Teodora 's review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) (original) (raw)

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Teodora 's Reviews > The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)
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69603149

WARNING! This is going to be a long TED Talk because:
I could talk about this book all day without breathing pauses and I’d still not finish everything I want to say about it.

4.45/5 ⭐ for this one because I couldn't convince myself to give it 5 stars, no idea why though.

Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺

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“I’d reckon you’d bite off my hand if I laid a finger on you”.

As Dragan Armansky felt in that particular moment about Lisbeth Salander, I felt that about her the whole book. And I must say that I liked feeling that way about her. That means that she has some sort of wilderness in her personality that makes her so interesting, not only as a character but also as a possible real-life person.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo made me ascend through different stages while reading it. I rarely find a book like this one, to make me feel all sorts of feelings towards it, from all the levels of human sensitivity in thinking. If I’d have to layer the stages of my process of reading this book, probably it would go like this:

1)

Level 1: Confusion
I was extremely confused with the beginning. I think I had to read it at least five times to actually get a grip of the story in the beginning. Maybe it is because I was briefly introduced in the middle of a scene with unknown characters and undiscovered plot. I don’t know, but I had a hard time with it anyway.

2)

Level 2: Boredom
I’ve had a hard time convincing myself that this book deserves to be read because of the epic state of boredom that I encountered. I spent two hours reading without stopping only to find out I’ve made only 4% progress (yes, I read it on my tablet because I don’t have enough finances to buy all the books I want and also survive as a student who is away from home and also likes to eat). I kept asking myself what was this bug of boredom that I had and then…it hit me. TOO MUCH ECONOMIC TALK. As a student at the Academy of Economic Studies, my interest should’ve been aroused. Even more – as I study Business Administration, all the business talk should be some delicious dessert for me. But NA-AH. I am bored enough by the countless hours of business terminology, ideology and any other –ology that shit implies, I don’t need to read about it in my spare time too. But hey, why not creeping some of that ish in my casual reading to keep the brain on its right track of self-destruction, ceteris paribus?

3)

Level 3: Spark of interest
After about 100 pages (I reckon even more) something started working for me. The mystery started to crawl at the surface so I could see and touch it and also expect more and more. Then, the author added some interesting family dirt (that I absolutely love, don’t judge me, I have a weird family too, amazingly weird, if I may add, but still weird) and also some World War 2 references (all these besides the actual mystery of Harriet Vagner’s disappearance and also possible murder). I don’t know what happened from that moment on, but it started being good. Like really good. It’s just…you can feel the mystery, especially because the book gives you almost 0.1 details about the possible murder. Your inner Miss Marple must be intrigued. Mine was for sure.

4)

Level 4: Outrage and disgust
Since now, I haven’t talked much about the eponym of the book, right? Well, let me talk then. Lisbeth Salander . And the surely nauseous manner in which she was treated. How do you expect anyone with at least a bit of empathy and humanity not to be OUTRAGED and DISGUSTED by the rape scenes which Lisbeth has been put through? It is absolutely indisputable, morally wrong and socially disgraceful. I am going to be very mean and very direct and I am going to ask a question: What level of psychical constipation do you need to have to pursue such an abominable act?
Yeah, those passages made me very sick. And very sad. Truly. I felt nauseous after all. But then…

5)

Level 5: ‘She’s a f-ing genius-arse boss and I’m here for it’
Lisbeth Salander is a bloody queen and you can’t make me change my mind even with an AK-47 glued on my temple. She’s ice cold, but she’s breathing fire. She’s the fool of the village, but she’s the hero of the nation. She’s invisible, but she’s not transparent. The way she seems not to care about anything that may interfere with her principles and also the way she cares about things but never speak them up is just so her, so part of the true individual she is, even though she might look unrealistic constructed. You do you, girl. You do you.

