What readers think of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, plus links to write your own review.

I am a big fan of crime fiction so I was really intrigued about all the interesting press about this book. I was not disappointed at all. I could not put this book down -- even took it to work one day because I could not wait until the evening to pick it up again. I am so glad there are 2 more books in the future, but so sad that this talented author died so young. Reading about a new location was so fascinating. The story was so different than any other crime novel I have read before. So clever, so interesting. The dialogue was brilliant.

I have read all three of Stieg Larssons trilogy, one in English and the other two in Swedish. I found them impossible to put down and I certainly hope that we get to see the movies here. I had not realized when I finished the first, that there were any more coming and was so disappointed not to learn more of Salander. I went on the internet and was excited to read that there were two more to come. Thanks to my brother I then received both of them in Swedish. I think the English title focuses more on Salander and less on the man's hatred of women and it is Salander that really becomes the focus of all three books. Certainly wish that there was a fourth but my imagination can conclude the series otherwise.

I have just finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and enjoyed it immensely. I did find the beginning a little slow.

Steig Larsson's death is a significant loss. He was too young and too talented!

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was not quite what I expected. An
international thriller by a new voice, a long awaited translation that had been
a sensation in Europe led me to believe I was picking up one of those fast
paced, quickly written stories. I never expected the depth of plot, well,
actually several stories, layered quite neatly, one upon the other which finally
came together with excellence. Yes, it's a thriller, but also a locked room
mystery, a study in greed, corruption, the world of finance, violence against
women and throws in a love story for good measure.



It's long; I think it could have been cut down but in the end that didn't bother
me. The setting is Sweden, but locale is not developed as well as I might have
liked. Some reviewers thought the characters not well drawn and didn't care
about them. For me, the characters are what captivated me and kept me reading to
the very end. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist, (Larsson did work for Tidningarnas
Telegrambyra, the largest Swedish news agency) is arrested for libel of a
businessman, Wennerstrom, having written a story about him that can't be proven.
He is sentenced to jail and though the sentence is short, his career as co-owner
of the newspaper Millennium becomes a shambles. Enter, Henrik Vanger, an
elderly, wealthy businessman seeking closure to the long ago disappearance of
his niece, Harriet. Vanger is the patriarch of a well-known and large Swedish
family Vanger proposes to hire Blomkvist to write his biography and to solve the
mystery of Harriet's disappearance. He details that day in 1966 when most of the
Vanger family was gathered for their annual dinner and board meeting on Hedeby
Island. Off island there was a Children's Day Parade planned by the sports club
of Hedestad. Harriet had gone to Hedestad to see the parade with some school
friends, came back to Hedeby just after 2 in the afternoon. At 2:15 a farmer
collided with an oil truck and caused a horrific explosion cutting off any means
of anyone coming or going from the island. Moments before the crash, Harriet had
told Henrik she needed to talk to him but he was busy and told her he'd catch up
with her later.



The accident happened, all heck broke loose, and that was the last time Vanger
saw Harriet. With all the confusion of the bridge accident he didn't even
realize she was missing until the next morning. There were many people on the
island that day and Vanger spent the ensuing years trying to figure out which of
them had killed Harriet, as he was certain she was murdered, probably for
something she knew and had tried to tell him. No body was ever found; she could
not have run away as the bridge was the only way out. The author describes this
as a locked-room mystery in island format. Blomkvist is hesitant to take on this
assignment but is lured by the payment offered, Wennerstrom 's head on a
platter. 



Larsson includes a family tree and thank heavens he does as it would be
difficult to keep all the Vangers straight without it. There are a multitude of
suspects and other great characters with varying roles to keep the story
interesting and entertaining. One character, Lizbeth Salander, odd girl out is a
fascinating study throughout the story. She plays a central part in her role as
a sort of investigative assistant to Blomkvist. Fittingly her birthday is
Walpurgis Night, an old pagan festival. The Blomkvist character reads novels
throughout the story, one of which is Val McDermid's Mermaids Singing. He
pronounces it grisly.



Be forewarned that Larsson also presents a grisly and violent tale. For a first
time effort I'd call this one first rate. Four star rather than five for some
plot flaws in the wrap-up. Still, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel!

This book is a great read, the first in a series of three. It's currently at the top of the bestseller list here in Spain.
Living abroad and browsing through bookshops is sometimes an exercise in translation: you recognize the author's name but you often have to use your imagination or check out the original title to figure out whether you've already read the book in English.
I don't know Swedish but it seems to me that the Spanish as well as Catalan title of this book - "The Men who Hated Women" - is closer to the original. Is the English title more politically correct?

I was fascinated, horrified and entertained by this book. The level of detail on many fronts, especially about technology, intrigued me, and the plot is packed with twists and surprises. One of many questions raised by the book concerns morality. There are different levels of its presence and absence. I found myself excusing what, in the US at least, is considered immoral behavior (spoiler alert) such as incest, adultery, and theft, in light of some horrendously repugnant, misogynistic conduct. Stieg Larsson, who died right before this book was first published, was dedicated to exposing and combating neofascism and right wing extremism in Europe, and that could explain some of the moral relativity issues in his story. Oh, yes, and the title character…she is a curious and compelling individual, not totally fleshed out, who begins to develop at the end of the story. I regret that there won’t be a sequel.

[Note from BookBrowse: In fact ,there will be a sequel - two of them. Just before he died the author delivered all three books in the Millenium sequence to his publisher. The books are already published in some parts of Northern Europe, and will be available in the USA over the next year or so.]

Wow -- this was a terrific read! This novel kept me on my toes, but I didn't want to race through it ... I wanted to savor it, to think about who might be the bad guy (or gal), and to ponder on the two "heroes": a smart, determined and tenacious reporter, and an enigmatic, difficult, and brilliant young woman.

We have some great characters here, particularly the aging patriarch Henrik Vanger, and the fascinatingly peculiar and complicated Lisbeth. I also liked that even peripheral characters had a great deal of depth; this adds a lot of flavor to the novel! The plot is surprising, suspenseful, and harrowing, and it moves right along. Really a satisfying read, and I highly recommend it!

My only complaints, admittedly minor: the insipid title of the novel, and truly one of the least attractive book jackets I have ever laid eyes on. OK, so I'm a little "waspish!"

I had never heard of this novel when I received it, although it has been a bestseller all over Europe. I had a long plane ride from Seattle to Tokyo and needed a long book to get me through it. What a delightful surprise this novel ended up being. I fell in love with the characters, especially Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo. I didn't sleep on the plane because I couldn't put the book down. It is filled with scandals, politics, computer hacking, and murder. I am usually good about guessing endings to novels and I was surprised at the ending. I can't wait until the other two in the trilogy are translated into English.