BOOK REPORT: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

This is part book review and part movie review; a combo review.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson is a book of mystery and intrigue.


It is the first of three novels, which I think are all connected – by George, it must be trilogy- or is it? The author, Stieg Larsson died not long after the three books were written. Did he have more in mind to come?

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO takes place in Sweden. Before you start reading you need to turn around, do a mind adjustment, like comedians that imitate do, turn back around and think in a Swedish state of mind.
I must admit that I got totally confused over some of the last names. Some were very similar and some was just hard to remember. I should have jotted down the names as I went.

The present time in the book is in the 2000s, but it is based on a single disappearance of a teenage girl in 1966 (don’t hold me to that year).

After a journalist of a labor or leftist magazine was being successfully sued for libel a retired aging Swedish industrial, who appreciated his investigative work, hired him to find out what happened to his niece or who killed her almost 40 years ago.

The investigation deals with the Nazi Youth Groups and other hate groups. It also deals a lot with sexual abuse, of dominant men that deep down are whack-o’s.

It is also about a very intelligent introverted young little lady who doesn’t take shit off anybody, especially male ego-maniacs By the title of Larsson’s other two books, I think she continues her super mysticism in those as well.

The paperback book is 590 pages. Yesterday I reached 340 pages and read something in it that completely flip-flopped my take on the book. “Did I get one of the Swedish names confused?” I thought to myself. And , “Am I going to have to start over to get it straight who’s who?”

Then, like magic, the answer came before me. Anna was surfing on NETFLIX’s site and came across THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO available to download and watch right then. Which we did.

In the movie everybody jabbered the Sweden language. But luckily, there were subtitles.

The movie, I think, stuck to the main theme and story line, but it did do a gumbo soup with events, as in the sequence of events. I suppose the story line and outcome was not damaged. I know I am not going back to read it to verify it stuck true to the rest of the book.

Would I read it again? I already said above I wouldn't. But, I think I want to take on the next one in sequence, whether it is the book or the movie.