The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye
Ratings63
Average rating3.4
Long mystery and thriller series are hard for me to stay invested in. At some point, it starts to feel like the same material is being recycled. The characters have already grown as much as they are going to, the plot becomes familiar, and the overall story starts to feel stale. For me, this book was the point where the series lost all of its momentum.
I know the characters are deep and nuanced from the earlier books, but that doesn’t come through here. They feel mostly one-dimensional. The journalism angle that added so much to the earlier novels is almost entirely absent. Lisbeth feels flat. Blomkvist’s personality barely comes through. There are also elements from Larsson’s original trilogy that seem to have been intentionally downplayed or ignored. One example is Berger’s relationship with Blomkvist. Her role had already been reduced in the previous book, but here it is virtually nonexistent until the final pages. Even then, her brief appearance seems to exist only to create conflict around her relationship with Blomkvist, potentially so it ends. That could have been fine if it were given proper attention, but instead, it is rushed and doesn’t quite fit with what we know about these characters.
In the earlier books, the first two-thirds were usually solid, but it was the final third where everything came to a head that really pulled me in. That section always made me want to keep turning pages, no matter the time or whatever else I needed to be doing. Unfortunately, that did not happen with this one. I found the story predictable, at times unbelievable, and ultimately not very engaging. Even the climax failed to hold my interest, missing the 'thrill' in thriller. Suffice to say I think this is the point I'll be stopping with this series
The book is a little “smaller” in scope than the previous books. A smaller story with smaller characters and smaller organizations. Yet all the ingredients are still there and they make for a quick, enjoyable read.
Maybe the characters are showing some “fatigue”. I'll definitely read the next book, but I'll keep my expectations in check.
This morning Matt and I were talking about the Millennium books. He has read the original trilogy, but not the first Lagercrantz yet. I told him that I was finding this book kind of disappointing (even though it is still objectively fine as a crime novel), for a number of reasons.
Me: “You know how like, every book starts with how their magazine has been disgraced, and Mikael Blomkvist has to do some crazy journalism work to bring reputability back to the publication, and then the next book it's back to having been disgraced and in need of saving again?”
Him: “Yep! All while sleeping with his editor on and off.”
Me: “Yes! Except that neither the magazine nor the editor is featured in this one. Like, AT ALL. And Lisbeth isn't even in it that much. Blomkvist has hardly slept with anyone! So it's just a regular crime novel.”
It feels like Lagercrantz is trying to take these books in a totally different direction.
I liked the story of Dan and Leo and the Registry, but I agree with Emma: how much longer are we going to mine Lisbeth's past for book fodder?
I get Benito as a foil for Lisbeth, but she was too much - I don't know what her deal is with that stupid knife, but it was mentioned enough times that it bordered on ridiculous. She was almost a caricature.
Another thing that bothered me: I don't remember the previous books having a feel of a definitive time and place; they almost felt like they could have been set at any point during the 21st century. This one definitely had a more current feel to it, like it was specifically intended to be set in the world when 45 is president, and I hated that. There was mention of “alternative facts” and “post-truth” society, and there was anti-Semitic language and an Islamic-extremist honor killing (and that whole side story was heavy in a this-is-reality-for-women-in-some-countries way, even though mostly these books have hinged on heaviness-due-to-conspiracy rather than heaviness-due-to-reality).
And like, I don't read these books for a commentary on the world or the current political system. I read them because Lisbeth is a badass and I like her, and I usually like all the stuff Blomkvist does while Lisbeth is busy hacking into things and giving every person she meets exactly what they deserve because to hell with it all. I mean, in book two she got shot multiple times and buried alive, and DUG HERSELF BACK OUT in order to kill her abusive crime-ring-leader father! This is still escapism, even if it's dark, gritty escapism. And in Eye for an Eye, I kept getting hauled back into reality.
Maybe it's just time to move on from these. 2.5 stars.
El peor de la saga, y por mucho. La historia es plana, poco interesante, no revela nada sobre los personajes centrales, y se centra completamente en una sub trama de personajes desconocidos y que no tienen el carisma ni generan el interés suficiente para despertar al lector. Olvidable.
I enjoyed this book but really wanted more from the main characters and a stronger, more complex and well developed story. Recommend for lovers of this series primarily for nostalgia purposes.