I spent Sunday and Monday snowed in during New York's post-Christmas blizzard. After two days of family fun, it seemed like the perfect time to curl up with a good book...or two! With little else to do, I indulged in some holiday leftovers and devoured The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. Although I had heard many rapturous reviews of the series, it wasn't high on my to-read list. I'm not sure why, but I think my apathy may have stemmed from my lack of knowledge of all things Swedish, combined with the knowledge that the books had been translated. In the literary world there are very few things worse than a poor translation, and I was hesitant to pick up the series only to be disappointed. Finally, the "look at me" covers screaming off of every display table in every Barnes and Noble that I've been in for the past twelve months kind of pissed me off. Yes, I admit it. I judged the books by their covers.
The best review I'd heard of the series prior to reading the books was, "The first one is just good enough to make you want to read the second one, but the second one is really good." I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment! The first 100 pages were slow going - lots of background information and confusing Swedish place names. But the mystery picked up in the second half, and the second book was action-packed! I haven't read the third one yet, but I'm planning to do so over the long weekend.
One thing I really did appreciate about the series was the author's portrayal of Lisbeth. As far as main characters go, she's no angel, but I found myself rooting for her even when I didn't really approve of what she was doing. She is sometimes described as having Aspergers-like behaviors, and its tempting to blame her social awkwardness on the mysterious childhood event that she refers to in passing as "All the Evil." However, the author also hints that while the event may have contributed to these behaviors, they actually manifested earlier in life and are not entirely attributable to any one root cause. I like this. All too often an awkward main character's behavior is based on and blamed on trauma. In Lisbeth's case, it's not a black-and-white situation. She is many shades of gray, just like in the real world. And while her sense of right and wrong may be too rigid, she sticks to her guns and does what she believes in regardless of whether it is the socially correct thing to do. I like that too.
Although the books are far from upbeat, and expose many dark corners in the social landscape of Sweden, Lisbeth makes me happy. And even though she's barely present in the narration of the second book, her presence is always felt.
Happy New Year's Eve everyone!
- Rebecca DeWinter
Coincidentally I was just given the literary gift of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by our newest recruit! Will comment more once I've started it.
ReplyDeleteI am about 150 pages into the book now. So far, I agree that it was difficult to get started, but the plot is starting to pick up. I'm excited for the mystery, but there's so much information and so many characters! It's hard to keep everything straight!
ReplyDeleteSadly, I don't appreciate Lisbeth as a character very much yet. She seems very mysterious and ambiguous still, and her role in the story is unclear. However, from the description of uncooperative-ness, I am finding it hard to like her! I hope she becomes both more of a defined character and more likable as the book progresses!
Miss H.
Lisbeth doesn't have much of a role until the end of the first book. I kind of liked her at the end of the first one, but I didn't truly appreciate her until the second one.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I dug the third book out of the garage yesterday, and I don't really like it. It's awfully preachy, and a little bit boring. The first couple of chapters are all A) a recap of the end of the second book and B) a long-winded description of Swedish Cold War politics and the secret police. I can't decide if it's worth finishing...
Keep going with the first one, Miss Havisham, because the second one is worth it! But the third one...mehhh...
R. DeWinter
I finished book 1 yesterday and thought it was...just OK. I was glad when the mystery started picking up in the last third of the book, but it was solved all to quickly compared with the rest of the story, and then I had to suffer through the last 100 pages of financier comeuppance.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't bother with the rest of the series if I wasn't kept being told that the second book is worth it. I am going to start this evening.
Second book...really good! Third book...has been staring at me from the coffee table since Sunday night and I can't bear to pick it up again. I think I may just give up in defeat...my advice - read the second one and then stop.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think of it.
I completely agree that the first book was very slow and took me a while to get into. I bought the series together on amazon, so hopefully I will start the second one soon as well!
ReplyDelete- Catherine E.