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The fact that, until the middle of the book, Salander and Blomkvist didn’t meet and also ‘the girl with the dragon tattoo’ was reduced only to a few scenes made me question my reading choice. I was on board only for Salander, because she captured my interest from the first time she appeared in scene. But then, Pippi Longstocking and Kalle Blomkvist merged together and gave life to this fabulous Swedish detective dream team and I was down for it.

Talking about the characters of the book, the female characters were such badass women it felt so good reading about them (super businesswomen taking over multinational companies? Yeah, okay, sign me up). I couldn’t feel any real connection towards the male characters however, except for Mikael Blomkvist. Even though he is a lousy father and husband and he has some shaky ethics in life, he is definitely a good man by his nature. Yes, he has his own issues, but who doesn’t? Yes, he was having a not so secret love affair with his best friend and business partner, Erika Berger, but as long as they didn’t make a secret out of it and people in their lives accepted it, I can’t say that it is that punishable.
And, also, because we are still on the topic: Erika Berger. I absolutely loved her. She is a witty businesswoman, with a lot of gut and a lot of cold blood to make decisions and to run her own world. She’s a strong woman who makes her own living out of her own life and enjoys it as it is, never letting anyone getting to her with some second-hand crap.

But. The most important character of all, the one that I absolutely loved beyond any other character is…ladies and gentlemen…*drum rolls*…yes, you're right, Lisbeth Salander!
I can’t tell you why I feel this way about Salander, but she was my absolute favourite since the very first moment I met her. The passive way that she adopted, the cold feelings that she spread, the taciturn nature and her absolutely killer mind just had me on board. Everyone saw Salander as a victim of society, but I felt that was wrong. I have never had that feeling about her. She always inspired me survival. She was a fighter by nature and fighters always survive. And this is how Salander made her way through life. Also, let’s be honest now, she has a killer T-Shirt taste, like seriously badass (see ‘Armageddon was yesterday, today we have a serious problem’ and ‘I can be a regular bitch. Just try me’).

In conclusion, this book gave me such a hard time I cannot explain, but it was also a really good book that I might consider as one of my own personal favourites. Also, as a side note: has anyone notice how much coffee do those people drink?? Or is just me?
All in all people, good reading!

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Quotes Teodora Liked

Stieg Larsson

“Friendship- my definition- is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don't have trust, the friendship will crumble.”
― Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Reading Progress

January 18, 2019 – Shelved

January 18, 2019 – Shelved as:to-read

March 4, 2019 –Started Reading

March 4, 2019 –10.0% ""Somebody'd get a fat lip if they ever called me Pippi Longstocking on a newspaper placard"
I have a feeling that me and Lisbeth are going to get along really well"

March 7, 2019 –25.0% "Why do I read this sooo slooow??"

March 8, 2019 –32.0% "Family drama and WW2 you say?
I'm in"

March 10, 2019 –37.0% ""Would you like to meet a corporate legend?" Blomkvist said.
"Does he bite?"
"Not on Saturdays."

I have to admit that this book has some great lines in it"

March 10, 2019 –44.0% "This is just outrageously disgusting..."

March 10, 2019 –47.0% "Lisbeth Salander? A legend"

March 12, 2019 –54.0% ""...because no-one in his right mind would tell her anything, and thank heavens she's nice enough to go to bed at 8:00 every night.""

March 13, 2019 – Shelved as:on-app

March 14, 2019 –59.0% ""A bastard is always a bastard, and if I can hurt a bastard by digging up shit about him, then he deserves it." - Salander's Principles"

March 16, 2019 –84.0% "I thought I was ready for this but I was so not ready for this I'm basically aching"

March 17, 2019 –89.0% ""[...] and went into the bedroom, turned on the lamp, and shook Mikael awake. It was 2:30 in the morning. 'What?' 'I've got a question. Sit up.' "

She's just brilliant"

March 17, 2019 –93.0% ""Berger stood up and went around the table and threw her arms around the girl. Salander squirmed like a worm about to be put on a hook."

I am both Berger and Salander"

March 18, 2019 –Finished Reading

February 9, 2023 – Shelved as:owned

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