Then there is crusading journalist and ladies' man Mikael Blomkvist, who is likely a thinly veiled stand in for Stieg himself, but no matter how many women he beds I found something sympathetic about Blomkvist. I didn't exactly get Blomkvist's new relationship this time around, but overall I found him a sympathetic character. Probably because he at least tries to do the right thing and mostly because he was loyal to Lisbeth Salander throughout the books.
Some have also said that The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, the supposed last in the Millennium trilogy, was kind of slow. And it did seem to plod along in places. I think one of the main reasons was lack of Salander. For the majority of the book Lisbeth is out of commission and the plot stalled in some parts because of it. As soon as Mikael smuggles Lisbeth's Palm into the hospital its like the entire story got a second wind. Lisbeth Salander is one of those raw, unlikely heroines that you can't help but root for and she and her schemes are something I wish there were more of.
Which I guess is why, ultimately, I enjoyed this book. Like the previous two I found myself eagerly turning pages. True, there wasn't as much mystery this time around but I was invested in Lisbeth and needed to know that end turned out okay for her. I also respect the author's attempt to shed light on a common problem -- the violence perpetrated against women, mostly by men. Sure there were some unnecessary subplots (like the whole Erica-SMP thing), but I won't go into specifics so as not to give anything away for those who haven't read it yet. I will say that I think the ending was...appropriate. Now I can't wait to watch the Swedish movie version of the novel. Have you read this book? What did you think?
