|
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | 
 enlarge | Author: Stieg Larsson
Publisher: Quercus
Category: Book
Buy New: $26.73
New (2) Used (3) from $26.73
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 281845
Format: Import
Media: Paperback
Edition: Uk airside e.
Pages: 542
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.8
ISBN: 1847243495
EAN: 9781847243492
ASIN: 1847243495
Publication Date: January 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Facism and sexism in Scandinavia January 22, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
During a trip to Stockholm last summer, a friend urged me to buy this mystery when it became available in English, and I am so glad he made the recommendation. Larsson was 50 when he died on November 9, 2004. He was a journalist and editor of the Swedish magazine "Expo", who documented and exposed Swedish extreme right and racist organizations. He also contributed articles to "Searchlight", the anti-facist U.K. magazine. At the same time, he was writing fiction. Larsson left three unpublished thrillers which have since been printed. These books are all bestsellers in Sweden and in many other countries, selling millions of copies.
His first novel "Maen som hatar kvinnor" (published in English as "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") was awarded the Glass Key award as the best Nordic crime novel in 2006. It is the first volume in the Millennium trilogy, named after the magazine where Mikael Blomqvist, a Swedish journalist, works. The novel begins just as Blomqvist has lost a criminal libel case brought by a Swedish tycoon, the head of the powerful Wennerstrom Group, and faces a short prison sentence.
Henrik Vanger, a rival industrialist, who wants Blomkvist to find out what happened to his great-niece Harriet, who disappeared almost 40 years before. Blomkvist, an expert in detective novels, calls the disappearance "a sort of locked-room mystery in island format".
The Vanger family lives on Hedeby island, which is linked to the nearby town of Hedestad by a single bridge. A car collides with an oil tanker on the bridge, cutting off the island for several hours. Harriet was last seen shortly before the crash and several hours later her disappearance is discovered. Despite desperate efforts, her body was never found. Vanger agrees to back Millennium financially and give Blomkvist dirt on Wennerstrom when the investigation is successfully completed.
Three of Vanger's brothers were Nazis, supporting Per Engdahl's fascist movement, and the rest of the family have unpleasant histories as well. The Swedish title, literally "Men Who Hated Women", more accurately describes the unbelievable horrors described here; they are based in misogyny and in fascism. Blomkvist teams up with a damaged young woman - the girl with the tattoo - who has a genius for hacking into computers. Together they uncover 40 years of horror.
The novel is a triumph: well drawn characters, tight and twisty plot, and a black, haunting atmosphere. My friend who is fluent in several Nordic languages and in English says that the translation (other than the title) by Steven T. Murray is true to the original. I can hardly wait for the other two volumes in the Millennium series.
 Cats go their own way January 14, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is my first Larsson mystery and not my last. He's as sociologically interesting as Mankell and Indridasen, far more byzantine but less dark. I thought I knew the killer and where the body went half way through but was only close, as in horseshoes. Also, the hero is (compared with Kurt Wallander) in good shape athletically and is not deprived of appropriate sexual company. The weakness of the story is that the too-perfect feats of the anorexic, sociopathic super-woman are too often not at all believable, but this doesn't kill the effect, the book is a very good mystery. The ending has similarities with a modern Swedish fairy tale, 'Naer Maanen gick foerbi' by Alfredson and Aahlin. Unfortunately, we cannot ask the author if he read that tale, he died young of a massive heart attack in 2004 after a life of work as an anti-racism, anti-fascism expert. the latter topic appears in this mystery.
This review is based on the Norwegian translation 'Menn som hater Kvinner'. The English title should have been "Men who hate women'.
This book is so addictive that it should come with a warning! January 14, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Yes, it's that good.
Journalist Mikael Blomquist is hired by a business tycoon to investigate what happened to his nice who vanished a long time ago. He teams up with hacker Lisbet Salander, who is a great character.
Imagine a story that diggs into the one family's darkest seacret. A story that makes twists and turns you wouldn't expect. And imagine a grown up Pippi Longstocking teaming up with journalist Blomquist to solve the mystery.
This is one of the best mystery books ever written. This is blockbuster material. Be patient through the first chapters, before the story really takes off. It will be well worth it!
Absolute must read for crime fans! January 22, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a multi-layered crime book that breaks several rules, all for the better. The title is a misnomer. The original title translates as "The Man Who Hated Women". It's complex, layered and endlessly engrossing. Every time you think it's coming to a conclusion, it moves to another rewarding track. It doesn't cheat but rewards the reader. Despite the book's relentlessly dark tone, the real sadness is in realizing that no more than the three books Stieg Larsson have written will be published. He died unexpectedly soon after submitting them to his publisher.
A Swedish whodunnit that will make you miss appointments January 29, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this book because of its good reviews, because I love Sweden, and because I'd read about the sad and premature death of its author.
I don't often read mysteries, but this one had me hooked pretty quickly. You can't help being sorry that there will be no more new books from Larsson, but it's a relief to know there are two more books to come in this trilogy, because the characters he created are strong enough to carry that many and more. It's like having a wonderful first course and knowing there are still two to go.
Mikael Blomqvist is a complex protagonist, dogged, humane, flawed and sometimes insecure. His sidekick, the resourceful Lisbeth Salander, who hates to be compared to Pippi Longstocking (thereby making the comparison for us), is even more complicated. Personally, I liked her, and I'm intrigued to know more about her, which will hopefully happen in the next two books.
Plot-wise, this kept me guessing right to the end, with many satisfying twists and surprises. The writing is plain and unadorned, but with a story like this you really don't need lyricism.
All I can say is, I hope the translator is working fast on the sequels!
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
