Book Reviews

heather from Victoria BC writes :
29 January 2011 at 08:21 PM
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO This book contains all the elements of a great story. There is a mystery, an intriguing main character, Lisbeth Salander, and a setting which is so current that a reader of any genre can identify with the story. Larson is a remarkably fine writer who has recognized what readers want in a book. Early in the story, it was difficult to determine which of the two major figures was the main one. However, I watched Lisbeth's personality change as she learned to trust Michael and be trusted by him, I look forward to Larson's next book, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE.

Reader's Guide
24 September 2010 at 01:24 PM
"The girl with the dragon tattoo" is the story of a crusading reporter, Mikail Blomkvist, who has been convicted of libel for his exposé of crooked financier Wennerstrom. Another Swedish financier, a rival of Wennerstrom, wants to hire Blomkvist to solve the decades-old disappearance of his niece from the family's island compound in the north of Sweden. If Blomkvist works on the project for a year, his employer will deliver the goods on Wennerstrom. Blomkvist takes the job and soon finds himself trying to unlock the grisly multigenerational secrets in a hideously dysfunctional family's many closets. Helping him dig through those closets is the novel's real star, the girl with the dragon tattoo, Lisbeth Salander, a ward of the state who happens to be Sweden's most formidable computer hacker and a fearless foe of women-hating men. The novel offers compelling chunks of investigative journalism, high-tech sleuthing, and psychosexual drama. Only avoid this page-turner if frequent (though not explicit) sex or graphic violence is a turnoff.

About the author
24 September 2010 at 01:23 PM
Stieg Larsson was a Swedish journalist and writer best known for writing the Millennium Trilogy of crime novels which were published posthumously. By March 2010, his Millennium trilogy had sold 27 million copies in more than 40 countries.

Second Question for Discussion
24 September 2010 at 01:22 PM
Lisbeth Salander's character is enigmatic and antisocial throughout much of the book. What do you see as the catalyst for the slow emergence of her personality?

Third Question for Discussion
24 September 2010 at 01:22 PM
Why do you think this series of books has caught the public's imagination? What is it about them that makes them bestsellers?