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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Millennium, Bk 1
Author: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland (Translator)
Cases rarely come much colder than the decades-old disappearance of teen heiress Harriet Vanger from her family's remote island retreat north of Stockholm, nor do fiction debuts hotter than this European bestseller by muckraking Swedish journalist Larsson. At once a strikingly original thriller and a vivisection of Sweden's dirty not-so-...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9781607517702
ISBN-10: 1607517701
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 480
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 59

4.1 stars, based on 59 ratings
Publisher: Alfred A Knopf
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 22
I was prompted to read this book because I became intrigued by the unusual way in which this book got published. The author had waited until all three books in the series had been written before submitting them. I'd never heard of anything like that before and, adding to the intrigue was the fact that he died shortly thereafter. So I picked up a paperback at the grocery after reading the inside back cover about him.

It took me awhile to get into this first book, but once I did, I was mesmerized. The characters are fascinating, and the story is compelling. When finished, I was thrilled to find book #2 in hard cover, and I didn't want it to end. It is even better, and the characters gain even more depth. When I finished book 2, I sat there saying, "Wow. Wow. Wow." My husband looked at me oddly, and I said, "What an ending!" I'm grateful Book #3 is due out fairly soon, but I know I'm going to be deeply saddened by the thought that it will be the last we will hear from this amazing writer.

To honor him and his achievement, I ordered a hard cover copy of book #1, so that eventually I will have all three in hard cover.

I hope before he died that he knew his books were going to be published - and that he has family who are able to see how his writing has impacted readers around the world. A thousand gold stars!
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 1147 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 18
My experience of this book was colored by the exuberant reviews on the cover. It may be considered "wildly suspenseful" because I had to read to the end to find out what happened. However, I wouldn't use the word "sexy" unless you like reading about the graphic, violent rape and murder of women. Portions of the book are about convoluted financial dealings of Swedish corporations, and the family in the story has so many characters that there's a family tree graphic for you to refer to at the beginning of the book - not my idea of "mesmerizing." That said, I love the character of Lisbeth who refuses to be a victim. She earned the 3 stars I gave this book.
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
Compelling murder mystery. Gripping, this book kept me up long into the night reading. Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist with a conviction for libel. He is approached by Vanger, a wealthy industrialist to write a detailed family saga. The Swedish setting of Hedestad and the names took a little getting used to. One of the most suspenseful books I've read in a long time.
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
I was prompted to read this book because I became intrigued by the unusual way in which this book got published. The author had waited until all three books in the series had been written before submitting them. I'd never heard of anything like that before and, adding to the intrigue was the fact that he died shortly thereafter. So I picked up a paperback at the grocery after reading the inside back cover about him.

It took me awhile to get into this first book, but once I did, I was mesmerized. The characters are fascinating, and the story is compelling. When finished, I was thrilled to find book #2 in hard cover, and I didn't want it to end. It is even better, and the characters gain even more depth. When I finished book 2, I sat there saying, "Wow. Wow. Wow." My husband looked at me oddly, and I said, "What an ending!" I'm grateful Book #3 is due out fairly soon, but I know I'm going to be deeply saddened by the thought that it will be the last we will hear from this amazing writer.

To honor him and his achievement, I ordered a hard cover copy of book #1, so that eventually I will have all three in hard cover.

I hope before he died that he knew his books were going to be published - and that he has family who are able to see how his writing has impacted readers around the world. A thousand gold stars!
annapi avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 334 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
The first word that comes to mind when describing this book is BRILLIANT - absolutely brilliant. It starts out slow, and I struggled with the first hundred pages or so that introduce the main characters, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, and title character Lisbeth Salander, the anti-social computer hacker. Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger of the dynastic Vanger Corporation to look into the mysterious unsolved disappearance of his niece 40 years ago. He does not really expect to do any better than the police that have diligently and thoroughly investigated, but when an attempt is made at his life he realizes he has uncovered something - but how is it connected? The story really picks up the pace and becomes totally engrossing as we follow Mikael's and Lisbeth's separate paths that slowly intertwine, and the last two hundred pages are un-putdownable - and here I am at 1:30 in the morning writing a review. This is so different from your typical thriller, and the characters are wonderfully drawn and completely fascinating. This will definitely make my top 5 of the year!
Read All 321 Book Reviews of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Millennium Bk 1"

