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Post by bjd on Jan 28, 2010 20:04:09 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2010 20:14:05 GMT
I saw that the other two movies are going to be made because France Télévisions put up the money to co-produce.
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Post by traveler63 on Jan 28, 2010 20:36:15 GMT
Thanks, bjd.
i haven't read any of his books but since some of you have raved about them, I have reserved at the library the first one, and am anxious to see what it is about. I didn't know that they were published posthumously .
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2010 20:44:37 GMT
If you get a chance to see the first movie, "The Man Who Hated Women" is the English title of Millennium part 1 -- it is really excellent... and creepy.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2010 13:44:21 GMT
I have been watching the miniseries. Quite good, really.
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Post by Jazz on Apr 5, 2010 20:15:02 GMT
Very interesting, bjd. May I humbly say that I had never heard of Steig Larsson, the second best selling author in the world, after Khalid Hossein. After reading the article, I leapt to Shoppers' Drug Mart around midnight and bought 'The Girl Who Played With Fire'. I'm 200 pages into it and enjoying it very much. I realize that it is the second of the Millenium Trilogy and I skip over details that seem to refer to the first book. I was simply, 'in the mood', and will read the others.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2010 20:18:36 GMT
Apparently, book #4 is still in the computer and will appear after the family stops fighting. The outlines of 2 or 3 more books exist as well, but they would have to be written by somebody else.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 5, 2010 21:01:57 GMT
...I...bought 'The Girl Who Played With Fire'. I'm 200 pages into it and enjoying it very much. I realize that it is the second of the Millenium Trilogy and I skip over details that seem to refer to the first book. I was simply, 'in the mood', and will read the others. Wow, Jazz -- I would have thought that it would be way too confusing to read if you hadn't read the first one. The third one is so much of a continuation of the others that I think it would be impossible to read on its own. Other people I know who've read the trilogy have said the same thing. Here is what's been said so far in the What's Everyone Reading thread. You can see I feel passionately about reading the books together. I dropped everything to start on "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest", the third in the Stieg Larsson trilogy.
It's extremely satisfying except for the necessary spying exposition part at the beginning. That's really only my problem, as spy stuff makes me instantly glaze over. However, this book absolutely could not be read without having read at least the second one. It's my feeling that Larsson intended them to all be released at the same time in order to be read in essence as one book. Ha ha I have been at lunchtime to buy the second one - The Girl who Played with Fire.
I am really looking forward to my train journey home! I read about Steig Larsson on the internet. He said that Salander is based on his vision of a grown up Pippi Longstocking! I love Salander -- she has become one of my favorite characters in literature. I just started "The Girl Who Played with Fire" not realizing that this is the 2nd in the series. So far it is very good. Are these stand alone or should I read the first one before I get too engulfed in this one? Absolutely start with the first one. In fact, instead of a trilogy, the books should be thought of as one book in three volumes. However ........ I am trying to remember how things were presented in the first two books. I guess in the first book Mikael Blomkvist could really be considered more of the main character, whereas Lisbeth is more expounded upon in the second. I will be interested to see if you're eager to read the next book after finishing this one. After reading what Kerouac wrote above about a 4th book, I looked it up. Larsson had planned ten books for the Millennium series! www.stieglarsson.com/the-4th-book
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Post by Jazz on Apr 6, 2010 15:58:12 GMT
Trav63, if you haven't gotten too far into the second book, STOP! Feeling somehow guilty, I stopped at about page 170. I usually never begin in the middle of a trilogy, but it was late at night on a holiday weekend and I was curious. I read your post above, Bixa and went to buy the first book. You do need to read them in order, the first gives such an in depth image of the characters that live throughout the series and explains the many vague references in book two. Tonight I may finish book one.
Some trilogies can be read out of order, but not this one. In the Adamsberg series, by Fred Vargas, I think you need to read the first, The Chalk Circle Man, before any others. It gives you a complete 'feel' for each of the characters that continue in the other books.
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Post by bjd on Apr 6, 2010 16:48:15 GMT
Another set of detective stories where each book can stand on its own but reading them in order is preferable are the books by Elizabeth George. Her characters develop and evolve from book to book.
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Post by tillystar on Apr 6, 2010 16:54:44 GMT
10 books? ?? I LOVED the series and devoured them one after the other, barely stopping for breath. But even so, I think I was quite releived when I got to the end of number 3 that I had to stop. Maybe though the spark will reignite by the time they get around to putting out no. 4. I can't wait to see the film, it's just come out in cinemas here now.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 6, 2010 17:08:22 GMT
WHEW! Jazz, I was politely trying to find an excuse for reading book two first, but my heart wanted to shake some sense into you, then turn you around and push you out the door to go get book one. From what you've revealed of yourself as a reader, I could only imagine you gnashing your teeth in self-annoyance if you'd actually finished book two before embarking on the others.
