My thoughts so far on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larson (regular readers of Bookshany will recall that Slip No. 2 from the Bookshany TBR Jar instructed to read the trilogy.):
I can easily picture in my mind what the characters look like, and having not yet watched the European made film versions of the book, nor the American re-make, I feel as though the American cast were well chosen based on appearances alone, based on the screen shots and publicity images that I recall from around the time of the film's release. We're not talking about book to film adaptations today though, that will be coming in the future!
I've enjoyed the translations so far, as the person responsible for changing the book from Larson's native Swedish tongue into English has done a cracking job with it. The language flows smoothly as it would have done had a British writer written the novel, and has avoided the cliché of using Americanisms in the text, e.g. kindergarten vs. nursery.
I won't reveal any spoilers at this point, as there isn't much to say just yet. The political side of the plot could happen tomorrow just as easily as it could have done when the book was set earlier this decade. And for Mikael Blomkvist, just like all great investigators who came before him, the mystery is afoot.
Having now finished the novel, I can give my final review:
Title: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Author: Steig Larson
Date Started: 03/01/16
Date Finished: 01/02/16
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
Thoughts and Quotes:
All crime novels have a question to be answered. The initial question raised by The Girl With The Dragon tattoo is this: 'what happened to Harriet Vanger on Hedeby Island?' This of course, is eventually answered, but is joined by a second question, 'what is Lisbeth Salander's secret? How does she do what she does?' This is also eventually answered, to an extent.
Lisbeth and Mikael do form a good team, and it is through their relationship that we learn more about Lisbeth herself. Lisbeth is an excellent heroine. She does suffer in many different ways through out the novel, as do most protagonists, she has her secrets and flaws, she is afraid of her own feelings, and in the moments where she is the victim, she does not fall into the standard 'perfect victim' trope, making her into a fully formed, realistic person, as we all, as individuals react differently when certain scenarios are thrust upon us, invading our ordinary lives.
"To Sally, who showed me the benefits to the sport of golf."
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