# I'm struggling.....



## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

....to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This is my second attempt at the book, I'm on page 70 and I'm not engaged in the story. In fact, I'm bored. I've heard this is a terrific read and worth hanging in, but I think a terrific read should engage the reader from the start. I had the same issue with a Dean Koontz novel that took me 200 pages before I enjoyed it. I'm glad I stuck with it, but was frustrated for so long. Do you think it's worth it to continue a "great read" that takes so long to get "great" or do you bail out and miss out? *sigh* plodding on with TGWTDT.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

JFHilborne said:


> ....to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This is my second attempt at the book, I'm on page 70 and I'm not engaged in the story. In fact, I'm bored. I've heard this is a terrific read and worth hanging in, but I think a terrific read should engage the reader from the start. I had the same issue with a Dean Koontz novel that took me 200 pages before I enjoyed it. I'm glad I stuck with it, but was frustrated for so long. Do you think it's worth it to continue a "great read" that takes so long to get "great" or do you bail out and miss out? *sigh* plodding on with TGWTDT.


Don't feel bad. There are lots of books that are hailed as terrific and I have a hard time reading them. I have to be engaged from the beginning or I lose interest all together. I just don't have patience for a book that doesn't engage me from the very beginning. If you got to page 70, you gave it a good try so this book is not for you. You've done more than I usually do.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I think I've heard others say that you had to read past the beginning to get into it, but I'm not sure how far into it that is...

Betsy


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## rubymatthewserotica (Jan 7, 2012)

There's always the movie.   

But hey, just because something is hailed as a great read doesn't mean it's up your alley.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks, Beatriz. I really wanted to like it, but, sadly, it appears not to be. I might try the movie instead.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

If I'm not engaged by page 70, I bail.  I'm sure I've missed a few good books that way.  But I know I've avoided slogging through a BUNCH of bores.


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## jumbojohnny (Dec 25, 2011)

The trouble is, for me it's a case of - 'Ive started so I'll finish'. This has seen me plod through several things which in my opinion, ranged from average to absolutely awful; Dan Brown's Robert Langdon books are one such example. But if you think old Dan's stuff is boring, try Drood by Dan Simmons, that tops the lot, or perhaps I should say bottoms.


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## liafairchild (Apr 2, 2011)

Yes, I just read and reviewed the book last week. At first, I wondered what the heck everyone was clamoring about. All the foreign names and information was too much. But I stuck with it and found it very entertaining. I like trying to figure out the mystery in books so it appealed to me.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

JFHilborne said:


> Thanks, Beatriz. I really wanted to like it, but, sadly, it appears not to be. I might try the movie instead.


Don't feel bad. Life is too short and there are many, many wonderful books out there for you to force yourself to read a book just because everybody else finds it great. We're all individuals, you know, and like the cliche says, "One man's poison is another man's delight."


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks for the comments. I think I'll try the movie and be satisfied (I hope) with that. I'd like to know what the hype is about. Sometimes watching the movie first makes the book more enjoyable.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

JFHilborne said:


> Thanks for the comments. I think I'll try the movie and be satisfied (I hope) with that. I'd like to know what the hype is about. Sometimes watching the movie first makes the book more enjoyable.


A lot of times that happens but don't be surprised if you don't like the movie either. There are many popular movies that I saw just to see what the fuss was about and ended up not liking them very much either.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

It's been close to 3 years since I read the book so I can't remember how far in it starts to get better, but it does get WAY better.  The first part, the exposition is SO dry I almost gave up.  But once you get past all the business talk, the family background, etc, it does get much, much better.  (You've gotta figure that it does, since there are both Swedish AND American movies made from it.)  Larsson spun great stories - he could've used a good editing, and I imagine the publisher didn't want to edit it too much since he died before it was published.  But once you get past that initial exposition there's a terrific mystery with some good twists and turns - it's worth slogging through the beginning.  I just pulled it up on my Kindle - you aren't far from it beginning to pick up.  

