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Nov 07, 2010AnneDromeda rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I'm sure by now this novel needs no introduction. However, If you *haven't* read it or seen the movie yet, this tale of intrigue winds together the lives of an investigative journalist and a tough, troubled young private investigator as they attempt to unravel the snarled lives of one of Sweden's foremost industrial families. This is one sexy, blisteringly paced novel, and I wouldn't have even picked it up were it not for an interview I heard on CBC Radio One's _The Current_. The late Steig Larsson's longtime partner (who, in twists worthy of the series, is being cut out of all proceeds from this trilogy by Larsson's family) explained the novel was meant to have been entitled _Men Who Hate Women_, and I found knowing that really coloured my understanding of the story. Despite not being a fan of crime fiction or mystery, I loved this story, and especially Lisbeth Salander. Incidentally, that interview is available at http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/10/oct-1310-pt-1-eva-gabrielsson.html In fact, I was so disinterested in the novel that I got it on audiobook, figuring that if I hated it I'd just pay less attention or turn it off. The audiobook version is, on the whole, worth picking up. I found the narrator affected a strange, lilting and soft voice when voicing female characters. That threw me a little, because there isn't a flat or weak female character to be found in the book. The narrator's voice work with the overall narration and male characters, though, is fantastic. After a while I managed to ignore the way he voiced the women, and I quite enjoyed this audiobook during commutes.