The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Trilogy, #1)

by Stieg Larsson

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared off the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family. There was no corpse, no witnesses, no evidence. But her uncle, Henrik, is convinced that she was murdered by someone in her own family - the deeply dysfunctional Vanger clan. Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired to investigate, but when he links Harriet's disappearance to a string of gruesome murders from forty years ago, he needs a competent assistant - and he gets one: computer hacker Lisbeth Salander - a tattoed, truculent, angry girl who rides a motorbike like a Hell's Angel and handles makeshift weapons with the skill born of remorseless rage. This unlikely pair form a fragile bond as they delve into the sinister past of this island-bound, tightly-knit family. But the Vangers are a secretive lot, and Mikael and Lisbeth are about to find out just how far they're prepared to go to protect themselves - and each other.

Reviewed by rakesandrogues on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Though I really enjoyed this book, I'm not in love with the series. I'm satisfied where the story left off and I'm not in love with any of the characters that would make me want to continue reading the other books. As a reader of young adult fiction, I can see why this book is definitely marketed to an older audience. Other than the intriguing mystery of Harriet, there is nothing in this book that really appeals to me.

Honestly, I had a difficult time concentrating when the story led to things that were not about Harriet's disappearance. I grew easily bored when the Millienium was discussed, and I couldn't get myself to care about Wennestrom. I felt like I skimmed a lot more than I'd like to admit, especially at the beginning. The sex scenes throughout the book kind of grossed me out. I read scenes like that all the time in romance novels, so I didn't mind at first, but sometimes it got too graphic especially with Salander or I was constantly reminded of the character's age. I don't think that makes me immature as a reader; I really would rather not read about it.

The mystery was fantastic. I'm a fan of those television shows like CSI, so it was enjoyable reading about a murder mystery. I loved reading about the extensive research that it took to uncover the mystery behind Harriet. I would have liked to be shocked in the end, but I really wasn't. That was a bit disappointing, but I'm happy that I wasn't able to completely guess the ending.

To me, the book was really drawn out at the end. The last fifty pages were almost excruciating, but I kept on reading just for the sake of finishing the book already. I guess Larsson just couldn't leave readers hanging about Millenium and Wennestrom, but like I said previously, I didn't much care for either throughout the whole book. So to me, it felt like the ending really dragged. The book had "finished" for me when the mystery had been solved.

I can see why this book is a best-seller. I agree that it is superbly written. I had a great time reading it, but it's not for me. I can't imagine myself reading another 400+ pages.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 August, 2010: Finished reading
  • 7 August, 2010: Reviewed