Even the 2nd book took a couple of tries for me to get into it, and I noticed some of the issues with his writing more in the second book.  Still was a good story though.  But having said all that, not all books are for everyone - I'd give it a bit more time (I was really glad I'd stuck with them both) because it could turn out like that Koontz book.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

Meemo said:


> It's been close to 3 years since I read the book so I can't remember how far in it starts to get better, but it does get WAY better. The first part, the exposition is SO dry I almost gave up. But once you get past all the business talk, the family background, etc, it does get much, much better. (You've gotta figure that it does, since there are both Swedish AND American movies made from it.) Larsson spun great stories - he could've used a good editing, and I imagine the publisher didn't want to edit it too much since he died before it was published. But once you get past that initial exposition there's a terrific mystery with some good twists and turns - it's worth slogging through the beginning. I just pulled it up on my Kindle - you aren't far from it beginning to pick up.
> 
> Even the 2nd book took a couple of tries for me to get into it, and I noticed some of the issues with his writing more in the second book. Still was a good story though. But having said all that, not all books are for everyone - I'd give it a bit more time (I was really glad I'd stuck with them both) because it could turn out like that Koontz book.


Good info, thank you. You're right about the dry exposition. It's tedious. If I'm close to the good bits, I'll read a little more and see if it picks up for me.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I found it interesting from the very beginning. . . but I suppose anything that might be referred to as "action" didn't really happen until much later.

If you don't like it, you don't like it.  No big deal one way or the other.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

It may have dragged a bit at the start, but after a hundred pages or so, I was hooked. That said, I read pretty fast so investing time for a hundred pages isn't much of a sacrifice.


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## Rejean (Mar 31, 2011)

This seems to be one of those 'Love it, or Hate it' books. I haven't talked to many people who were in the middle.

Me, I loved it, but if everyone loved the same books life would be very boring.


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## BrianKittrell (Jan 8, 2011)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I think I've heard others say that you had to read past the beginning to get into it, but I'm not sure how far into it that is...
> 
> Betsy


It could be a while considering the size of that bug-squasher.


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## rubymatthewserotica (Jan 7, 2012)

By the way, I heard the Swedish movie was better than the American version if that helps.


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## DaveA2012 (Jan 8, 2012)

I enjoyed each of the books to some extent but can very easily see why people struggle through them.  The writing can be bland at times.  I fell in love with some of the characters and that's really what kept me reading.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I gave up the first time, but my wife nagged me to give it another shot. Finally got hooked about 120 pages in. It was a tough slog at first for some reason.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I think I've heard others say that you had to read past the beginning to get into it, but I'm not sure how far into it that is...
> 
> Betsy


Yeah the first hundred pages are so are pretty slow and are just setting up the story. It really gets going after that and is great from that point all the way through the trilogy IMO.

Of course, everyone is different so not everyone is going to like it. But it does indeed start very slow and really pick up, so it's worth trying to at least finish the first book and see if you get into it at that point or not.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

rubymatthewserotica said:


> By the way, I heard the Swedish movie was better than the American version if that helps.


Good to know, thank you. After reading all your posts, I'll stick with it for a bit longer. Not that it matters, but it'd be a shame to miss out on a good story.


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

I tried to read TGWTDT and, like you, could not get into it.  Reading time is precious and in short supply for me, so I gave up and will likely not try again.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

rubymatthewserotica said:


> By the way, I heard the Swedish movie was better than the American version if that helps.


I've only seen the Swedish version so far, so I can't comment personally. But reviews and impressions from friends are mixed on which version they liked better.

And the Swedish versions of the 2nd and 3rd ones weren't nearly as good as the first as they were done as a TV miniseries rather than a theatrical movie and just got cut down and released in theaters after the surprise success of the first movie and the books really exploding in sales. So the US sequels will probably improve on those.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

I saw the Swedish TV miniseries versions of all three books and they were very good, though I imagine that they suffered from being cut down for the theatrical release.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

All three Girl with the...  movies are available free to Prime members.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I read all 3 books (the first one was the hardest to "get into") - but it was worth the effort..  The pace picks up considerably and moves straight thru till the end of the 3rd book.  Also watched all 3 Swedish movies and just saw the new one with Daniel Craig.  Actually - I thought the American version was amazing.. the cinematography was excellent, and I thought the acting was much better.  Can't wait until the next 2.


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## wdeen (Dec 29, 2011)

Sounds like I'm going to be glad I waited for the movie. Now I just have to decide if I want to go to the theater or catch it on a movie channel.


