The first one, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was amazing. I read it in three evenings and the book itself looks like it was read many times before.
Then a few days ago I started The Girl Who Played with Fire and it’s a bit unbearable. How many times can you mention your protagonist had a boob job done and shoehorn it into the plot? Or how she looks “anorexic” but loves food? Or how she never shows any emotions yet *so emotional* because she fell in love with a man twice her age? Was there really a reason for her to have sex with a 16 y.o. boy?
I made it to the detailed half-page description of the Ikea furniture Lisbeth bought and just closed the book. After putting it back on the shelf I realised the previous reader made the same decision (it’s a paperback so you can see how far the creases on the spine go). I checked The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest and it looks brand-new (English edition, published in 2009) so I guess the first owner got so fed up with Larsson’s writing, they decided to not read the third one at all, along with the rest of the second book.
What are your thoughts on these books? I really want to continue reading because overall Salander is an amazing character, but so far nothing really happened plot-wise except those cringy fillers and I’m more than 100 pages in.
by aoi4eg