# The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo



## amanda_hocking (Apr 24, 2010)

I haven't read these books, and even though they're everywhere all the time, I don't actually know about that has read them. Based on the book jackets, I don't think I have much of an urge to read them. But then I think, maybe I'm missing something. Ten million people can't be wrong.

So... what I'm asking, have you read these books? And would you recommend them to people?


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Definitely worth reading. 

I enjoyed the setting, and the first book especially was a good mystery, my favorite genre.


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## melissaj323 (Dec 29, 2008)

I am on the 3rd book, the Girl who Kicked the Hornets nest......when I first picked up the first book, the girl with the dragon tattoo, I did put it down twice. But my sister read it and said how great it was, so I picked it up for a third time. I am really glad I did, I am really enjoying the series. You should give it a try =)


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

My husband recommended that I read them... I started the first and complained to him that it was going NOWHERE for the first half... at around 50%, it started to pick up, and then at 75% started to really take off.  I don't think I will ever re-read it and probably won't continue on to the other books in the series.  I honestly don't know what the fuss is all about, since everybody seems to be reading and then raving about them.


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## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

All three books are well worth reading.Enjoyed them very much.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

If you do a search on this forum you'll find a very long thread on this series, somewhere. Actually a couple I think.


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

The author, Larsson, could have used an editor to nudge him into a little bit of cutting or polishing, especially in the first 50 percent of the first book, but then, there are much more famous writers who don't dare get edited because they DO bring in millions with each book..

Either way, he wrote three and a half books ( a 4th rumored manuscript is said to be in his laptop which is stuck in a legal battle with his estate) before turning in the first 3.

Then, he tragically died of a heart attack. So, he knew he had successfully sold his books and they would see print but never lived to see the huge phenomenon they would grow into 

It was a small indioe publisher as well (same way that Tom Clancy's first: Red October, had a small publsiher) and rumor is they would literally give the book away by leaving copies on busses and train stations and word of mouth helped it along.

Yes, the first one really takes it's time growing the story and characters but by the time you're in the third one, if you enjoy thrillers, you won't be able to put it down it's so good.

I personally think that somone could read the third one without reading 1 & 2 but they would miss out on alot of character. But I feel it can be done as Book 3 is just such a great re-cap and crackerjack thriller in it's own right.

If nothing else, get them from the library so you don't risk any cash. But the time spent will be worth it


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## theaatkinson (Sep 22, 2010)

I SLOGGED through the first half. No kidding. but folks told me it was worth the read, and it actually was. Just open the book at page 1, read about 10 pages, then reopen it about halfway through. grin.


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## emalvick (Sep 14, 2010)

While I enjoyed the books, I do think that if the book jackets don't appeal to you, you probably shouldn't read them.  The books do start out slowly, especially book 1.  The second part is where the action and the plot really go forward, but if the jacket isn't appealing to you, then you probably won't be missing much by not reading the book.

However, I have to admit that the book didn't sound too appealing to me, but this was a book sitting around thanks to my wife, so I started it figuring I could give up on it after a few chapters.  I tend to like character studies, which is what you get hidden amongst the plot, and the first part of the book intrigued me enough to finish it.  I don't think the book(s) was/were as good as people indicate, but it wasn't bad either. I don't regret reading them, but I won't read them again either (I will check the Swedish movies out).


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Nathan Fillion (Castle) loved it.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

amanda_hocking said:


> Ten million people can't be wrong.


Oh, yes, they can.  

Mike


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

I have not read them, but my wife read the first one a few months ago. She said it was OK, but not worth all the hype. Her words, not mine.


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

I'd recommend watching the first movie (the Swedish one), and if you like that, then reading the book.  The first book (the only one I've read so far) took a long time to get into.  The movie gets right to the point.  If you like the movie, you may like the book, but if you don't like the movie, you probably won't like the book either.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

amanda_hocking said:


> I haven't read these books, and even though they're everywhere all the time, I don't actually know about that has read them. Based on the book jackets, I don't think I have much of an urge to read them. But then I think, maybe I'm missing something. Ten million people can't be wrong.
> 
> So... what I'm asking, have you read these books? And would you recommend them to people?


I couldn't get through the free sample. Very slow read.