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## Darlene Jones (Nov 1, 2011)

Reading tastes are such a personal thing. I have loved books that friends thought were only so so or not good at all and vice versa. Reading time is so limited these days, it seems, that I won't waste it on something I don't like.


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## Stephanie (Apr 28, 2009)

I ended up listening to this one on audio.  If I recall, it didn't really pick up until Disc 6.  I never would have read that far before giving up.  It is a good story though, once it does pick up.


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## GGKeets (Jan 2, 2012)

It's a beast of a book. I also don't believe the trilogy received final edits before the author's death. Could be wrong though. 

Anyways it is tough to get into. I found the most difficult part being the Swedish names and titles referenced constantly. It really picks up when Lisbeth is fully introduced and Mikael Blomkvist gets to Hedestad.


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## Math (Oct 13, 2011)

Give it up. It's easier than you think 

Just because it's a 'great read' doesn't mean it's a great read for you.

I will not force myself to read a book. For me, if I don't enjoy it, I won't invest my concentration in it - I won't pick up the little signs and plot-devices and sub-plots, I won't understand what's going on, I'll forget stuff anyway, I don't care about the characters, I won't enjoy it even more, I'll concentrate on it even less...and the circle starts again...

The other thing is that it makes me resent it. It's ridiculous to me to try and read a book because everyone else has read it. It's like suffering from the peer-pressure I felt when at school.

I used to force myself to finish books, but then I realised I could be doing something better - i.e. reading a book I _want _ to read!!!


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Math said:


> Give it up. It's easier than you think
> 
> Just because it's a 'great read' doesn't mean it's a great read for you.
> 
> ...


I generally agree, but think The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an exception. The reason being is that even most of those who absolutely loved the series like myself struggled with the first 3rd or so of that book. It just spends to much time setting up the background and setting, introducing the characters etc. After that point it's a super easy read through the last 2/3rds of that book and the final two books IMO.

So I do think it's worth reading beyond the first 100 pages or so and seeing if you get into as it's a fantastic story with fantastic characters IMO once it gets going. Of course that doesn't mean everyone will like it. Just that it's hard to know if you will like the series or not if you stop before that point as even the fans don't care much for those first 100 pages or so. 

That said, some people are more selective with how they spend their reading time and may not be willing to push through 100 pages to get to the good parts. And that's fine.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

mooshie78 said:


> I generally agree, but think The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an exception. The reason being is that even most of those who absolutely loved the series like myself struggled with the first 3rd or so of that book. It just spends to much time setting up the background and setting, introducing the characters etc. After that point it's a super easy read through the last 2/3rds of that book and the final two books IMO.
> 
> So I do think it's worth reading beyond the first 100 pages or so and seeing if you get into as it's a fantastic story with fantastic characters IMO once it gets going. Of course that doesn't mean everyone will like it. Just that it's hard to know if you will like the series or not if you stop before that point as even the fans don't care much for those first 100 pages or so.
> 
> That said, some people are more selective with how they spend their reading time and may not be willing to push through 100 pages to get to the good parts. And that's fine.


I was just about to post the same thing - Dragon Tattoo is almost like two separate books. The first one is like reading a dry business report (with a bit of interesting character stuff thrown in). Once you get past that business report you're reading a really good mystery/thriller with fascinating characters.


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## Tabby (Oct 7, 2009)

I also couldn't get into this book. I tried. I really did! After two attempts, I've given up and will watch the movie.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

I do feel odd woman out, but I didn't find I had to slog though a morass to get 'the good parts', I got interested from the start.

That said, I do like books with slow setups if they are well written. Some of my favorites are very likely in other people's 'nothing ever happens' list.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Laarson goes on far too long about the history of the Vanger family at the start of the book, and it's definitely rather slow. But it's well worth sticking with and getting past that ... things get a whole lot more interesting later on.


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## kisala9906 (Sep 4, 2011)

All 3 were fantastic books but like you I almost gave up on the first book. Not everyone likes the books or movies tho. There are really popular books that I read all the way through and ended up hating tho, like The Room for example. Not every book, even popular ones are for everybody.


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## Stephen T. Harper (Dec 20, 2010)

Beatriz said:


> Don't feel bad. There are lots of books that are hailed as terrific and I have a hard time reading them. I have to be engaged from the beginning or I lose interest all together. I just don't have patience for a book that doesn't engage me from the very beginning. If you got to page 70, you gave it a good try so this book is not for you. You've done more than I usually do.


