in which i heart Steig Larsson

& I do. Heart him I mean. I've read both The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Girl Who Played With Fire and I am a little bit in love with them both. I can't wait to get stuck into book three, which is calling to me from my bookshelf. For now, in order to stop this post from becoming as long as the books themselves I shall focus on Dragon Tattoo....

I LOVED this book, properly loved it. I am such a crime junkie at heart, and so this was right up my street. Granted, it was a little slow to get going, but once it did I literally could not put it down. I took it everywhere and read it at every available moment - my poor boyfriend was utterly neglected! & not since Deathly Hallows has there been a book that I have been so desparate for somebody to read with me so I could talk about it. Thank you, Helen.

I dont think this was the perfect novel. I can't give it a ten out of ten but at the same time I can't think of anything really negative to say. I love Mikael (literary crush? Little bit, even though he is a total man whore) and I love Lisbeth, I love Mikael and Lisbeth together. I love Henrik Vanger (although he's not nearly old and sweet enough in the film version, if you've seen it?) I love the drama and the intrigue and the way Larsson kept me guessing right to the end (although I had totally worked out that Harriet was alive really early on. I am so clever, right! Ha.) I miss that - a lot of the crime I've read lately has had little to no suspense. This felt like a proper old fashioned mystery novel you know? Full of mystery and intrigue, and a very clever plot that was allowed to unfold subtley and for me that's what made it work, that's what made me not be able to turn the pages fast enough. S'like a modern day Ahatha Christie. & everybody loves Agatha Christie. Not that Lisbeth and Micke resemble Poirot, that would be weird!

I think reading this provoked every single emotion in me: I was happy and I was sad and I was on edge and I was angry and I was disgusted and I was nervous and I was touched and I was excited and I was moved - pretty draining to go through all of that in just a few hours. This book left me tired and some scenes were rather graphic, maybe too graphic - Bjuman's rape of Salander for one, and her retaliation. That was very hard reading, even though I did give him the proverbial two fingers when he got his comeuppance, and I do wonder whether it had been necessary to go down that route - would the novel have been worse if it had been a little less senstational? I don't know, maybe - maybe not, but for all it was disturbing I don't think I'd change it and I applaud Larsson for managing to create characters I care so deeply about in the utterly degraded world he had created. & it was utterly degraded, yet utterly real.

One thing: what is the DEAL with Mikael and Erica and Erika's husband? I do not understand that relationship. I just do not. I think it's weird.

It's also worth mentioning the Swedish film adaptation. Worth watching so long as you have version containing English dubbing, or subtitle.s I don't think it;'s quite the same in a language you don't speak. Surprisingly, I liked it. I can't often sing the praises of adaptations of books I lovem but I did enjoy this. Most of the casting, with the exception maybe of Henrik, is spot on. They miss a lot out, but it didn't bug me anywhere near as much as it ususally does. I didn't sit there and point out the flaws, I think it would be difficult to get the full complexities of the book into a film anyway and I think what they've done really really works. It's a wicked good thriller, the like of which we've not seen for a while and I'm looking forward to seeing TGWPWF very soon.
As for the Hollywood version.I think Daniel will make a very good Blomkvist. Yum. Do I think they're cashing in on the success of the books? Totally. Do I think it will be as good as the original Swedish film? Not a chance. Will I see it anyway? Hell yes!

If you haven't read it then please do. As for me, I'm debating whether The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest is to heavy to put in my hand luggage. 18 sleeps til my holiday....