The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest – Stieg Larsson

STOP AND LOOK AWAY NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE OTHERS!

Well, I read this just to round things off, and because I’d like to see the final film. I think this trilogy falls into that rare category of books that actually work better as films. Mostly because the films do benefit from the editing. Blimey, that Larsson can go on. And on. And on. In pages of dialogue. And also because the dialogue reads pretty clunky in places.

Ok, good things. I liked having more of Erika, even though her story line was a little bit beside the point, and is more or less designed to ram home AGAIN Larsson’s overall point about the degree of misogyny in Sweden. I also liked the courtroom scenes – very gripping and well played out. Very much looking forward to seeing that on film. The series was nicely tied up without feeling too neat.

Bad things: not enough of Lisbeth. Not so much kicking the hornets nest as laying about, brooding. It took a REALLY long time to get going, and the characters weren’t reintroduced so it was hard to know who was who. Oh and of COURSE yet again the middle aged journalist gets to sleep with the attractive woman, regardless of cliche or wish-fulfillment.

I’ve studied a lot of social policy; where Scandinavia in general and Sweden in particular, is held up as some kind of gender equality paradise; with women running the show and having years of maternity leave and generally being much happier than the horrible Anglo-American world. I’m sure that’s not the case, but I’m equally sure that this alternative view that Larsson paints, where violent loathing of women is more or less the norm, must be exaggerated.

So what is the truth? This calls for a holiday to find out. Or maybe a book.

Thrillers aren’t really my thing, but they are entertaining once in a while, and this series deserves it’s success. I’m not loving the idea of Daniel Craig as Blomkvist though.