I'm with you on this one. If I don't like something, for whatever reason, I move on. Doesn't mean the book is "no good," just not for me. Personal taste is a huge factor of course. But beyond that, I also want the author to grab my attention on every page, not just the opening. Too many great books out there and not enough time to read them all. If a book is still not for you after 70 pages...


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

JFHilborne said:


> ....to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This is my second attempt at the book, I'm on page 70 and I'm not engaged in the story. In fact, I'm bored. I've heard this is a terrific read and worth hanging in, but I think a terrific read should engage the reader from the start. I had the same issue with a Dean Koontz novel that took me 200 pages before I enjoyed it. I'm glad I stuck with it, but was frustrated for so long. Do you think it's worth it to continue a "great read" that takes so long to get "great" or do you bail out and miss out? *sigh* plodding on with TGWTDT.


Life's too short to read crap (however you define that, of course ). I wouldn't feel bad about giving up on a book just because EVERYBODY is reading it.

Who cares? Read what you like, and if it happens to be what everybody is reading, fine; if not, that's fine too.

Case in point: I really, REALLY tried to like American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Hated it. Got to about the 2nd or 3rd chapter and gave up. Never went back to it. Don't care if anyone looks down their nose on me or anything.


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## Rebecca Burke (May 9, 2011)

If you think the first one is hard to get into, you'll die at #3 (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest). I confess I gave up after getting 50-60 pages in, but I plan to go back and try again because I love-love-loved the first two. Larsson probably didn't get edited properly, as others have commented, because of the way these books were handled after his premature death. They can be a real slog to get into--he just doesn't seem to have "rapid-lift-off" capacity in his skill set. But I think this also speaks to part of the books' appeal: they're written for grown-ups. Larsson expects us to be interested in aspects of society that might affect crime; he doesn't just write about crime out of any context. He's done a lot of research, and he's not afraid to show it! Persevere, it's worth it.


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## DH_Sayer (Dec 20, 2011)

I've always heard the first 100 pages or so are brutal. This is a perpetual source of wonderment for me, that the American audience actually slogged through a reeeeally slow beginning (I mean, a hundred pages!) of the first volume in a series of big novels by an author they had never heard of who wrote, in a different language that needed to be translated, a story that doesn't take place in America. Kudos to the Knopf publicity dept.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

LOL - I think I was like the kid who got the pile of poo for Christmas and started digging, saying "There must be a pony here somewhere!"  I figured with all the sales and hype there must be a good story there somewhere so kept reading - and sure enough, there was!


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

GGKeets said:


> It's a beast of a book. I also don't believe the trilogy received final edits before the author's death. Could be wrong though.
> 
> Anyways it is tough to get into. I found the most difficult part being the Swedish names and titles referenced constantly. It really picks up when Lisbeth is fully introduced and Mikael Blomkvist gets to Hedestad.


A beast is right. Not really well-written or carefully plotted, but good characters and setting. Needed editing, I think.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I really struggled through reading this one as well. In fact the only reason I kept pushing through it was because people kept saying to keep going it got better and to be honest....it sort of did. I mean the action and suspense picked up but not until like the last 100 pages or so maybe.
I was so sad that I had purchased the second one without having read the first, what a waste of money. I know I will never read it.
It would be so nice if you could gift book purchases that you will never read to other people.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

The second one is much more action packed than the first.  You may want to give it a go. 

The third isn't as action packed.  Is more of a legal thriller/drama.


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## Storymagus (Jun 30, 2011)

We all have books like this. But does it not just show how subjective reading is. The 'classics' at school bored me stupid. I didn't get why I was supposed to care about any of Jane Austen's characters problems; but then  I was a fourteen year old living in the 90's who battling with my own teenage problems. I do sometimes wonder why some books make it print and yet there are some amazing authors on here who have been trying but can't get past the first hurdle. Media hype helps I guess.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

bordercollielady said:


> I read all 3 books (the first one was the hardest to "get into") - but it was worth the effort.. The pace picks up considerably and moves straight thru till the end of the 3rd book. Also watched all 3 Swedish movies and just saw the new one with Daniel Craig. Actually - I thought the American version was amazing.. the cinematography was excellent, and I thought the acting was much better. Can't wait until the next 2.


