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The Girl Who Played with Fire  By  cover art

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

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love wasp's story

loved it, the continuing story draws you further into their lives.
the narrator's voice makes it all very vivid.

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

I loved the Girl with the dragon tattoo better

What did you love best about The Girl Who Played with Fire?

I really enjoyed the narration - Simon Vance does a fantastic job.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Girl Who Played with Fire?

when he tied it back to the original book

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

His acting was fantastic- a good accent, but not too much that I couldn't understand it.

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

That would be an impossible situation, but if I had that amount of time and the inclination, I could have listened in a sitting..

Any additional comments?

I am looking forward to the third book

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great follow up

This book is a great follow up to "The girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Very well written, very exciting. Its too bad this author died before his time.

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

Awesome Read!!

What did you love best about The Girl Who Played with Fire?

Simon Vance does a wonderful job on the narration, it feels like you're there!

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

Holds your interest for hours- I didn't want to put it down.

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

no

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

Yes, absolutely!

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

Enjoyable listen

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

About in the middle. I didn't love it, but there was nothing wrong with it.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Simon Vance is obviously a respected professional. Although I prefer reading to myself, listening to Mr. Vance is a good way to pass time in traffic.

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Don't Miss This One

Would you consider the audio edition of The Girl Who Played with Fire to be better than the print version?

I enjoyed the audio version more because the narrator does such a great job pronouncing Swedish words and names. That makes the story flow better.

What other book might you compare The Girl Who Played with Fire to and why?

This is book is the second in the 'Girl Who' series and continues the journey with Salander and Blomqvist.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Simon Vance is excellent! He is so good with women's voices.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction, but Larsson's plots are very riveting. This is the kind of book you don't want to put down.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended.

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

great audible book

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

first one

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

very action packed

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

no

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

yes,but I couldn't listen all @ one time.

Any additional comments?

I listened to this mostly while doing household tasks. Sometimes I got the characters confused because the names sound a lot alike.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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If you liked "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"...

You won't be disappointed with the second book in the series! Just as gripping as the first, with no sense of "been there, done that" (as we sometimes get in sequels). Wonderfully narrated.

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fantastic!!

Would you listen to The Girl Who Played with Fire again? Why?

I don't usually listen to a book a second time but I would listen to this again. I only wish there were more books in the series!!

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

Great read!!

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Has great voice intonation!

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

Yes, but life wouldn't let me!

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

Great story there should be multiple readers

If you could sum up The Girl Who Played with Fire in three words, what would they be?

Edgy, gritty, realistic

What three words best describe Simon Vance’s voice?

Excellent for male voices, not so much for female, too many characters for one reader.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Can't wait to listen to Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest

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