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What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

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Original poster

So I read the bloody Dragon Tattoo book...

76 replies

TrillianAstra · 10/09/2011 21:36

And I really think they would have been edited much more harshly (and been better books) if he had been alive.

OP posts:

DollyTwat · 11/09/2011 16:51

Horseyrider try the Patricia Cornwell books or Jo Nesbo

Gluttondressedaslamb · 11/09/2011 17:10

I read the 2nd one first and loved it, so went and bought 1 and 3, neither of which I enjoyed as much initially as there is a lot of detail to wade through. I would have preferred to read them in the correct order over a short time, as by the time i got to No 3 I had forgotten what had happened in No 2.
Despite struggling to remain interested at times, I persevered with No 3 and by the time i finished it I was sorry there wasn`t a No 4.
I agree they could all be heavily edited and lose 50 pages at least without it being detrimental to the story.

moronicatatonic · 11/09/2011 17:32

They're trying to put together the notes of the fourth. But the dispute between parties doesn't help. Personally I can't wait; I hope someone sensible is doing the putting-together and the editing.

They are very unusual. IMVHO Patricia Cornwell doesn't come close, although I keep meaning to try Nesbo.

In particular I would love to read more books by authors with similar politics to Larsson.

issynoko · 11/09/2011 17:39

I read it, loved it and immediately read the other two. Feel sad I've finished. Di find the details of computer power slightly odd but liked the details of sandwich fillings. Thought the sandwich details were weird to include but still liked them.

horseyrider · 11/09/2011 20:55

I have actually got a couple of Jo Nesbo books as they look really good. I've always had a soft spot for Scandinavian stuff (I'm an A-ha fan as well :o) As for the sandwiches bit, I personally think they sound really nice!

coffeeinbed · 11/09/2011 21:05

I did like the jo nesbo books.
Except one - The Redeemer.
the rest was highly entertaining.

moronicatatonic · 11/09/2011 21:07

Jo Nesbo's politics? Are they similar?

sprogger · 11/09/2011 21:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

coffeeinbed · 11/09/2011 21:20

Light on politics, heavy on the body count..perfect. Jo Nesbo, that is.

CoteDAzur · 11/09/2011 21:24

Jo Nesbo is nowhere near Larsson's depth.

notcitrus · 11/09/2011 21:27

I've read the first one (Dragon Tattoo) and enjoyed it - possibly because the hype died down a while ago! But I could do without the gory details of torture etc and the trailer for the 2nd book looked like there might be a lot of that?

Are the second and third books full of torture or is it just a few pages I can flip through?
I rather liked the rest of the detail.

Henning Mankell is worth reading though the English translation I read was crap - the German ones are much better. Trying to remember names of some excellent German crime novels I've read recently...

moronicatatonic · 11/09/2011 21:30

Less gore in 2 and 3, iirc.

Yeah, the translation of Mankell is dreadful. I think I will try the German, then. Yes, please, any more good German ones.

PacificDogwood · 11/09/2011 21:40

acsec · 11/09/2011 21:44

I've read the 1st one, I agree that it was clumsily translated and there were lots of sandwiches and way to much coffee! I haven't been bothered to read the next 2.

gilbert26 · 14/09/2011 08:20

Generally I did enjoy these - the ending is quite good. The obsessive coffee drinking made me laugh though, as did the sandwich descriptions - most of which sounded foul. Swedish police procedure also provided chuckles, along the lines of: "can I have the weekend off in the middle of this multi-murder investigation, guv, I'm a bit jaded?" Inspector Lewis wouldn't have been so understanding :-)

sleepingaurora · 14/09/2011 09:04

I have to say this book took a lot of getting into. (like the first 100 pages) but once i'd got into it i did enjoy it and have just been out and brought the next 2 in the trilogy.

Louiseleb · 14/09/2011 09:04

I have to say I really enjoyed them but will NOT be watching films (english not swedish) 2 & 3 - the first one was rubbish! I'm just annoyed I lent no1 to someone who didn't give it back.

gramercy · 14/09/2011 09:42

I agree with the (open) sandwiches observation. I ploughed my way through Girl with Dragon Tattoo and my only thought afterwards was that the hero must have spent half the book in the loo because he'd eaten so much and sunk such a vast quantity of coffee.

Sex was rather gratuitous, I thought.

helsinkibabe · 14/09/2011 10:10

I loved all 3 books, the first book is a bit slow at the start but definitely stick with them they do get better and better, the characters really come to life. I just think its a great shame that there will be no more, Stieg for me was an inspiration with his battle against right-wing extremism and all kinds of violence -especially against women. Regards reference to food, seems like I might be alone here, but I actually like references to food in books, this one included, maybe I'm just greedy :)

BellaneyMimphus · 14/09/2011 10:18

Liked Salander as a character, good backstory and she kicks ass like almost nobody else. And has a good long memory.

Loved the 3rd book for what was achieved (not nec for the writing).

Hated Blomkvist. Just another ageing, less than fit, heavy drinking, heavy smoking tortured male soul with a predictable irresistibility to women and a magic cock. Yawn.

SylviaML · 14/09/2011 10:20

Loved them but they were hard going. I agree that they would have been better books if some trivial parts had been cut out. It was so obviously written by a journalist who felt he had to explain every detail rather than by a novelist who was writing to entertain. Basic plot was excellent.

Gluttondressedaslamb · 14/09/2011 13:26

I mostly enjoyed the books, and I agree totally with SylviaML - they are very much the work of a journalist, which is great if you like masses of detail but not so great when it comes to depth of characterisation.
Although we can understand why Salander is completely asocial, I do find that the other characters are a little 2-dimensional, and never manage to feel any empathy for Blumqvist. We know all about his eating, drinking and sexual inclinations but nowhere near enough about his thoughts and emotions as a person rather than as an investigative journalist. A bit of human warmth in his portrayal would not have gone amiss.

Jux · 14/09/2011 19:33

I found the politics the most interesting facet. The idea of 'guardianship' appalled me.

The characterisation was not up to much, like you Gluttondressedaslamb, I found it very two-dimensional. I didn't like Blomqvist at all. He's the sort of man I would almost certainly have yawned at and said "f* off" to (no, I'm not proud of that aspect of my past).

Was the author autistic, and hence his fascination with the detail of the computers, coffe machines, sandwiches - lots of stuff you don't actually need to know. I think that in a way even those things were interesting. I mean, if you were looking for a really good coffee machine, you'd know which one to get, wouldn't you?

issynoko · 14/09/2011 22:53

I think there should be a Blomkvist Sandwich Recipes book. Perfect for your lunchbox.

Original poster

TrillianAstra · 15/09/2011 09:16

moondog I thought you had written that you were personally driving down the interstate while reading the book and so I could understand why DH might be irritated! :o

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