02 October 2011

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo







Book Details
Author: Stieg Larsson
Perfect Paperback: 644 pages
Publisher: Vintage Crime
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307454541
Purchased 2nd Hand Online

Book Summary
Harriet Vanger, scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punky prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption. (taken from the back of the book)

Book Review

Honestly, the first chapters of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo almost made me believe my friend that this was not worth my time. That is probably why I spent over three days reading it. But since, my cousin highly recommended this book (and I do trust her taste explicitly), I forced myself to read through the first few chapters and finally – something came up that made me read the whole book. I’m so thankful I never gave up, I might have missed a quarter of my life if I haven’t met Lisbeth Salander.

I think apart from Sidney Sheldon’s heroine Kate Blackwell, she’s the next favorite on my list. She may not be the typical girl-next-door, but she certainly has the personality and the brain. There is more to her than meets the eye – that is probably what I like most about her. Mikael though it must could be Asperger’s, which I also consider. People with Asperger’s are consider little professors having problems with socializing to other people.     

If you ask me, buying this book is somewhat buying two paperbacks at the same time since there are two plots with the same sets of characters. I just wished Larsson could have linked the two rather than separating it – it would have been a real great story. On the brighter side, he provided both a climax and conclusion to both, so it is pretty much okay.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tackled sensitive issues that could probably shock some readers. What gave me the creep are the chapters that discussed shocking sexual violence not just against women but also men – not to mention incest. He also dealt with business finance and corruption within the corporation, in addition to racism and journalism ethics.

This book is a thriller through and through, every plot will keep you going till you know how the story will end. (Although some humor might pop out every now and then on some pages) This is a story about the Vanger family, Blomkvist’s journey to redeem his reputation, Lisbeth’s vengeance on top of the mystery behind the missing Vanger heiress. Once you get to pass the first chapter – this novel is a page-turner that you could not afford to put down.

I can’t wait to read the next two sequels and watch the movie. 




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