Book Review

Influenced by Swedish inequality, the book The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

creates a story of mystery, romance and suspense. Taking place in Sweden, Larsson allows the

adventure to take you into the lives of the Vanger Clan and the deep dark secrets it holds.

The book starts off with an introduction of all main characters in the book such as Mikael

Blomkvist, Dragan Armansky, Harald Vanger and Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist is employed by Vanger for

two purposes, to find out who murdered his beloved niece Harriet Vanger, and to write a family

biography of the entire Vanger Clan. When Blomkvist can’t get something he needs, he employs the

help of Lisbeth Salander, a very skilled private investigator to help him. In doing so, he discovers the

deepest and darkest secrets of the Vanger Clan, some that even Harald didn’t know himself.

As Salander and Blomkvist start working together, which involves living in the same house, they

soon realize what actually happened to Harriet Vanger. That’s when the threats start coming, in the

most vile of ways. “On the porch lay the half-charred corpse of a cat. The cat’s legs and head had been

cut off, then the body had been flayed… He ought to file a police report for animal cruelty, possibly

intimidation, but he did not think he would want to explain why the intimidation had taken place.” (398,

400) Salander and Blokmkvist are put in a life or death situation with not many possible ways to get out

of it.

When Salander and Blomkvist start figuring out where to go, they figure out just how cruel

people can actually be. With animal cruelty, a serial killer, suicide and sexual assault, it changes the

views of theirs and the readers on the world. 

                This is book is a wonderful read for those who like mystery and romance yet have the stomach to read through some of the more interesting parts. 

 

Quote

"Salander stared at him, but he looked so amused that she gave him a crooked smile.  The situation was beyond all rhyme or reason.  She sipped her coffee.  He had kind eyes.  She decided that whatever else he might be, he did not seem to be a malicious person.  And there was nothing in the PI she had done that would indicate that he was a vicious b****** who abused his girlfriends or anything like that.  She reminded herself that she was the one who knew everything.  Knowledge is power."

Book Summary

In the book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is a #1 National Bestseller.  In this book Mikael Blomkvist is employed by the rich and well known business leader Harald Vanger.  Vanger’s niece, Harriet Vanger, disappeared 40 years ago after a huge incident on the island.  Vanger has never been able to forget this since someone sends him a pressed flower every year for his birthday, which is what Harriet would do.  Blomkvist starts the search for the murder of Harriet while living in Vanger’s guest house on their little, secluded island.  When Blomkvist’s search becomes too difficult for him to handle for himself, he enlists the help of Lisbeth Salander, a famous computer hacker who goes by the name of Wasp.  Together they go off on a serious and thrilling adventure to find out the murderer of Harriet Vanger is, and discover more than what meets the eye about this seemingly harmless family.  

Quote

"After putting down the telephone the eighty-two-year-old birthday boy sat for a long time looking at the pretty but meaningless flower whose name he did not yet know.  Then he looked up at the wall above his desk.  There hung forty-three pressed flowers in their frames.  Four rows of ten, and one at the bottom with four.  In the top row one was missing from the ninth slot.  Desert Snow would be number fourty-four. 
          Without warning he began to weep.  Surprising himself with this sudden burst of emotion after almost fourty years." Page 7
  

Quote

"Armansky was bewildered and also angry with himself for having so obviously misjudged her.  He had taken her for stupid, maybe even retarded.  He had not expected that a girl who had cut so many classes in school that she did not graduate could write a report so gramatically correct.  It also contained detailed observations and information, and he quite simply could not comprehend how she could have aquired such facts." Page 41

Essential Question

If you had a horrible childhood with abusive parents, would you get away from it as soon as you could?

Essential Question

If you could get the thing you wanted most but had to risk your life to get it, would you do it?