I thought Noomi Rapace was excellent as Lisbeth in the Swedish version. The guy who plays Mikael is pretty good as well, though Daniel Craig probably matches the American idea of an action hero better than the Swedish actor.

One issue with the Swedish version is that the same actors keep showing up in other Swedish TV shows, because the Swedish pool of actors isn't that big. I don't even watch that many Scandinavian TV shows, but it's still confusing if you keep seeing the same actors over and over.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

CoraBuhlert said:


> I thought Noomi Rapace was excellent as Lisbeth in the Swedish version. The guy who plays Mikael is pretty good as well, though Daniel Craig probably matches the American idea of an action hero better than the Swedish actor.


Well, that's kind of my problem with his casting. He's not supposed to be an action hero. He's a writer. I thought the Swedish movies were great, and the casting there was impeccable. I'm not sure I'll bother with the American versions. I'll wait until they're out on video at the very least.

As for the books, I only read the first one, and that one barely. I didn't have a problem with the plot engaging me. I was interested in the characters and what was happening. What I had a problem with was all the Nordic names. I could barely tell one town from another about halfway through. Normally not knowing the geography in a book doesn't bother me much, but it kept being brought up repeatedly. I decided just to watch the movies after that.


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## Barbara F (Jan 7, 2012)

I saw the original Swedish movie and I really liked it. Thought I'd give the book a try and wasn't able to keep my attention. I'm one of those who if I'm not hooked by the third or fourth page, I put it down. Maybe I'll give it another whirl. Now if I can just find where I put it. Not sure if I want to see the new version. Still pondering.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

mooshie78 said:


> I generally agree, but think The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an exception. The reason being is that even most of those who absolutely loved the series like myself struggled with the first 3rd or so of that book. It just spends to much time setting up the background and setting, introducing the characters etc. After that point it's a super easy read through the last 2/3rds of that book and the final two books IMO.
> 
> So I do think it's worth reading beyond the first 100 pages or so and seeing if you get into as it's a fantastic story with fantastic characters IMO once it gets going. Of course that doesn't mean everyone will like it. Just that it's hard to know if you will like the series or not if you stop before that point as even the fans don't care much for those first 100 pages or so.
> 
> That said, some people are more selective with how they spend their reading time and may not be willing to push through 100 pages to get to the good parts. And that's fine.


Agree. I'm now on page 102 and it has started to get more interesting so I'm hanging in.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

DH_Sayer said:


> This is a perpetual source of wonderment for me, that the American audience actually slogged through a reeeeally slow beginning (I mean, a hundred pages!) of the first volume in a series of big novels by an author they had never heard of who wrote, in a different language that needed to be translated, a story that doesn't take place in America. Kudos to the Knopf publicity dept.


This, to me, says more about the American public (or at least your idea of it), than about the book.
I find it interesting that the European public is more or less expected by the industry to like and care about authors who write in a different place, whose books that need to be translated, whose characters bear strange names and live lives that mostly don't relate to ours. *shrugs*.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

JFHilborne said:


> Agree. I'm now on page 102 and it has started to get more interesting so I'm hanging in.


Glad you stuck with it. It's a really great story after those first 100 or so pages. And there's not a similarly dull stretch in the 2nd or 3rd books IMO, so it's all good from there on.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Coral Moore said:


> Well, that's kind of my problem with his casting. He's not supposed to be an action hero. He's a writer. I thought the Swedish movies were great, and the casting there was impeccable. I'm not sure I'll bother with the American versions. I'll wait until they're out on video at the very least.


I prefer the Swedish actor as well, precisely because Mikael Blomquist is not a macho action hero at all, while Daniel Craig is best known for playing macho action heroes. I suppose that the very feminist Stieg Larsson would not have been happy with an actor best known for playing James Bond in the part of Mikael Blomquist either. But then, Scandinavian ideas of masculinity are different from US views of masculinity. In fact, I heard a couple of complaints that Mikael was not masculine enough for US readers and that they couldn't comprehend why so many women were interested in him in the books.



> As for the books, I only read the first one, and that one barely. I didn't have a problem with the plot engaging me. I was interested in the characters and what was happening. What I had a problem with was all the Nordic names. I could barely tell one town from another about halfway through. Normally not knowing the geography in a book doesn't bother me much, but it kept being brought up repeatedly. I decided just to watch the movies after that.


