- This was the February selection for my book club.
- A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer
Summary from GoodReads:
Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch – and there’s always a catch – is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson’s novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don’t want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.
My Review:
If this book hadn’t been the choice for my book club this month, I don’t think I would have read it again. I’m really torn on it – I mean, it’s so incredibly popular, every time I mention I am a voracious reader to someone I meet in person this book is in the top two I’m always asked about.
It’s a brilliant story, I’m not going to deny that. I was struck again by the way the final half of the book is woven together – and especially the last 10% or so. It’s incredible writing. However, you know there’s a but in there.
For me, a person very un-schooled in the politics, economics and world of the press, the first half of the book drags so much I feel as if I am forcing it down. What made it even worse this second time through the book was that I knew that a roller-coaster was on the horizon.. but this time I knew where the ups and downs were going to be so it wasn’t as fun as the first time. It was a mixed blessing/curse though.. because while I was bored spit-less during my first reading of that first half, this time I was able to understand it a bit better (although I was still bored) and I knew it would pay off eventually.
Another thing people ask me about is if I’ve seen the movie – and no, I haven’t. The violence in this book is so graphic and, well, it’s translated name is Men who Hate Women for a reason. I think that Salander is a brilliantly written, fantastic female character but I found many of the scenarios she’s placed in to be highly disturbing (well, who wouldn’t?) and a bit of a trigger for my own history. There’s just no way I can see that put on the screen.
My book club has been torn on whether we wanted to read this book (we had at least one member very opposed to it) and it will be interesting to see the comments made at our meeting. I can definitely understand it’s appeal as a book club selection – it’s going to make for some heavy conversation to be sure.
Check out these review(s):
