608 Pages
"Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo."
I am generally not a fan of "best sellers" or "must read" books. I used to be, but I think with all of the build up of expectations, the books always disappointed me. Not saying they were bad books but I probably would have enjoyed them much more had I just happened to see it sitting on a shelf, for example. So, as with many things, if I've been burned once or twice, I just tend to stay away. I lurk on a lot of "book club" type message boards and have consistently saw this book talked about. I would skim and knew it was popular and the name, but not much else. I ignored it and went on my merry way. Well by the tenth time or so of someone asking if I had read it, I had to give in. I never expected it to like it but had to at least be able to say I had read it. I'm weird like that.
I will officially eat crow. I greatly enjoyed this novel. It was nothing of what I expected and reminded me to, no pun intended, "never judge a book by it's cover". Larsson takes you on quite a journey with twists I never saw coming, and that is rare now a days.
The story starts out a bit confusing with two separate characters and plots being jumped to back and forth, but mid way through it all comes together and makes sense. The major characters are well developed and relatable. It covers all the bases - corporate espionage, suspense, mystery, abuse, family relations, unexpected friendships, some but not too much romance, etc. It kept me pulled in and not wanting to put it down. I had to stop reading half way through to read "Waking Up" for book club and was not happy about it.
I will forewarn that there are some scenes and material that could be disturbing for some people. I read a lot of the genre. One of my favorite series is James Patterson's Alex Cross series and I have watched Law & Order: SVU for years. I am pretty numb to sexual abuse and rape story lines. Not that I enjoy them in anyway or anything, but I am numb to the "shock factor" I guess. However, I don't know if it is because I have been reading a bit different themed books lately, but the scenes depicted in this book actually made me cringe a bit. The level things are described are not done to "shock" anyone, but is pretty vital for the connection to the story and understanding of why the characters are the way they are.
The second book is "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and then the third and final is being released next week, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". I definitely plan on reading them as soon as I finish with other books that have been piling up.
There is a movie already out called "Män som hatar kvinnor" (Man Who Hates Women) that has received some good reviews, although it does change some things about the book. A 2012 American blockbuster adaptation is planned but nothing is cast yet (pretty much every A-listers name has been "rumored). I really worry about this. The DaVinci Code suprised me in it's effort to stick to the book and not add typical hollywood things, and I really hope they do the same here.
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