“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson is a curiously lumbering thriller.
It starts slowly and ends slowly. In between, the novel has more than its share of often bizarre twists and turns. Yet, the shock value of these is consistently undercut by Larsson’s wooden writing. (Or is it the clunky translation by Reg Keeland that’s responsible?)
Still, as an entertainment, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” does entertain. It keeps the reader turning pages.
There is a cinematic quality to the story. Lots of visuals. Lots of action. No wonder the book has already been made into two movies, one in Swedish and one in English that will come out in less than a week in the U.S. And that the novel’s two sequels have already been filmed in Swedish, and are certain to get an English language treatment as well.
There’s also, at the heart of the book, the fascinating enigma of Lisbeth Salander — she of the dragon tattoo — an ill-adjusted, erotically charged and scarred gamin and world-class computer hacker.
She’s a haunted victim and a dangerous adversary, compelling enough to carry this overweight, overlong book on her thin shoulders.
And enough to carry me, after finishing “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” immediately into the second book of Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander trilogy, “The Girl Who Played with Fire.”
Patrick T. Reardon
12.15.11
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.
Suggest you see the Swedish versions of the books. Loved them.
Have ordered the three Swedish movies, and plan to see the American one next week. I suspect the films cut out all of extra stuffing.
Like you I did find the start a little slow but was soon hooked and had to read all three books back to back. I was loaned the three DVDs and watched them immediately after. I have to say they were some of the few films I have seen that actually accurately follow the books. Regards. Steve
Steve — I liked seeing the novels brought to life in a very striking way, and enjoyed comparing the 3 versions of the first book — the book, the Swedish movie and the American movie. Pat