Reading Reflection: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1)

by Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland (Translator)
Published September 16th 2008

Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly.

Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

--Dave Callanan

I have such mixed feelings about this book, it's difficult to put into words.  I'm not even sure where to start, but I can say that if emotional, sexual, and physical abuse of women makes you extremely uncomfortable than this is not the book for you.

Let's start off with the negatives... the beginning.  For a while I had no idea what was happening, I was completely lost and this almost became the second book in my life I didn't finish.  It starts off with some type of murder mystery, but the characters names are never mentioned.  Then abruptly delves into the financial businesses in Sweden, and something about industries, than goes into Mikael Blomkvist's involvement into all that... boring.  But, it lays the back story and foundation into what is happening into his life presently.  Keep reading! 

The author then introduces Lisbeth Salander, who is strange.  It took me a while to decide if I liked her or not, I do.   The book's point of view goes back and forth between the two characters until their paths intertwine.  Another thing, there are many different points of view... your reading bits of the story through different eyes.  It was confusing.

Alright, the real positives.  Once you get into the story you cannot put it down.  All those little scenes I deemed useless began to take shape and meaning halfway through the book.  Then the mystery of Michael Blomkvist's task becomes very intriguing, I kept trying to solve the puzzle and just couldn't.  Throughout all this you're also getting into Salander's story... which is also very intriguing, but just as confusing.  

This is a great mystery book.  Some of the scenes were a little difficult to read, either because of disinterest or their abusive nature... but the underlying story was great.  If you could look past all those things the book becomes a page turner.