Reader Point

A book is like a ride at the amusement park that my Muggle parents used to take me to. You have your nostalgic merry-go-rounds, your refreshing log flume plunges, your haunted mansions, the infamous "educational" rides, and even the big Ferris wheel to give you a new perspective on the park below. But everyone knows that you go to an amusement park not for the cotton candy or the giant teddy bear, but for the roller coasters. Some roller coasters never seem to go anywhere. Others are over too fast to be worth the line. Others make you so sick that you lose the fun of riding. And still others beat you up every moment you spent strapped to the seat. But The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the coaster where the unique balance of tension and boredom of the chain lift literally lasts longer than the whole rest of the ride, but the ride is so exciting that you forget about every moment listening to the annoying clacking of the lift. While it started out very slow, Stieg Larsson's novel turned out to be one of those gripping crime dramas that somehow magically finds itself open in your hands when you're supposed to be doing something else. While the horrendously revolting criminality and extraordinary mystery glued me to the pages, the three-dimensional characters smiled up at me. To me, one of the most important criteria of a great novel is the extent to which the reader can empathize with the characters--protagonists and antagonists alike. Lisbeth Salander, a girl utterly unique, unlike anyone I've ever encountered, had such an incredible verisimilitude that she seems totally alive to me. I was so moved when the hardened, heartless girl finally softened, ever so slightly, from falling in love for the first time. Although the book disturbed me enough to give me nightmares (and waking nightmares), I nevertheless highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery, suspense, and wonderfully wrought people.