While I've been a big fan of several of the adaptations of Hornby's work over the years, I have to admit that I've not actually enjoyed most of the stuff I've read that he's written. This was another book that underwhelmed me based on the hype for it.
I've always been a bit of a comedy fan, and I grew up watching VHS tapes of Martin's early movies, so it was a foregone conclusion that I was probably going to enjoy this book. That being said, I was amazed at how riveted I found myself by the anecdotes and the writing in general. I highly recommend this book.
It took me a long time to return to the Harry Hole series after reading The Bat. Why? I honestly couldn't tell you because I enjoyed that first book quite a bit. Not shockingly, I also enjoyed the 2nd book too. I mean, we are talking about a supremely flawed protagonist, a truly disturbing run of crimes, and some good social commentary. What is there not to like?
I resisted picking this book up for a long time. However, I eventually decided that I was just being stubborn and that I would give it a whirl to see what everybody was talking about. Boy, am I glad I did. Larsson has written two of my favorite characters of recent years in this book in Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. I love them not because they are flawless but because they are so brutally flawed that you have to love them in spite of that. A fantastic book that I would recommend to most folks, though the violence can be both triggering and off putting to some.
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