My wife bought the paperback before she got her Kindle and trudged through it... Book was 2/3rds over before it even got interesting, according to her, and even then she felt the payoff wasn't worth it.

So, two opinions more for you to ponder...


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

For me, the first book took just a little while to "get into".  Luckily, I was advised by the lady at the library to not give up on the book... so I didn't... and I'm so glad!!  I loved the first book by the time I had finished.... and each of the next two books only got better and better.  I wouldn't have missed them.... and have read all three twice now.... and am anxious to start them again.  With these.... it seems that either you really like them... or you don't.  Just a matter of taste, as always..........  Not my typical taste in books.... but I love them!


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## kindlequeen (Sep 3, 2010)

I loved the books!  And I normally don't like thriller / mystery novels.  I tried them on a whim because so many people loved them and I see why.  The first book is a ton of set-up but if you pay attention to all the little details, then it's super satisfying when they pull one over on the bad guys!  

Books 2 and 3 move faster and I couldn't put them down but I didn't want them to end!  Many people think they weren't well written and I notice that the cadence felt a little off but it was written in Swedish and I'm sure our English novels don't always translate well either.  Larsson creates intricate tales that make you root for the underdog and the complicated love twists never went where I thought they would.  

My husband fully enjoyed the movies which I feel are worth watching, too!  They don't go into all the details and some of the major stuff is missed but they're well done and it's a great cast.


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## mathewferguson (Oct 24, 2010)

amanda_hocking said:


> Ten million people can't be wrong.


I used to think that then I tried to read The Da Vinci Code. I mean, I _really_ tried. I don't have a single snobby bone in my body when it comes to reading and usually I'm quite happy to say that best-selling = quality but I just couldn't say it for Da Vinci.

Then I met Twilight and definitely decided that not only could 10 million (or 50 million) people be wrong but they should be deported to some isolated island somewhere for the safety of the rest of society.


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

mathewferguson said:


> I used to think that then I tried to read The Da Vinci Code. I mean, I _really_ tried. I don't have a single snobby bone in my body when it comes to reading and usually I'm quite happy to say that best-selling = quality but I just couldn't say it for Da Vinci.
> 
> Then I met Twilight and definitely decided that not only could 10 million (or 50 million) people be wrong but they should be deported to some isolated island somewhere for the safety of the rest of society.


HAHAHA!!!!!!! ROFL!


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## warobison (Aug 29, 2010)

Someone mentioned seeing the movie version of _The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo_ first. That's what my wife and I did, albeit not on purpose. The movie was available on Netflix streaming, so we decided to give it a look. As the earlier poster said, it does jump more quickly to the story than the first book does. (But I'll also add that after seeing the movie, having that first part of the book was helpful and interesting.) Anyway, after seeing the movie, we immediately ordered the full trilogy-- and another Kindle so we wouldn't have to share! We both count all three books among our top reads. I might add that I enjoyed the more detailed description of the secret government agencies of the 2nd and 3rd books more than my wife did.

BTW, the movie of _The Girl Who Played with Fire_ became available on DVD a week or ten-days ago and it's also very good. The third movie was just released, but since I live in an area that's not likely to have any first run Swedish films showing within a day's drive, I'll have to wait the few months for its DVD release. I just wonder how badly the upcoming US remakes are going to ruin these excellent books and movies.


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## 25803 (Oct 24, 2010)

hsuthard said:


> Definitely worth reading.
> 
> I enjoyed the setting, and the first book especially was a good mystery, my favorite genre.


I agree with Holly that the first book has an especially good mystery. I really like the way the suspense plot was built and magnified over the course of the story. I agree with the others that the opening is somewhat slow, but I think it's worth trudging through. Once you get to about page 100ish, the story begins taking off, mainly because of Salander. Haven't yet read books 2 and 3, but plan to.


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## Fireheart223 (Oct 3, 2010)

I wasn't interested in them for awhile, based on the synopsis of the book not grabbing my attention. But after reading reviews, I was intrigued enough to give them a try, and I really enjoyed the whole trilogy. It starts off a bit slow, but once it gets going, the suspense really hooks you in, and the dynamic between the two main characters (Mikhael and Lisbeth) really makes the story all that better.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

mathewferguson said:


> I used to think that then I tried to read The Da Vinci Code. I mean, I _really_ tried. I don't have a single snobby bone in my body when it comes to reading and usually I'm quite happy to say that best-selling = quality but I just couldn't say it for Da Vinci.
> 
> Then I met Twilight and definitely decided that not only could 10 million (or 50 million) people be wrong but they should be deported to some isolated island somewhere for the safety of the rest of society.


I detested "The DaVinci Code" - I think it's one of the worst books ever written. I also didn't like "Twilight" - I didn't get very far. I loved "The Girl..." series.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

I've only read the first one and thought it was just so-so. It definitely needed an editor's hand. Part mystery, part grindhouse schlock, part financial procedural...and the parts weren't well integrated, IMO. I, too, slogged through the first part (murder mystery) before the story finally picked up about 2/3 of the way through (grindhouse schlock), then that part ended and the third story (financial procedural) kicked in as an anticlimax.

So far I'm skipping the other two books. I'm happy for his estate that they've been big sellers, but like the posters above who lambasted_ The DaVinci Code _ and the _Twilight _ series, I don't see the correlation between the quantity of sales and the quality. I've read better indie stuff than any of these.


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## amanda_hocking (Apr 24, 2010)

I just got the first one because I'm sick and won't be doing much. I'm not enthused yet, but I feel obligated to read/watch/listens to really popular things just to see why they're popular. And I didn't hate the DaVinci Code.


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## Me and My Kindle (Oct 20, 2010)

> have you read these books? And would you recommend them to people?


I read the first book, and enjoyed it enough to pre-order the second and third. (The second one ends with a cliff-hanger.) The mystery is intricate and exotic, so it's exciting when the "detective" finally uncovers a long-buried clue.

I heard Stieg Larssen worked as a journalist, so it's interesting that one of his main characters is also a journalist. (The story hands him a difficult puzzle and he tries to unravel it using esoteric research.) But I wrote about him on my blog partly just because he was the first author to sell one million ebooks from the Kindle store. (And he's apparently sold something like 30 million copies around the world.)

I have to admit that that also gave a certain "buzz" to the stories. But the bottom line is, I had fun reading them.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I didn't mind Da Vinci code--was it worth the hype?  Probably not.  It's a decent enough read, but nothing special.

As for the Dragon, there is *no way* I can slog through half a book that isn't doing it for me.  Thirty pages tops.  And 15 if it's really slow...so I can't help.  I don't care if the payoff is worth it, I can't do.


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## amanda_hocking (Apr 24, 2010)

I just bought "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" today for sick reading, but then I bought Stephen King's newest book too, and I think I'm going to read that instead. But "The Girl" is on my Kindle, so I'll get to it. Eventually.


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## Jon King (Sep 10, 2010)

Don't rule it out.  Lizbeth Salander is easily one of the most fascinating characters I've ever read.  The book is definitely a slow burn, and probably too detail-heavy, but it's so worth it.  And the second and third books are much better paced.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I have been debating starting this mostly because it is so long and some have said a little hard to get into at first.
I have all three books on my Kindle though just waiting for me to read them.
I feel like I am in a funk right now though and don't really know what to read. Maybe I will give this one a try and see how it goes. I can always come back to it if it ends up being too slow for me right now.


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## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

I think the protagonist is a new kind of hero; for mass market fiction anyway.  For that reason it is worth the read.  As a former Outward Bound Instructor for juvenile hall kids, I found her character something that I could understand - she seems real.


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## garethmottram (Nov 9, 2010)

I should say at the start that I'm not much of a mystery/crime type fan but I wanted to give the first one a go because I read that the main female character is really well drawn and quirky/unusual... she is - on both counts.

However, I found the male lead a bit boring and the pace of the novel too slow for my tastes (I usually read paranormal action/adventure stuff so not surprising perhaps).  

The main location - a small, cold, sometimes snow bound, town and island community was well realised and I did find myself losing myself in that.  

I have put it down for now (about halfway through) in favour of The Ask and the Answer and Mockingjay - much more my thing.  Maybe I'll come back to it.

Cheers for now

Gareth


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I  just  finished the  second  book in  the  series and adore  Lisbeth!  Looking  forward to the Hornets Nest..  The  Swedish movies  are  really  well done  too..


