Saturday, February 11, 2012

Wrestling with Swedish hornets

I managed, for reasons associated with where I live, not to see the film of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, though I wish I had and still hope to. But at Christmas, I was given the book on the left. "You like detective stories, yes?" said Ewan. And yes, I do - right back to when I began with Edmund Crispin. So I began on my Christmas books with this one, thinking "fat book, get it read before I go on holiday". But I'd reckoned - as, I imagine, had Ewan - without the travails induced by reading the third book of a trilogy in which all the characters have appeared from the start - or so I imagine - and have, furthermore, Swedish names that stubbornly resist internal pronunciation and therefore memory.

That said, I ended up thoroughly enjoying The Girl who kicked the Hornets' Nest.  Perhaps there was an element of triumph in my enjoyment, but it meant that I ended up lugging the two-thirds finished tome all the way to Dubai in my cabin bag so that I could read it on the long flight.

Apart from the intricately worked-out plot that had me thumbing backwards to find out where the clues were laid (and to check out which Swedish name belonged to which plot element) I found myself revelling in the hacking that formed the backbone of the latter part of the story. (How sad is that?) I regretted my inadequate knowledge of Swedish geography and the lack of a map at the front of this book, and I marvelled at what Swedes seem to eat for breakfast. It was such an engrossing experience that I found myself bereft beneath the palm trees when I finished it in a late afternoon after a swim, and it was hard to start on another book - which I may also review - that evening.

Several people have offered to lend me the other two books - I shall be ready to start one in about a fortnight, the way my life is looking right now. And I want to see the movie ...

6 comments:

  1. Starting with the third book of the Trilogy first must have been very confusing! The second and third books are really part one and part two of a whole. The first book is a 'whole in one' -- so to speak! Having read all three chronically and having read other Swedish crime thrillers -- most notably the Wallander detective series by Henning Mankel, I am quite comfortable with that genre now. The Hollywood movie is very good. I am now watching the Swedish made for television trilogy of movies and have one left to watch. And I have enjoyed them very much and think they do justice to the books. Both actresses are excellent and I can imagine that for-evermore there will be a debate about which one was better -- I really could not chose between them. I have been watching the dvd's on Sunday night when I find television programming so completely dire!

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  2. I'm interested that you enjoyed this so much as opinions and reviews of Larssen's novels seem to be so divided. I must confess they have never appealed to me, despite my love of crime fiction. but first The Broad and now you have given them such a glowing review that perhaps I may have to have a go after all.

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  3. Dear Christine,
    Like Perpetua, I have resisted this trilogy as well as the movies because I thought they might be too violent. Maybe I have to rethink.

    Peace.

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  4. Oh, Lord, Perpetua - now I feel a sense of responsibilty! I'm glad The Broad is in it too ...
    ;-)

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  5. Dee, violence didn't make much of an impression in the book - don't know what the films would be like. I tend to be more upset by mental violence, I think ...

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  6. Similarly Scandiavian - have you been watching Borgen? Brilliant!

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