The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

[MovieJam]

Hey guys,

Are there any more fans of Stieg Larsson's 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' here?

[virginiawang]

The title of the book is really fascinating. It attracted my attention, so I typed the title in yahoo search box and read the summary of the book just a moment ago. It did not elicidate the title at all, so please allow me a question. Is the girl with the dragon tattoo on her back in some way related to a mafia? If not, why did she have the tattoo?

[kasie]

No, she is not a member of the Mafia - very much the opposite, she's a loner. She has a new tatoo for significant moments of her life. The dragon is for a particularly special event but I won't spoil it for readers by saying any more!

I'm not sure I want to see a film just yet - the books are so vivid I still have my own mental pictures of the characters, though the last scenes of the second book, The Girl who Played with Fire, are just crying out to be filmed.

[virginiawang]

I could not stifle my curiosity after I read some plot summaries of the story online. Will anyone please tell me a little more about the girl with a dragon tattoo on her back? Was she the lady that disappeared forty years ago? Did the tattoo suggest any particular trait in her personailty or appearance? Was she a simple girl or a sophisticated woman?
I would consider buying the book and reading it if it were not one of the three huge books, which must occupy my mind for quite a long time once I get started. In addition I have no idea if it was translated into English. As far as I know, it was written by a Swedish man.

[hillwalker]

Have just finished reading this excellent novel today.

In reply to virginiawang - the girl is the heroine of the story, a young, vulnerable child-woman, fiercely independent and quite unconventional in her attitudes to society, who uses her considerable skills to help solve a horrific crime.

I will not reveal any more of the plot for fear of spoiling your enjoyment of the book.
I can't wait to begin reading volumes 2 and 3.

H

[Cazzasaurus]

I just finished reading it a few weeks ago! and absolutely loved it! The only issue I had with it was that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. Im desperately looking for the 2nd book now (they have it at the library but because its a bestseller it costs $5 to borrow for one week.)
Im keen to see the movie now as well!

[dfloyd]

Dashiell Hammett novels, will occupy a couple of days of your time with a better than average thriller. I just got through with listening to an unabridged cd, and I have now requested the second novel on cd. I would highly recommend listening to the cd since the characters voices bring them closer to you.

Stieg Larson, the author, died a few years ago so there wont be any more thrillers to come. It is my understanding that his live-in girl friend can get nothing from his estate since he died intestate from an unexpected heart attack. All live-ins beware. Without a will, you may be left high and dry.

[Scheherazade]

It is my understanding that his live-in girl friend can get nothing from his estate since he died intestate from an unexpected heart attack. All live-ins beware. Without a will, you may be left high and dry. Yeah, let that be a lesson to us all!

[Pecksie]

Stieg Larson, the author, died a few years ago so there wont be any more thrillers to come. It is my understanding that his live-in girl friend can get nothing from his estate since he died intestate from an unexpected heart attack. All live-ins beware. Without a will, you may be left high and dry.

Well, actually that depends on which country you live in. Some countries grant succession and other rights to unmarried partners living together, although requirements for qualifying may include registering the union with the relevant agency or registry.

[_Shannon_]

Um...no. The book shoulda been like 200 pages long--and even then I'd rather re-read Hammett a thousand times before reading this book.

It was so badly written, so badly constructed. The characters were boring, the plot completely predictable. I dunno--if it had taken me more than two days to read, I'd have really hated it---but since it was just fluff, it can't really stir my heart enough to hate it. It's just tripe.

I find it amusing that the original NY Times review pans the book, but as the hype-machine tool over the reviews moved full circle.

[kasie]

Can't say I agree, Shannon - I certainly could not predict the plot and could not foresee how it would develop in books 2 and 3. I found some of the characters understated, a pleasant change from some of the overwrought villains in other books, but not boring. Even the violence was integral to the plot. Some of the plot development is indeed elongated to increase the suspense but the writing becomes taughter in the subsequent books. It's not a 'great' book but, to my mind, it's an enjoyable read (and you may have noticed I have a soft spot for an entertaining, recreational read. :smile5: ) I agree, however - Hammett it is not.

re: further books - I did read a newspaper article to the effect that Larsson left an unfinished manuscript and his partner has managed to get permission to complete it, so there may be one more book to come, though I can't remember if it features the same characters.

[Cazzasaurus]

My partner works in a bookshop, and mentioned today that (under his observation) around 90% of the people who purchase/rave about this book are female. Ive heard many people raving about the book, although now that I think back, all of them are female. Im curious to see if there are men on here who have read the book who would be willing to offer an opinion.

[dfloyd]

always listen to an unabridged cd to save on the old eyes. This one was enjoyable, but flawed. I think it was suffering from a bad editing job. Because the author had passed away, perhaps the publisher was reluctant to edit the book as he would have if there had been a live author.

There are other modern thrillers which are well-edited and move at a fast pace. Examples are the Harry Bosch mysteries by Michael Connelly. On the distaff side, the Kate Scarpetta thrillers are never predictable and as a result are suspenseful. My opinion: while potentially a good thriller, it suffers from lack of editing or poor editing. As Hemingway said, 'Take out everything you think needs explaining and you'll have a good story.' Or something like that.