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adventurouspotato's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
It took until part 2 for this book to even start being interesting, and it takes until part 3 for any progress to be made on the case! But the mystery itself is well laid out and interesting, and while I guessed a couple things, namely that
The characters are also interesting, especially the title character, but I had some issues with their relationships with one another. Is it really too much to ask for
Salander is even more complicated in this regard.
You can also see how her circumstances affects her attitude towards the case and other male characters. She has no idea what it's like to have healthy boundaries or relationships, whether platonic or sexual, and it's no surprise when she randomly asks her boss if he thinks she's attractive or when she tries to have sex with Blomkvist even though he's old enough to be her dad. This is the first time Salander actually trusts someone as a friend and she basically tries to sabotage it by reverting to a dynamic she understands.
This all makes sense for her character, but I hate that Blomkvist goes along with it! For him it's just sex but it should be clear that Salander is vulnerable and that their relationship would be healthier without that. Blomkvist isn't always perfect but I'm not sure if we're supposed to treat this as a mistake since there isn't any consequences for him and their relationship remains pretty much the same, just now with sex. I think this is a missed opportunity for Salander to either be confronted with healthy boundaries in a platonic relationship for once, or to have a conflict between them because their sexual relationship isn't super healthy for their friendship and working relationship.
Anyways, I'll wrap up with some more small thoughts. This book is really Swedish and it doesn't try to explain linguistic or cultural things to a foreign audience for the most part, except for some reason it used Fahrenheit for the temperature which just killed me as a Canadian. It also makes constant reference to books, newspapers and magazines characters read, almost none of which I had heard of. For all I know they are fictional, but I assume they are well known to Swedes. I thought this surprising lack of localization was interesting given this book's international success.
Also, most characters are referred to by last name way more frequently than I would expect, which is probably a Swedish cultural thing? But it makes it confusing since the Vanger family are all called by their first names, but "Vanger" is specifically used for Henrik Vanger. Another example is that Birger Vanger is called "Birger" while Erika Berger is called "Berger". This confusion could have been avoided if she was called by her first name in the text!
Graphic: Animal death, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Torture, Antisemitism, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
brodabooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Many rollercoasters throughout, well-penned characters with reasonable development.
I especially love how the plot and the characters effortlessly switch control and takeover under Larsson's pacing.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Abortion
stephdavis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I did like the book overall and see why it was such a craze, but there are just so many moments where Larsson makes his gender biases known and he doesn’t even seem to understand his own female protagonist.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
ladylexi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Murder
mjohn058's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
However,
And this is a minor point, but
Aside from that, very good.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Antisemitism, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
h_elene's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
egilbertt's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder
allymcbroom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
alsira98's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Incest, Violence, and Antisemitism
Minor: Animal death
summerlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry