Growing up, when I read a good book, my only options if I really loved it, was to read a again. From time to time it would be made into a movie, like The Outsiders or a TV-series, like The Thornbirds. But that was rare.
These days, when you finish a book, there is the movie, a blog (or many blog posts), a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, Ning groups, phone apps - a multitude of ways to feed the obsession. That what happened with the Twilight series. That is what’s happening with the series written by the late Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
It had been awhile since I read a really good, juicy murder mystery, which is my preferred genre. It was only when my pal Julie wrote a post about working on the film’s social media that I had even heard of the book. But you want to hear something funny? I actually bought the first book in French in Paris because it looked good! Since the title is completely different I did not make the connection. Last week when I was putting back a book on the bookshelf I noticed the name Stieg Larsson on the spine of a book sitting in my “French” area I realized it. Funny huh? Like the Universe was saying, “I am going to keep putting this book in your path until you read it.”
And I did read it. I bought the book, opened it, and then couldn’t put it down. It is supremely well done. I was unable to guess many of the plot points, which to me is a sign of a good mystery. I have to say that I found the first half of the second book a bit slow, I nearly gave it up and persevered. I was rewarded in that fact that the second half of the book was awesome. I am [very impatiently] looking forward to the third and final tome.
The movie is out now making it’s tour, it’s considered a foreign film since it was filmed in Sweden and is in Swedish, so you’ll need to find a theater near you that is showing it. Stieg Larsson was Swedish. I say “was” because he died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack after writing and delivering the three novels. The books are placed in Sweden with lots of references to Swedish history and locations. Not being familiar with the country, it was an added bonus to learn some of the country’s history (albeit more on the negative side) and look up locations on maps, etc.
I am not going to review the book(s) now, and I haven’t seen the film yet, but I am going to tell you it crosses through a wide variety of topics besides the investigation of crimes. Other people have written really great posts covering those topics and I wanted to share them here:
Computer security and hacking > I was seriously paranoid after reading this book, it was really strange that shortly after finishing the book, my computer started acting funny and then requested that I update Firefox, I could not help but be suspicious, and if you read the book you will understand why! Kelly Diels wrote an excellent guest post on Copyblogger on how this topic in the book/movie made her think about her blog security. Besides the review she offers some really great security advice.
Abuse and revenge > One of the main characters, Lisbeth Sander, is a victim of the “system.” She has been the victim at the hands of bullies, narcissists, sadomasochists, and more. But she fights back and fights back hard. You want to feel sorry for her, but you can’t, because she is so kick-ass! She is scrappy and takes on anyone who tries to treat her unjustly. Aliza Sherman of Entrepreneur Mom (and many other places!) wrote a great post on revenge.
Sex lives and sexual violence > Further to the abuse angle from above, an underlying theme in the book is sex. The abuse and violence that Lisbeth and others face. Then there is the sex lives and sexual choices of the main characters. So well written that it is part of the story, but not. I don’t know how to explain it beyond that. There is no judgment around how people weave sex into their lives. No morality statements that I would normally expect to find, I am guessing that is because the author is European. But one way you could get your husband or boyfriend to watch the movie is to tell them there is a lesbian love scene, as Alisa found out when her husband joined her while she was watching the movie!
I already mentioned Julie’s own masterpiece of a post, “Blogging Lessons from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” if you missed my link yesterday, read it. And Julie has been hard at work with the movie website and has launched a sweepstakes in the form of an online treasure hunt. She has placed clues at various blogs (some of which have been mentioned here) and you need to collect the tools to win prizes. You can read her post for a clue as well as visit the contest page on the Dragon Tattoo film website.
Read the book, because the book always gives more detail, then go see the movie. Here is the theatrical trailer:
You can see it on the Dragon Tattoo film website as well.
Have you read the book? Are you planning on seeing the movie?
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Andi! I was excited to see your blog title this morning. I am hoping my SIL brings her copy of that book when I see her today (she mentioned loaning it to me a few weeks ago). Now I am even more excited to read it.
Um, that looks terrifying! I have the book on my Kindle to read while in Africa for the next month, but now I’m a bit scared to! (I don’t deal well with scary.)
Andi – awesome post, as always…maybe this will inspire you and hubby to take your next trip in Sweden? Thanks for all of the good Dragon Tattoo juice!!!
The books are far better than all the three movies; we saw the third and last movie yesterday. But the movies are good, with especially good casting.
Of the three books, I thought no 2 was the best one. I actually forgot to get off at my train stop because I was reading so intencely! ;o)
The orginial title of the book is “Men who hate women”, but I actually think the English title is way better.
The story about Stieg Larsson is that he witness some class mates rape a girl when he was a teenager, but he didn’t intervene. He later talked with the girl, who said that she hated him as much as the guys who did it. After that he became a fighter for women’s rights; which we can see in these excellent books.
@Kristin, I have to admit my hubby went on a biz trip right after I read and I freaked myself out plenty, slept with a Mag flashlight while he was gone, but then again, that’s just me….
@Julie, we have talked about going to the Nordics many times, my husband went there as a teenager and has fond memories, it is definitely on the list to hit.
@Øydis Thanks so much for the reviews, it will be interesting to see what happens when/if they remake into an English version, which I hear rumors about. I think the Swedish casting looks perfect though. I will email you about my header. And I DID check out your blog a few days ago when you left your initial comment, even though I don’t read Norwegian I don’t need it to see how adorable your kids are!
I read the book this summer after lots of prodding from friends who had loved it. I felt the same about getting into it, but now I’m like a mad woman about the whole series. I even had my mom mail a copy of the 3rd book from the UK so I could read it sooner! Can’t wait to see the movie!
@Joanne, ah-hah! I can order it from Amazon.co.uk! Great tip!
Oh, the best scene is in the trailer! I didn’t realize that til now. Now my husband can watch it over and over again!
Your post has sparked my interest, makes me want to read the book and see the movie.
After reading this post and checking out the trailer, I’ve definitely become interested!
Should I read the book first??
I have been hearing about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo everywhere and have seen the books in stores. But I didn’t take notice until I read the post on Copyblogger. Now I really want to read the book before the movie comes out.
This movie (I believe) is in Swedish, but there is an English version in production, scheduled for release next year.