproduce them. But in three places the translator uses 'anon' where the correct English would be 'then', 'later', or similar ("they got married and anon were divorced"). It's minor, but jerks you right out of the story. I gather there were feuds about the English translation, but nevertheless, good copy editing could have made the difference.
I suspect they wouldn't have got away with this had the author still been alive.
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I got all three books in the trilogy as a present,
and read them all in less than a week (in Swedish), a personal
record.
The first book is now available in English.
(The literal tranlation would have been "Men who Hate Women".)
The books are complete page-turners, the suspense
keeps building. The author's death prior to publication
may have contributed to some minor errors of fact and
of internal consistency, but this does not detract from
the readability.
Apparently, the English version has problems, judging from
other reviews. I sincerely hope the publisher (and the translator)
will take better care with the third (and last) installment.
The background portrayal of a school system
gone haywire and of a mental health system out of control,
both violating people that don't quite fit in with the
Swedish way resounds with its plausibility. I am left with
the impression that the author had first-hand experience
with the horrors of the former, if not necessarily the
latter.
Curiously, the author fails to draw the conclusion that
it is the welfare state itself that is the cause, he clearly
embraces it - but then, he is a dyed-in-the-wool Swede.
A piece of advice to the reader: It is helpful to have a
physical map of Sweden handy; with the exception of one
of the main locations (Hedeby, which exists only unrelatedly
in Denmark) all the towns are real.
The "Millennium" magazine featured in the books exists
in the real world as "EXPO", and Mikael Blomqvist is
clearly the author's alter ego. I believe that somebody
familiar with the "in crowd" in Stockholm will find several
matches between the fictitious characters in the trilogy
and real people.
Nils Andersson
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