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reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on
very enjoyable
booklit avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 473 more book reviews
excellent! A little graphic but good.
bookgoddessme avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 106 more book reviews
I waited a bit to read this series, after all the hub bub had settled. The tragic story of the author's life drew me in, and I didn't read the summary until I was ready to begin the book. When I realized it was some sort of mystery/crime novel I thought, "oh, I would have never picked this up if I knew this". Boy, was I surprised. I found the book nearly impossible to put down. Yes, it's loaded with details, and names of places, and people, but WOW, what a story! The characters are so easy to care about, and the story just keeps you wondering how each character is going to manage to get through their latest crazy mess.
autumnhansen avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 5 more book reviews
This is an amazing book that isn't often credited for it's reflection on women's position in society. It was charged with raw emotion.
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 3 more book reviews
This book is a good mystery and has interesting, although sometimes irritating characters. Did not give it a higher rating because the author is a little too into violence against women.
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 68 more book reviews
When Mikael Blomkvist, a managing editor of a financial news magazine, gets convicted of libel, he needs to disappear from the publishing world for a while until things die down. At that moment, he takes a freelance job for the head of one of Sweden's most wealthy families. Mr. Vanger's neice, Harriet Vanger, disappeared over forty years ago and he wants Mikael to take on the job of finding out what happened to her. Mikael is aided by a young pierced and tattooed punk girl, Lisbeth Salander. She is an electronic wizzard and together they discover one horrifying layer of secrets after the other in the Vanger family. Very exciting...full of horror and corruption beyond imagining.
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on
Very graphic, so definitely need to be aware of that, but the story really drew you in. Very good.
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 10 more book reviews
Enjoyable read.
nicolelovesagoodbook avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 5 more book reviews
This book had me feeling so many emotions. Eat an intense thriller. Loved this book and the characters in it! Can't wait to start the next! This book will be added to my bookshelf to keep!
luv2cnewthings avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 55 more book reviews
The book is a good Mystery and I am very glad that I read it. However, I knew who the suspect was beforehand - but for a different reason that what it turned out to be.

Similar to what another reviewer said: The sexual scenarios towards women were a little disheartening. Even the consensual encounters, since at the end it was all just meaningless sex. However, one must take the original title into consideration, as well as the fact that the Author witnessed something presumably life changing.

Additionally, one has to wonder what Stieg Larsson would say about the World's economy today or the real estate market collapse (in the U.S.) back in 2008. Perhaps he used Enron or Bernie Madoff as his focal point for his back-story for the novel.
grinky22 avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 7 more book reviews
Highly refreshing, a totally new plot and truly pleasing characters.
2252steph avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 13 more book reviews
I usually would rate this series too explicit and graphic for me but I loved it. Weaves a great mystery.
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on
A little violent, but great book. Can't wait for the next one.
shorty7 avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 17 more book reviews
This book was extremely difficult to get into. The only reason I finished it is because I hate starting a book and not knowing how it ends. The first 200 pages or so is backround info that seems pointless. There are parts in the book that are hard to read and disgusting. Overall I was pretty dissapointed.
reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 6 more book reviews
LOVED IT. Won't be letting this one go. The first 150 pages or so I wasn't sure if I liked it but I kept going. And then for the next little bit I wasn't sure if I liked BUT I wanted to know what was going to happen. I was very intrigued and then out of nowhere it hit me that I really liked and could not put it down. I liked to so much that I couldn't wait for my turn on Paperback Swap to get The Girl Who Played with Fire so I went out and bought it. I highly recommend this book. Just remember that you got to keep with it for a bit for it to get "good" but once it does it gets REALLY good. You will not be disappointed.
buzzby avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 6062 more book reviews
It was like many other reviewers said, slow moving but with intriguing characters. He did a pretty good job of having several sub-plots going, although some of it hit me as unrealistic (2 independently wealthy brothers hating each other and not talking to each other for decades). I don't know if something was lost in translation, but the author seems to wander aimlessly (perhaps part of the Swedish psyche?), thelling us on a frustrating day when absolutely nothing happen to bring the story along, he read a Sue Grafton novel. A more insightful person than me may seem how that adds to the story.
The author made up Hedestad and Hedeby Island, where much of the story takes place, (it's said that other places are authentic). The Swedish version has maps of the fictional Hedeby Island, but not the English version. They can be found at www.sallysfriends.net/nest/the-missing-map-from-tattoo
Susha avatar reviewed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, Bk 1) on + 16 more book reviews
Won't rehash the storyline on this book, as it's shown above. Loved this book, loved the characters. Highly recommend.

Book Wiki

Series
Original Publication Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
People/Characters
Mikael Blomkvist (Primary Character)
Lisbeth Salander (Primary Character)
Henrik Vanger (Major Character)
Martin Vanger (Major Character)
Erika Berger (Major Character)
(Show all 9 People/Characters)
Real Places
Fictional Places
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