Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

It seemed to be everywhere I turned.  Every bookstore, every market, on every bookshelf, and now in the theaters. I couldn't avoid it any longer. But I'd heard it was rather grim and disturbing, and I don't do disturbing, as it tends to disturb my sleep.  However, when my husband's 89 year-old godmother told me what a great book it was, I decided to put on my big girl panties and deal with it!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson IS disturbing in parts, but it is also one of the most interesting, unique and well written books I've ever read.  The main character is Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who is hired to solve the disappearance of 16 year-old Harriet Vanger in 1966. He brings in  brilliant, but anti-social, tattooed and body-pierced Lisbeth Salander to assist him in the investigation. What they find is corruption and dysfunction that put Mikael in the middle of a moral dilemma. I guess you have to call it a crime mystery, but the book is woven with psychological and social commentary sub-plots that all contribute to this incredible tapestry of a story.  Plus, all the loose ends get tied up.  Loose ends are one of my pet peeves.

Read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  My only advice to you is make sure you don't have to do anything else very important before you start, because you won't be able to stop.  Also, you'll soon get used to the Swedish names and places, which were literally all foreign to me.  Finally, if you've seen the movie let me know what you thought.  I LOVE Daniel Craig, and Rooney Mara seems like an amazing actress, but again, I am a wimp when it comes to disturbing, especially on the screen.

Now on to something light and fluffy...
Mary Kay

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