The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

[Minor Axis]

I thought it was slow too. In fact, I didn't finish it.

After finishing the series, I recommend it, but acknowledge the first book can be a struggle to get past the first 100 pages or so and it is long on methodical and short on thrills. And I thought the ending was a bit of an anti-climax. There are elements of a thriller, but there is something about the writing or the translation that keeps it tamped down. However, there was enough there to keep me going and the second and third books in contrast are much better reads revealing the conspiracy of how Lisbeth Salander became a ward of the state.

 

[satinbutterfly]

I read this last night. I was disappointed. Not sure if I'm even remotely interested enough to read the second and third. Depends on how bored I get I suppose.

I am going to watch the movie at some point... since I've read the book.

 

[Abcinthia]

Just started the first one. I like it so far.

I bought the whole triology so I'll probably finish them in 1½ weeks and then be able to discuss it a bit more.

 

[Abcinthia]

No Unhidden Spoilers Please! Use the Spoiler Tag. (spoiler) (/spoiler) with brackets instead of ()

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Any big fans here? I'm at about 180 pages into it. It's a murder mystery and it's keeping my interest, but so far I'd call it a little dry. Does this book explode with excitement at some point?

What is most interesting about this book is that the character Lisbeth Salander is 25 years old, but has to report to some Guardianship Agency in Sweden based on her troubled youth, and being in foster homes. She earns a living as a private investigator. I'm wondering at age 25 why would the government be keeping direct control over her? Anyone know if this Agency really exists in Sweden?

I thought it was plausible.
As far as the Agency are concerned she is mentally retarded (due to her not answering on psychological tests and not showing any emotion/answering questions when asked about herself [remember the staff at Milton Security thought she was dumb when she started out just making coffees for them and copying]) and seemingly randomly violent and dangerous. The Agency did not know she was earning money as a private investigator (she told her new guardian she was just making coffee and copying and he had no reason to think otherwise).
So to them, it would seem as though she needed someone to keep an eye on her and make sure she was managing to live and to assess whether she is going to be a danger to herself or to society.
As for the agency existing in Sweden, I'm not sure but my google research was limited.

Overall I thought the book was really good. The first 100 pages were a bit dull but the author had to set the scene and introduce all the characters and set up the Wennerström affair

Spoiler

which would ofcourse be instrumental for the ending. At the time it felt seemingly unimportantant, which is why I thought it dull, but at the end it really made sense to have it included at the beginning in detail. I found that after Blomkvist was asked by Vanger to investigate Harriet's disapearence (Sp? I just can't spell this morning!) that the plot really started to pick up. I really liked the plot twist that Martin did not kill Harriet and that Anita helped Harriet escape. I found it very touching and it surprised me (I really did not see it coming! I had thought that Martin was to blame after he kept trying to make Blomkvist go back to Stolkholm and I believed he killed Harriet). The ending with the Wennerström affair seemed a bit rushed though. Maybe it was becuase of the juxtaposition of it next to the Harriet affair which took a lot of time and pieces slowly falling into place, that the ending with Salander just giving him everything was very quick and sudden.

Just started the next book so I'll probably post some drivel on it in a few days

 

[Carn]

Read the whole trilogy sometime ago and to bo honest the first book was pretty good the rest I would just consider to be nothing more than average.

Spoiler

First of all I really didn't appreciate the way Lisbeth's character has developed. I mean she was an outsider all her life and just like that she start's to blend in and she even got a boob job. Another thing that bothered me is that after the plot of the first book which is basically a "locked room mystery" they go into a nation wide sex trafficking ruction. And who happens to be the main bad guy ? Lisbeth's father... Come on now... What are the odd's of something like that happening ?