I spent 4 hours finishing the book, then I went for a run.
5 stars
The first half captured me, the second half was…insane. I picked an intense read for my first fiction book in years. When I finished, all I could do was grab my running shoes and go for a run, even though I already ran in the morning. It was a lot to process, and I needed the run to work through it.
Heavy, dark, insightful, scary, and beautiful. So happy I read it. And the broad theme of violence (and hatred) towards women is beautifully crafted into the story.
Review of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
This book has its own deliberate pace. We don't get to the "meat" of the mystery until the end of chapter 4 (page 92). Until then, we've got character development.
I felt a degree of sympathy for Mikael Blomkvist, and somewhat more for Lisbeth Salander, who both found themselves in situations beyond their control. None of the other characters (and, this being a mystery, there were lots) were especially compelling or sympathetic.
The book depicted several violent, disturbing episodes. One of the Amazon reviewers used the phrase "chillingly ugly," which is wholly appropriate.
Despite the length of the book, I was able to finish it in just a few days. Maybe I was reading quickly to get past the ugliness.
The writing was not particularly striking. I found it jarring when an 82-year old man described a relative as someone who "partied incessantly." Although, I don't know, maybe 82-year-old Swedes …
This book has its own deliberate pace. We don't get to the "meat" of the mystery until the end of chapter 4 (page 92). Until then, we've got character development.
I felt a degree of sympathy for Mikael Blomkvist, and somewhat more for Lisbeth Salander, who both found themselves in situations beyond their control. None of the other characters (and, this being a mystery, there were lots) were especially compelling or sympathetic.
The book depicted several violent, disturbing episodes. One of the Amazon reviewers used the phrase "chillingly ugly," which is wholly appropriate.
Despite the length of the book, I was able to finish it in just a few days. Maybe I was reading quickly to get past the ugliness.
The writing was not particularly striking. I found it jarring when an 82-year old man described a relative as someone who "partied incessantly." Although, I don't know, maybe 82-year-old Swedes do talk that way.
The paperback version includes the first few pages of Larsson's sequel, The Girl who Played with Fire. It's more violence, and I'm not interested.
