The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Author: Steig Larsson

Series: Millennium, Book 1

Number of Pages: 590

Date Read: July 9, 2012

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Adult

Rating: B

Synopsis (Found on Goodreads.com):

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.

My Review:

*May Contain Spoilers*

This book was ok. I don't really get what the hype was with this book. For me it was kinda boring. There was so much background and so many Vanger family members that it was confusing. I liked the mystery with Harriet Vanger but I could of done without her father and brother, Martin, being pervs and nasty sadist serial killers. I was horrified reading those parts of the book. On the issue of Harriet Vanger running away I'm torn between Blomkvist's view of the situation and Salander's. I mean yes I understand that she was raped by both her father and her brother and that she needed help. But I also agree with Salander, that if she would of told someone (like a police officer) then her brother could of been dealt with then and there and she could of saved who knows how many women from that sick bastard. I'm also kinda torn about how her brother reacted to Harriet killing their father. In the book Martin used the knowledge that she killed their father over her and she had to do whatever he said. I would of thought that Martin would have been afraid of Harriet especially after seeing her kill their father because that meant that Harriet could of killed him too. 

I also have to be honest that the whole situation with Wennerstrom was kinda confusing with all the bank accounts and companies and whatnot. I got the jist of it but I had to read those parts over to make sure I got what was going on. 

My favorite character was Lisbeth. I liked how she took matters into her own hands and solved her own problems. I really couldn't see a reason for her rape in the book unless what she did to her guardian will come back to bite her in the next books. I did not like the fact that even though the title of the book is the girl with the dragon tattoo that Lisbeth was in fact not in the book until about two thirds into the book. I really like her character and I felt that she should of had a more prominent role in the book. Its is because I liker her so much that I will be continuing the series. I want to find out what happened to her to make her the way she is as well as if she and Blomkvist will end up together.

Rating:
B