linneafoote's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kurtwombat's review against another edition
5.0
The genius of the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson is the Girl of the titles. Lisbeth Salander alone is worth diving into these books for. Her specific vision of the world and her extreme reactions to almost everything are a delight. This intro to the series was my favorite of the three books largely because Salander is more actively involved throughout. The story sets up one mystery that quickly turns into parallel mysteries that span generations and tease along throughout the book. Journalism is the hero in the person of sexual vagabond Mikael Bloomquist. His heated idealism balances nicely against Salander’s cold pessimistic practicality. Either character alone might tend to smother the narrative but bouncing back and forth between them constantly injects fresh air. My eyes widened at several of the surprises in the book, and my pulse pounded at a couple. One mystery involves family drama and murder while the other corporate malfeasance in the extreme but throughout both extend the ideals of responsibility and watchfulness. The book is busy enough with its mysteries not to dwell on these themes heavy handedly. While the two mysteries have connections, their solutions remain separate—calming my fears of one big tidy solution. Fortunately, not much is tidy about this book especially the relationship of the two main characters—devout individuals realizing their situational dependence on each other and not always liking it.
ferris_mx's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not such a big fan of mysteries. This was passable.
elysian_mess's review against another edition
I looked up reviews and many say the beginning is hard to get through but after learning it's a mystery thriller, I don't think I'd enjoy it anyway.
I reckon I'll watch the movie though hehe.
I reckon I'll watch the movie though hehe.
sjmaxa's review against another edition
Loved the mysterious plot and characters, did not like the violence. Can't decided if I should read The Girl Who Played with Fire. Any thoughts?
zoe_jk's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jeyjey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dorothy_gale's review against another edition
5.0
The first 50 pages or so were slow, but after that I couldn't "put it down." I like that it took place in Sweden and was written by a Swedish author. It is definitely an adult book though -- I couldn't listen to it with my kids in the car! I am adding the other two "Millenium" books by this author to my to-read list. I'm happy to have another mystery/thriller author, even though it's limited since this series was published after he died in 2004.