I was intrigued by all the hype around the book so bought it. It is a confronting narrative at times. A fragmented plot in which tension initially comes from the reader wondering how the separate stories will fit together. Later the tension comes from interest in the unravelling mystery of Harriet Vanger. Characters are distinguishable but do not lift off the page as real people. The reader remains detached and at a distance from plot events and character experiences - very much like Lisbeth is throughout the series. I think Larsson wrote for a Swedish audience who knew the landscape, climate, and places he used in the plot. He refers to an environment but does not recreate it for readers from other parts of the world. That it is a best seller says something about modern readers.

Okay, I admit it. I bought the book because of the hype. The fragmented plotting undercuts tension in the early stages of the novel. The Wennerstrom story is important although boring. It certainly didn't bring Boomkvist to life. Lisbeth has little to recommend her as a character. The dysfunction of the guardianship system in Sweden is exposed though. Overall, poorly drawn characters. The mystery though was compelling. There wasn't any insight though in this novel. Really a shallow story that tries to explore perversion. I just can't believe that it has sold so many copies. There are much better novels out there!

I agree it is a slow story to start. The plot becomes compelling though with lots of unexpected twists. At times, I found the scenes very confronting. Although I was interested in the story, the writing style was not artful. Maybe something was lost in translation as far as language was concerned. None of the characters are likeable, but Lisbeth does have an odd sort of appeal in a dysfucntional sort of way. Is the trilogy popular because it deals with taboo characters? I reckon it's a novel sold on hype.