Comments on: Something Like a Phenomenon

By: nyhmr21

nyhmr21 — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:34:42 +0000

Have to say I loved the series. The third book being the longest and densest. I have only watched the first and third movie. First movie was not bad, but they really butchered the third one.

By: The Hawk

The Hawk — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:13:52 +0000

The movies were out when I heard about this. I had to make a choice – read or watch? I decided to watch.

The woman who plays Lisbeth Salander is awesome. I’m sure it’s different from the book and wouldn’t have lived up to my mind’s eye version. For that I’m glad I just skipped the books.

You didn’t ask about the movies (I’ve seen the first two, I should specify) yet here I am chiming in

By: festus

festus — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:10:06 +0000

Jon, agree about the diminishing returns. I thought the first was good, but by the middle of the second one the contained fictional universe of the first (which was partly why I liked it — Swedish Agatha Christie) had expanded into this weird 70′s conspiracy movie silliness. The 2nd one for me was like a Die Hard sequel, everything amped up a bit more, a little more off the rails, where you start to laugh at it much more than with it, but still guiltily entertaining. The 3rd one was basically unreadable for me, ended up flipping through large sections that basically rehashed the plot from the other two and dragged on and on. I think movies are the right reference point to explain their popularity, Hollywood doesn’t often make exciting, violent, trashy/kinky thrillers like this anymore that tell a story competently and approach the subject with a fresh angle. The awkward Swedish diction and choice of details are curveballs that play into its appeal — I thought the Nora Epheron satire piece in the New Yorker captured this brilliantly. TV shows have substituted for this kind of narrative, but I think often require too much investment, so it makes sense that a novel can create zeitgeist in a way that seems totally random. Also, marketing.

By: Jon DeRosa

Jon DeRosa — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:57:09 +0000

I did read these, but each book was worse than the previous one and the starting off point wasn’t that high. By the time I finished the third one, my overall opinion of the series was negative. If I had stopped after the first one, I’d have been positive.

By: Matt Blankman

Matt Blankman — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:50:00 +0000

The NY Times Sunday Magazine ran a very similar story about a year ago, if I remember correctly.

By: ms october

ms october — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:31:12 +0000

yeah very much – the role of his partner; authorship; the editing/translation issues; some of the subject matters and how he was drawn to it…

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:28:01 +0000

4) I know, interesting case all around, isn’t it?

By: ms october

ms october — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:58:39 +0000

i haven’t read them either.

i did find this article in the new yorker really interesting though.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:52:40 +0000

It’s interesting how a writer can write flat, unappealing prose but still be great at character and plot, or vice versa.

By: boslaw

boslaw — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:52:20 +0000

I loved them. There are times when the books plod along – the author goes off on major tangents about the Swedish political system and devotes far too many pages to that – but if you can get through that, the stories themselves are pretty good. Sex, violence, mystery, action, etc. – these books have it all, rolled into a tiny, weird anti-heroine. I’m sure the movies will be good. I watched a few of the Swedish versions and they were ok, but I felt they could have been done better.

By: Matt Blankman

Matt Blankman — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:51:40 +0000

I read and enjoyed them. The first book takes the longest to get going, but I think its ultimately the most satisfying of the three. They’re a bit awkward and goofy at times, but definite page-turners, and Larsson definitely created a truly memorable character in Salander. She makes the books interesting. Otherwise, there are better potboilers out there to read.