Sum up your thoughts on the book

We've covered a lot of specific questions, but what do you think of the book overall?

There was so much detail it was hard to focus on the story itself. I'm not into politics or finance or journalism or the history of Naziism, so it was hard to get into the story at all. The author creates a couple memorable characters, but I don't feel he used them to the best advantage. He chose to use an omniscient viewpoint which has the effect of distancing the reader from the story, which is a shame. I wasn't invested in the story, or even in the protagonists, as well as they were portrayed. Larsson is a historian, and it shows. I get the impression that the fictional story is just a vehicle for him to educate people rather than a story designed to entertain. The book would have been way better cut back to 400 pages instead of 600+. Although I don't usually read mystery, I tried to approach this book with an open mind. I WANTED to like it, but I was very disappointed. I have no clue why this book is a bestseller.

I think my judgment is clouded because I have watched both movies and read the next two books. I like the foreign film, love the American version, and love the next two books. Even though this book isn't the best book I have ever read I very much enjoyed reading "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest".