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The Girl Who Played with Fire

By: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland - translator
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Editorial reviews

Stieg Larsson was a crusading Swedish journalist, committed to the fight against political extremism and racism in his home country. In his spare time he completed a trilogy of striking crime novels, which he delivered to his publishers just before his untimely death in 2004. The first novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, centred on Mikhail Blomkvist, a crusading journalist with a social conscience; its sequel, The Girl Who Played with Fire, shifts focus onto the socially awkward computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, who becomes entangled in an investigation into sex trafficking, murder, and establishment corruption. This unusual central character is the story's main strength, allowing it to stand apart from the raft of contemporary and classic crime novels which Larsson fondly draws on. An expert hacker and mathematics-obsessive, Salander is a clenched fist of a character; difficult, psychologically traumatised, and capable of extreme violence.

Simon Vance endows her with the accent of an East London street urchin, a fitting voice for this embattled woman. While his narration is crisp, Vance's other characters range from working-class Northern English accents for Blomkvist, assorted police, and journalists, while others are given accents somewhere between Scandinavian and Bela Lugosi. However, as the plot thickens, such incongruities are forgotten, and a compelling social reality is created by Vance's skilled performance, which includes a sensitive rendition of a stroke victim's voice. Vance's cool delivery also suits the reportage feel of much of the writing; characters are introduced through their occupation, address, and educational background, while a mass of tiny observations (such as coffee mugs decorated with the logo of the civil service union) at times convey the tone of a police report. It is a tribute to Vance's delivery that the narrative thrust carries the accumulation of detail effortlessly from one action-packed set-piece to the next.

Larsson's published books have been a European phenomenon, due less, perhaps, to any narrative or thematic innovations as to the author's visceral anger at social injustice and the mistreatment of the vulnerable, particularly women. Violence against women is the work's central motif: the Swedish title of the first book in the series translates as Men Who Hate Women, and Salander is "the woman who hates men who hate women". In fact, there is an element of salacious revenge fantasy to much of her actions as she fights fire with fire; the story treads a fine line between condemning sadism and revelling in sadistic imagery. The real enemy of the tale is institutionalised machismo: policemen are loutish, rape is endemic, and villains enjoy guns, motorbikes, and magazines about motorbikes. Everyone, meanwhile, summers in wood shacks in the Swedish countryside.

While very much part of a larger whole (there are numerous references to events that occurred in the first part of the trilogy), The Girl Who Played with Fire stands alone as a highly enjoyable, if not always smooth - and often disquieting - mixture of classic crime tropes, searing violence, and vivid characterization. Dafydd Phillips

Publisher's summary

The electrifying follow-up to the phenomenal best seller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ("An intelligent, ingeniously plotted, utterly engrossing thriller" The Washington Post), and this time it is Lisbeth Salander, the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker, who is the focus and fierce heart of the story.

Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to publish a story exposing an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.

On the eve of publication, the two reporters responsible for the story are brutally murdered. But perhaps more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander.

Now, as Blomkvist, alone in his belief in her innocence, plunges into his own investigation of the slayings, Salander is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she is the prey, and which compels her to revisit her dark past in an effort to settle with it once and for all.

Listen to the rest of The Millennium Trilogy.
©2009 Stieg Larsson (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“Boasts an intricate, puzzle-like story line . . . even as it accelerates toward its startling and violent conclusion.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)
“[A] gripping, stay-up-all-night read.” ( Entertainment Weekly)
“Gripping stuff. . . . A nail-biting tale of murder and cover-ups.” ( People)

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What listeners say about The Girl Who Played with Fire

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it

It was a great listen. Couldnt put it down. Love the accent.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

I loved this story, just miss the characters now after i finished it, and i am looking forward for the next story, the girl who kicked the hornet's nest.
the narrator Simon is amazing and makes you enjoy listening, one of the bet narrators i listened to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I join the chorus

of those whose love this book! I also thought it was better than the first of the series and hated to have it end. Why can't all Audible books be this good? Thank you for a wonderful listen!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Swedes come through!

I'm really impressed with the writing of these two stories. Even though the locale described is in Sweden, and I'm sure I would never be able to pronounce half of the names used, it was very exciting to listen to. Knowing there is a third book coming out makes it more exciting a wait. I was rooting for Salander the whole time! Can't wait to see what she gets into next time!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Even better than the first book!

I struggled a bit to get through the first book, but this one hooked me from.the first chapter!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Better than the first book, great plot twist!

Better than the first book, great plot twist, begs you to read the third book in the series!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Loved it! I can't wait to read the next one. You want our heroine to get revenge on anyone that has ever wronged her.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

I thought it was a little slow in the begining but it wrapped everything up in the end.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

still great

not quite as good as number 1 in the series, yet better than number three. doesn't matter. still a superior book and you'll listen to all three anyways.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mysterious, Fascinating, Too good to put down!

Where does The Girl Who Played with Fire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book ranks in the top 5 of books I have read on Audible.com

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Simon Vance gives an incredible performance. Reading this made me look for his other performances on Audible of which he has many. He is one of my favorite narrators.

Any additional comments?

I never thought I would be interested in this genre but my son got me to read them and I enjoyed so much I purchased the entire trilogy. I am sorry that we lost Stieg Laarson, a truly great talent.

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