The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Summary and book reviews of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, plus links to an excerpt from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and a biography of Stieg Larsson.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
Hardcover: Sep 2008,
480 pages.
Paperback: Jun 2009,
480 pages.
A Sensational #1 Bestseller – Now a Major Motion Picture In Theaters March 2010.
A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue.
It’s about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden . . . and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.
It’s about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet’s disappearance . . . and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age—and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it—who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism—and an unexpected connection between themselves.
It’s a contagiously exciting, stunningly intelligent novel about society at its most hidden, and about the intimate lives of a brilliantly realized cast of characters, all of them forced to face the darker aspects of their world and of their own lives.
While the mystery at the center of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo wraps up very satisfactorily, the novel itself does not. That's not to say that the book's ending is poor; it is, in fact, one of the most appropriate endings this reviewer has encountered. The problem is that it will without doubt leave the reader wanting more. Fortunately for his fans, Stieg Larsson completed two more books in the Millenium series before his untimely death. This is one book that lives up to its hype, and it is likely to get as much attention in America as it has in Europe since its publication there. Highly recommended. (Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
New York Times - Alex Berenson
But if the middle section of “Girl” is a treat, the rest of the novel doesn’t quite measure up. The book’s original Swedish title was “Men Who Hate Women,” a label that just about captures the subtlety of the novel’s sexual politics. Except for Blomkvist, nearly every man in the book under age 70 is a violent misogynist.
Los Angeles Times - Marjorie Miller
The writing is not beautiful, clipped at times (though that could be the translation by Reg Keeland) and with a few too many falsely dramatic endings to sections or chapters. But it is a compelling, well-woven tale that succeeds in transporting the reader to rural Sweden for a good crime story.
The Washington Post - Patrick Anderson
[A] huge bestseller in Europe and will be one here if readers are looking for an intelligent, ingeniously plotted, utterly engrossing thriller that is variously a serial-killer saga, a search for a missing person and an informed glimpse into the worlds of journalism and business.
Library Journal
Sweden may be the land of blondes, Ikea, and the Midnight Sun, but Larsson, who died in 2004, brilliantly exposes its dark heart: sexual violence against women, a Nazi past, and corporate corruption. Highly recommended.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. At once a strikingly original thriller and a vivisection of Sweden's dirty not-so-little secrets.
The Independent - Jonathan Gibbs
If Larsson's book feels just a little amateurish, then perhaps that works to its advantage. This never feels like a by-the-numbers thriller. The twists and revelations work all the better for being worked for, rather than flung at the reader, two to a page.
The Guardian - Peter Guttridge
This is a striking novel, full of passion, an evocative sense of place and subtle insights into venal, corrupt minds. It's sad that a potentially great crime-writing career was ended almost before it began, but at least UK readers can enjoy this and look forward to the succeeding two novels in the trilogy.
Sydney Morning Herald - Robert Dessaix
Larsson's prose is bright and functional, like Sweden, with barely a hint of poetry and, while not all the characters are exactly multifaceted, the plotting and pacing are masterful. No wonder Europe has gone wild over Blomkvist and his rivetting sidekick -in Denmark The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has sold more copies than any book except the Bible.
Will Larsson catch up with God? It's not out of the question. Less horrifyingly violent than the Bible, with a simpler plot line, Larsson's tale is much more believable and vastly more fun.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Allison Box Great Read After reading the first chapter, I was skeptical that it would speed up, or that I would like it. But after the first chapter, I was hooked. I could not put it down until I finished it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves crime... Read More
Rated of 5
by Katie Love it when women fight back.... This book was 100 times better than the movie. I think most people who read the series will agree to that. It is a must read. It reminds me of the book THAT GIRL STARTED HER OWN COUNTRY by Holy Ghost Writer. If you love this type of spy,... Read More
Rated of 5
by sahara ENTERTAINING. Honestly, I think the book was way better than the movie. The setting, mystery, and conclusion was very well executed. I think however, if the book was shorter, perhaps it wouldn't be hard to read. I think the book was actually really entertaining,... Read More
Rated of 5
by Barrett Nelson Know before U read!!!!!!!!!!!! Mr. Larsson basically wrote one book. Sure, the first stands alone, but the next two are just a continuation of the first. ESPECIALLY read With Fire before Hornets Nest. It is really ONE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rated of 5
by FrankJoseph Astonishing! Well-written classic. Swedes be proud! As an American, the locations, and references took some effort to forge through, but the crux was the inevitable meeting between two strong characters; the girl (with the dragon tattoo!) and Blomkvist. The prologue with Vanger and his obsession... Read More
Rated of 5
by LittlePetal Exceptionally magnificant I have to say that Millenium Trilogy has truly transformed my perception of crime fiction forever. Larsson did possess a reason to write the series, and the most brilliant novelist he was and forevermore he will be remembered in time. Mesmorising... Read More
Stieg Larsson Swedish author Stieg
Larsson's life is every bit
as fascinating as that of
any fictional character. In
fact, Mikael Blomkvist, the
protagonist of The Millenium
Series, bears many
similarities to his creator.
Karl Stig-Erland Larsson was
born on August 15, 1954 in
Västerbotten, in northern
Sweden. He was raised in the
countryside by his
grandparents until his
grandfather's death in 1962
(despite considerable
research, including
questions to his publisher,
that is all we have been
able to glean of his
childhood).
The Reykjavik police are called on an icy January day to a garden where a body has been found: a young, dark-skinned boy is frozen to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Erlendur and his team embark on their investigation and soon unearth tensions simmering beneath the surface of Iceland’s outwardly liberal, multicultural society.
In this latest atmospheric thriller, Kurt Wallander and his daughter Linda, just graduated from the police academy, join forces to search for a religious fanatic on a murder spree and soon find themselves forced to confront a group of extremists bent on punishing the world's sinners.
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(1203 words).
New York Times - Alex Berenson
of 5
by Allison Box
of 5
by sahara
Write your own review!
Swedish author Stieg
Larsson's life is every bit
as fascinating as that of
any fictional character. In
fact, Mikael Blomkvist, the
protagonist of The Millenium
Series, bears many
similarities to his creator.
