First of all, I can completely understand why some people do not finish this book. The first 100 pages of the book were almost boring, but I think that is only because I am not into finance and it took a while to acclimate to Swedish culture. The first 100 pages also laid down the various story lines, which did not seem to meld together. The speed picked up in the middle of the book and all of a sudden the first 100 pages are useful and I was glad I stuck through and kept reading. ( )

http://tinyurl.com/mcvh78

Having just come off the final GIRLPOWER episode of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, I see clear parallels to this book-- which is all about perceptions of women and their strengths.

Poor Harriet Vanger, murdered many years ago, through a series of strange entanglements comes to the attention of a busted, soon-to-be-imprisoned corporate journalist. It's not your typical murder mystery, being wrapped up in corporate espionage and idyllic very-small-town Swedish life. (You don't expect me to read typical murder mysteries anymore anyway, do you?)

But back to the views of females-- besides Harriet, one of the main characters is Lisbeth, a young investigator. I have never seen, in print, a more sympathetic description of a person with borderline Asperger's Syndrome. In her case, she has a low capacity for social interaction, is super-smart and technically proficient, and has had enough troubles being female in her lifetime to land her in an abysmally unfair situation. It is not in any sense a classic case of a woman with "man problems," but the question of whether you could define Lisbeth as a victim is front and center. Is she? Yes. And definitely no. Really, a complex, realistic character.

If you care not a whit for espionage or Sweden or strange inter-personal relationships, read this only for the depiction of Lisbeth and you will not be sorry. ( )

Jul09:
I call this Syberia: The Book.
Characters: Okay, I just love the characters. They all have rich histories and complicated emotions. And yet they are all endearing.
Plot: A very solid mystery. Told with style and love. I approved all the way through.
Style: Just the right amount of atmosphere to bring the book alive. I'm not sure how he got the mix right, but it's perfect. The swedish touches are endearing. ( )

I had heard wonderful things about this book, but I found my attention wandering. I frankly thought too much time was spent on Mikael's various bed-hops. Also, the solution felt implausible to me, although I admit I cant point to any specific plot holes. I found the description of Mikael and Lisbeth's working through the case to be engaging, but I didn't really care enough about them as people to need a 100 page wrap up of their lives after the case was solved. ( )

What a stunning book! The twists and turns of the plot, the variety of characters are fabulous. My copy is 841 pages long but the writing is so good that I flew through it. The translation from the Swedish is very well done. The telling of the story alternates between Lisbeth Salander,a rather strange young woman who is a computer hacker extraordinary and a private investigator and Mikael Blomkvist, a left wing journalist and magazine publisher. Unfortunately the author Stieg Larsson, died at age 50, leaving one completed manuscript, "The Girl Who Plays With Fire" and an incomplete one. He had planned to develop a 7 or 8 book series. It is our loss. ( )