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

The Wall Street Journal has a few excerpts from Larsson's e-mails to his editor. (More of those e-mails are included in a new and overpriced "box set" of the trilogy). Anyway, these excerpts are extremely revealing about Larsson, what he thought of his own writing, why he spent so much time talking about secondary characters, and what he thinks of Blomkvist ("


Spoiler



slut


") and Salander ("sociopath.")

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704312504575618743115014852.html


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## theaatkinson (Sep 22, 2010)

interesting. thanks for posting!


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## sabinfire (Nov 11, 2010)

I haven't read any of them yet, but I've got the trilogy loaded on my Kindle for future reading.  I definitely wanna have them all finished by the time the major motion picture comes out.  Rooney Mara should be an excellent Lisbeth, although I have absolutely no basis for that statement...


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I think it's going to be very, very difficult to make better movies of the series than the Swedes have already done. 

Mike


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

theapatra said:


> I SLOGGED through the first half. No kidding. but folks told me it was worth the read, and it actually was. Just open the book at page 1, read about 10 pages, then reopen it about halfway through. grin.


I tried to read Dragon Tattoo at the end of the summer. It was a giant snoozer. Even though people told me if I could get past the incredibly dull opening, I would like it, I still tossed it aside.

I started reading it again this week, determined to get through it. People were RIGHT! After that boring set up, it is worth reading. I just finished the second book about an hour ago and am about to go get the third one.


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## sabinfire (Nov 11, 2010)

jmiked said:


> I think it's going to be very, very difficult to make better movies of the series than the Swedes have already done.


Think so? As I've mentioned above, I haven't read the books yet, but I do plan on reading the series and then watching the Swedish films before Hollywood has it's turn. David Fincher will be the director (Fight Club, The Social Network, etc)... I have a lot of faith that this guy can take just about any material and make a great film out of it. With the talent and money being invested for this film, I just can't imagine the Swedish films would be able to compete. But it wouldn't be the first time Hollywood would seriously botch something up if it fails...


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

sabinfire said:


> Think so? As I've mentioned above, I haven't read the books yet, but I do plan on reading the series and then watching the Swedish films before Hollywood has it's turn. David Fincher will be the director (Fight Club, The Social Network, etc)... I have a lot of faith that this guy can take just about any material and make a great film out of it. With the talent and money being invested for this film, I just can't imagine the Swedish films would be able to compete. But it wouldn't be the first time Hollywood would seriously botch something up if it fails...


I agree that Fincher is a first-rate filmmaker. However, the Swedish films are excellent and the money Hollywood is spending doesn't mean anything. Noomi Rapace, who plays Salander in the Swedish films, is incredible. Her American counterpart might be good also, but Rapace set the bar very very high. I'm also not convinced that Daniel Craig is the right actor for the role of Blomkvist, though he is a good actor in general. So we'll see. I doubt the Hollywood version will replace the Swedish films. Hopefully they will work in their own way, though.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

Julie (my wife) and I watched _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_, Swedish version, off NetFlix streaming the other night and enjoyed it very much. The bar has definitely been set very high for an American version. It's one of the few movies I can think of that, IMO, were better than the book.

I may check out (literally) the other two books, but I don't know. Based on my experience so far, I'll be just as happy seeing the movies and never reading the books.

I do appreciate the comments from the people who've read all three books! At least they know what they're talking about, whereas I'm basing my opinion on a single book in the trilogy.


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## RavenclawPrefect (May 4, 2009)

jmiked said:


> I think it's going to be very, very difficult to make better movies of the series than the Swedes have already done.
> 
> Mike


I agree! I watched them via Netflix streaming (just finished watching Fire) I think that they are an excellent adaptation of the books and I don't really think an American version is really needed.

Yep, it is in Swedish with subtitles but you know, after a bit, you don't notice it. It probably helps that I use captions quite a bit though and am used to watching/reading a screen with a movie.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

I thought "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is wayyyy too long and slow paced.  There's a good story in there somewhere... about 200 pages worth of it.  The other 500 pages are about characters having coffee, eating breakfast, reading the newspaper, having small talk, jogging, buying plane tickets, etc.  It's not a bad book.  The good parts were excellent, and Lisbeth is a great character.  The book is just far too sluggish for me.  I'd give "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" 3.5 stars.  I think it could have been a 5 star book with better editing and less filler.  I don't think I'd read the second book in the series.


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