The Nordic names didn't bother me so much, but then I'm a lot closer geographically to Scandinavia than you are and more used to the language and names. Though some of the character names were cause for amusement, since Larsson snuck in a lot of references to Astrid Lindgren's children's books (both Lisbeth's and Mikael's names are variations on famous Lindgren characters). Plus, Mikael's co-editor/married lover Erika Berger shares the name of a sex advice columnist who had a TV show in Germany in the late 1980s/early 1990s (no idea if Larsson knew about this or not), which always brought up some strange images in my mind.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

We saw the movie yesterday.  I'd read the book, DH hadn't.  We both enjoyed the movie, although DH occasionally said "This is weird."  I just nodded.  

I thought it was just as good as the Swedish version - the photography & general atmosphere was excellent, as were Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig and the rest of the cast.  People who think of Craig as an "action hero" forget that when he was first cast as James Bond, the casting was criticized because he wasn't known for action-type roles and people didn't think he could pull it off.  

Excellent sound track as well, and an amusing little moment with a character wearing a NIN t-shirt.     And the opening titles were really...interesting.


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## tamaraheiner (Apr 23, 2011)

I listened to it on a 6-hour road trip. It really did take a long time to get into for me, but since I was driving I didn't really have much else to do. I was glad to get through it, though to be honest, I turned it off after about an hour. Only b/c I had nothing else to do did I turn it back on.

I hope no one thinks less of me for deciding not to read the next two. It just didn't engage me enough.


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## LisaBlackwood (Jan 12, 2012)

JFHilborne said:


> ....to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This is my second attempt at the book, I'm on page 70 and I'm not engaged in the story. In fact, I'm bored. I've heard this is a terrific read and worth hanging in, but I think a terrific read should engage the reader from the start. I had the same issue with a Dean Koontz novel that took me 200 pages before I enjoyed it. I'm glad I stuck with it, but was frustrated for so long. Do you think it's worth it to continue a "great read" that takes so long to get "great" or do you bail out and miss out? *sigh* plodding on with TGWTDT.


Sadly I'm ashamed to say I'm one of those 'bail out and miss out' types. Bad, bad me! I work at a library, too. Really, really, bad, bad me! 

This series is on my TBR list. (Or maybe my bucket reading list. LOL)


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I have avoided the Girl With books because I heard they are hard to get into. I did see the American movie version of Dragon Tattoo (though it's still set in Sweden and the newspapers and books and cat food labels are in Swedish) and liked it quite a bit.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

LisaBlackwood said:


> Sadly I'm ashamed to say I'm one of those 'bail out and miss out' types. Bad, bad me! I work at a library, too. Really, really, bad, bad me!
> 
> This series is on my TBR list. (Or maybe my bucket reading list. LOL)


haha, I'm usually right there with you, but I really want to see what the hype was about on this one. I'm at a good bit now and do plan to watch the movie as well.


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## Steverino (Jan 5, 2011)

mooshie78 said:


> I generally agree, but think The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an exception. The reason being is that even most of those who absolutely loved the series like myself struggled with the first 3rd or so of that book. It just spends to much time setting up the background and setting, introducing the characters etc. After that point it's a super easy read through the last 2/3rds of that book and the final two books IMO.
> 
> So I do think it's worth reading beyond the first 100 pages or so and seeing if you get into as it's a fantastic story with fantastic characters IMO once it gets going. Of course that doesn't mean everyone will like it. Just that it's hard to know if you will like the series or not if you stop before that point as even the fans don't care much for those first 100 pages or so.
> 
> That said, some people are more selective with how they spend their reading time and may not be willing to push through 100 pages to get to the good parts. And that's fine.


If this had appeared on page one as a disclaimer, I might have made it past page ten. All I heard was the "this is great!" buzz, so I was floored by how dull the book actually was.

Given the quote above, I might refile it on my TBR list for another try.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

Steverino : this is my 2nd attempt and I hung in past the boring start (which is actually important to the book, but could have been written more interestingly), and after page 105, it finally hooked me. I'm on page 475 now and really enjoying it. If it holds up to the end, I'd have to say it was worth the time to read it.


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