The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A Lisbeth Salander Novel

By: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland - translator

Narrated by: Martin Wenner

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The thrilling first book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series featuring Lisbeth Salander: “Combine the chilly Swedish backdrop and moody psychodrama of a Bergman movie with the grisly pyrotechnics of a serial-killer thriller, then add an angry punk heroine and a down-on-his-luck investigative journalist, and you have the ingredients of Stieg Larsson’s first novel” (The New York Times). • Also known as the Millennium series

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

Look for the latest book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, The Girl in the Eagle's Talons, coming soon!

©2008 Stieg Larsson (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

A solid B+

TL;DR A good mystery, sufficient character development, good backdrop/setting immersion.

To expand on my TL;DR (which I put at the top for easier access)

Overall, the story is interesting. You definitely want to know whodunnit. Not an obvious or too predictable story-line, takes a few twists. Also, the relationship between the main characters is nice to watch grow.

Character development is alright - I'd say right in the middle. There are a slew of other characters from other books I can think of with whom the reader has a deeper relationship, and there are quite a few with shallower relationships. You get to know the characters on a good friend level.

The backdrop/setting was pretty good. You get a nice feel for the island and the attitude of the family. The descriptions of the environment let you feel what it's like there, without boring you.

BUYER BEWARE

This is the ABRIDGED version. It's about HALF the length of the unabridged version. My wife recommended that I read the book, so I got it. The story is good, but it definitely felt rushed. It wasn't until I started the second book that I realized that it was different from the first.

The problem is that the book covers look identical, so it's VERY difficult to tell the difference. If you are looking for the Cliff's Notes version, this is it. If you want to get the real experience, DO NOT buy it

Confusing

I felt that there were far too many characters to keep straight. I also got confused remembering which Swedish name went with who

Stand out book!

Where does The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

I loved the suspenseful plot. The book was a quick read, and I'm excited to read all three!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. I love how each character had a mysterious side that kept you wanting more. I was surprised by the the way things turned out. It was not an obvious plot line.

What does Martin Wenner bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

His accent made the book feel authentic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

it was just so so

the characters are hard to follow and the story didn't come to an ending that I really like. But it was well written and I enjoyed the book.

Good story, but feels a little slow.

I think I liked this more as a movie. I loved the movie rendition. It feels a bit slow for an audio book. Maybe for an audio book this would be better in the abridged edition.

just better than other mysteries out there

It takes too long to kick into gear but it is far superior to most of the other leading mystery authors out there, bar none. It is R rated but intelligent and engaging.

My third « reading » of volume 1: I loved it again !

This Scandinavian mystery, an international bestseller, didn’t disappoint after several readings since its first publication.
I love the heroine for her spunk, intelligence and idiosyncrasies. She represents a new breed of female investigators who fascinate. She is far from the characters from Agatha Christie, Sue Grafton. Sara Paretsky, Patricia Cornwell.
She is a true millennium girl with tattoos and consummate knowledge of hacking tricks.
The plot is complex and satisfying.
A must read for anyone who has not done so, especially middle-aged readers who don’t want to be teased by their children.

Talk about exciting

Lots of characters to keep you properly thinking. An absolutely superb reader who makes lots of characters come alive. Highly adventurous.

Great book!

Not my normal choice (I like light-hearted books).....this one is a bit intense, but, I couldn't stop listening!