Translation Copyright 2008
Wow. This book is definitely epic. Summary from Goodreads: Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.
I almost gave up on this book- the first 50 pages were really hard to get through- lots of setting up of the plot. However, all of a sudden, things became very interesting. Lisbeth Salander is an amazing heroine- if you dislike Bella for being mushy, you'll LOVE Lisbeth. The mystery of Harriet Vanger's murder is also addicting. At that point, I could hardly put the book down, and since it's 600+ pages long, I neglected a lot of things such as my schoolwork and my blog and SLEEP to keep reading. The ending was a great twist- even better than I expected. However, it is very gruesome- there are graphic descriptions of violent crimes.
Bottom line- definitely give this book a shot. I'm going to give it 5 stars- the writing is stellar, the mystery is captivating, and the characters are unique and engaging. I also liked the occasional PSA about violence against women.'
Question though- If you have read this book, what did you think about the gruesome violence in this book? Was it necessary? Did it make the book better? I'm still thinking about these questions.
I see this one being checked out of the library all the time. Great review, I might have to give it a shot.
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