Tuesday, February 12, 2019

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1) by Stieg Larsson

🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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 looked up books that have been translated to English and the only ones that appealed to me were The Little Prince and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I already own a copy of TGWTDT so it won by default. My husband also wanted me to read this book because he had watched the movie and wanted to know if it was like the book at all. 

When I began reading, I wasn't sure where the story was going. Frankly, I was confused and say "huh?" out loud to myself. As the book progressed I got more into the story but it still seemed a bit drawn out. It takes a little while just to meet the girl with the dragon tattoo (Lisbeth). Once the story picked up, it was gold. I devoured every page and had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters as well as their personalities. I know that the story has parts that are somewhat far-fetched but it also had a realism to it that I appreciated. It was so exciting to read a book by an author who knows how to write a thriller in such a way to keep the reader guessing about the "who did it" aspect. The only thing that I will say is that it may not be who you expect. 
I am excited to say that the translation is really well done. I have heard that some books that are translated are harder to understand because they don't translate well. This book however was well done. There are some Swedish words that are used throughout the book and I felt that the names were hard to pronounce but overall it wasn't bothersome. 

WARNING: There are parts of the book that may not appeal to everyone due to the graphic nature. If you are triggered by or put off by violence and/or rape then this book may not be for you. 


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