The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I understand the Swedish title translates into the The Men Who Hate Women. That is a more appropriate title. Though, I would imagine such a title would hurt sales in England and the USA. Each part has a statistic regarding violence against women in Sweden. I was not quite prepared for this. A very faithful to the book movie would be NC-17.
Reading the graphic violence made me feel sad. Also difficult is the intertwining of attraction and love with hurt and anger. The hero and heroine are tragic-ish. The villains are sadistic. No character has an easy to understand relationship with another. Everything is complicated by something. Well, okay not Vanger and his right hand man Frode. That was only simple boss and employee.
Salander is a goth, hacker, perceived sociopath. (She acts more sociopath than she is.) My adolescent reading was perhaps too much TSR novels about D&D settings. Women were strong. Salander evokes a toughness she would rip those other women apart.
I am glad to have read the book. Now. Can I take the movie?
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