Review: "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson

Finally. It's only been about 2 1/2 years, but finally! I have read and finished all three of Stieg Larsson's books. 

Let me start by stating that I am not wowed or overwhelmed with gratification. The books took on a life of their own, and I am glad to be done with them. 

Now with that stated, lest you think I only read them because everyone else had. 

...ok, maybe the first one. It took a while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. After,

I couldn't wait to pick up The Girl who Played with Fire, if for nothing else but to see if Lisbeth Salander survived. That book left me cliffhanging too. But stubborn as I am, I withheld reading The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest until it came out on paperback. I like to experience series books in all the same manner. 

Finally this Spring it came out in mass market paperback, and I preordered it. 

It, like the first, took a bit to get into. This made it easy to pick up and put down again. The first two books I read during the summer season when I could sit all day on the beach devoting 6-8 hours at time to the pages of scandal. I did not have the luxury with the last one. I needed uninterrupted, disciplined time to dive into the Hornet's nest. 

Recently, I took some days off of work with no plans - and now I've finished the book. I held episodes of "The Commish" as collateral against the end of the pages. It worked. 

But as I mentioned earlier, finishing this book, though a feat, was not as gratifying as I wanted it to be. Complete? Yes. Ready to reread? No. 

I wanted a spectacular ending. One of those endings that make you want to reexamine every word leading up to the final punctuation. One of those endings that when you finish the book, a sigh is released and the book held close for a moment. 

Instead, I got the fairy-tale ending I dimly saw coming 3/4 of the way through. I kept reading hoping for something more and it didn't happen. 

I got bored with Salander and Larsson. 

It happened during the trial. Giannini began attacking the system that so many had been blinded to and it was clear. As sensationalized the actions and consequences of the characters and plot became, the underlying theme bared itself. Salander's lawyer twisted the State prosecution's words, asked questions, and reveled their assumptions. 

It was clear how easy it and exaggerated things can become. More so, it made me wonder how often we are held to others' assumptions and never asked questions, but rather brought to trials in their minds that they've already won. Or worse, we act as the state, not asking questions of our sources, taking and assuming only what we are told or see without digging deeper. How many Lisbeth Salanders are out there because we don't look for ourselves?