Books Librarians Love: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

September 24, 2010

What a wonderful book. It is well worth the hype surrounding it. I am always a little reluctant to jump on a bandwagon because I have been burned before (i.e. Twilight), but I am glad I ignored my instincts and read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. His writing style is phenomenal, and considering it is translated from Swedish, that must mean it is just that good. I really connected with his characters, and really felt that they were real and believable. The plot was interesting and well paced, and I never felt that he was being tricky or deceitful to make the story work.

Mikael Blomkvist, financial journalist, has just been convicted of libel. While his magazine backs him up, he takes a hiatus to save the magazine. He is also facing jail time. All this gives him some free time, and Henrik Vanger plays on this to get Mikael to take a job for him. Henrik wants to find out what happened to his niece, Harriet Vanger, 40 years ago. Henrik believes she has been murdered, and believes that one of the Vanger families is involved. And after 40 years, he wants the truth, no matter what that means.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo follows Blomkvist investigation. This path leads to family secrets, hidden truths, and “the girl with the dragon tattoo", Lisbeth Salander, a hacker with extraordinary research skills. Salander and Blomkvist’s journey is exciting and interesting. In the end, you love them both, and can’t help but want to read more.

Karen W.
Lee's Summit