Interesting point about Elizabeth George. I never disliked her books, but have only read a couple because I never got totally grabbed by them. After reading your comment, Bjd, I feel I need to give her another chance.
This is a whole genre of detective writing that really needs its own name -- all the series featuring a "deeper" set of characters whose personalities and relationships truly develop over the life of the series. Connelly's Harry Bosch & Mankell's Kurt Wallender instantly come to mind, and certainly Salander and Blomkvist have earned a place.
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Post by onlymark on Apr 6, 2010 18:17:37 GMT
I am absolutely sick of reading detective stories where the 'hero', be it male or female, is a tortured soul with relationship problems with their husband/wife/daughter (fill in the blank as applies), maybe drink problems, self confidence problems, work problems, problems, problems and yet more problems. I don't know if Larssons books are the same. It is not realistic (and I appreciate it is a fictional book anyway) but for gawds sake, there doesn't seem to be one 'detective' out there who hasn't got half a mind on his 'problems' and not on the job in hand.
I'm just not interested in his/her bloody problems. I'm interested in the crime and the solving (or not) of it, that's why I'm reading the flaming book. If I'm bothered about reading about their problems I'd read some wishy washy female orientated Men are from Mars, Bronte, Barbara Cartland type crap and cry when I empathise with their angst due to it relating to whatever I've experienced.
Give me bloody strength.
And, while I'm at it - dream sequences. Them whats in books. Usually with a picture on the cover. You know, where someone dreams about whatever then wakes up in a cold sweat or something. Boring. Totally boring.
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Post by bjd on Apr 6, 2010 18:23:54 GMT
All contemporary detectives have either relationship problems or drink problems. I think you should stick to Lord Peter Wimsey, Mark.
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Post by onlymark on Apr 6, 2010 18:26:57 GMT
Or Poirot et al.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 6, 2010 19:20:41 GMT
onlyMark, have you read Lee Child? He keeps his character's inner workings down to mere glimpses. I think that character -- Jack Reacher -- is intriguing and I'm always hoping to see more than hints. But until such time as Child ruins his books for you, the ones so far are great reads, with good thrills and suspense.
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Post by onlymark on Apr 6, 2010 21:02:27 GMT
I have read his regularly, thanks, and his 'hero' is a cut above the rest in that though he may well be tortured by his inner demons, he doesn't bore me with all the ins and outs of them. Good choice.
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Post by Jazz on Apr 20, 2010 20:28:13 GMT
What a great read this has been, thank you bjd. I read the first two of the Millenium trilogy back to back, then was horrified to find that the third was not available on amazon.ca or amazon.com until May! Then, I went to amazon.uk and found it, and it should be here tomorrow. I am so looking forward to this!
Lisbeth and Michael are two of the great suspense genre characters. Will a fourth come out? How will the others of the projected 10 be handled. God, I hope the estate settles the situation. Given that Larsson is dead, I have no idea how this will be dealt with, in terms of writing the final volumes.
The film 'The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo' came out in Toronto this past weekend with a 'buzz' that I have never, ever seen for a foreign film with subtitles. The reviews are great. I'll see what I think when I go, seldom does any film equal the greatness of a particular novel.
There is a series of novels that I never read, but absolutely loved the television series, Inspector Morse,by Colin Dexter, with John Thaw as Morse. I loved Morse. (god knows, he loved a drink)
Mark, you may be sick of reading about 'personal problems etc.' because you were once a policeman, I think? For me, it depends on the writer and how they handle this. I get tired of reading about Elizabeth George's Lynley/Helen/Deborah/her husband and how they interrelate, their history etc....I just skip it. I much prefer P.D. James, and Adam Dalgliesh. (of the Brits)
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 8:17:47 GMT
I have read several of the Inspector Morse books but never seen the tv series. Another police drinker that I enjoy is Rebus by Ian Rankin. I also like Elizabeth George, actually.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2010 20:27:35 GMT
Jeez... I just watched the final episode of "Millennium," the series based on the three books, and I think my fingernails scratched ridges in the floorboards. Nine hours of video in all, and the "end" is so unsatisfying -- that's how you know that so many more books were planned.
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Post by Jazz on May 3, 2010 17:11:37 GMT
I finished the third book a few days ago. It's hard to imagine, but as Bixa commented, the three really are one book. (a 2,200 page book!) The two week gap between 2 and 3 bothered me. I hated the wait. The showing of the film, The Girl With a Dragon Tatoo was so successful here in Toronto that I'm sure that we will finally get to see the series, which I didn't know existed....can't wait. Having finished the third book, I can now understand that this was all part of an extended series. Page after page, I anxiously awaited the introduction of Lisbeth's twin sister, Camilla....she didn't arrive!!! Can I tell you how curious I am about Camilla and how their relationship would develop!!! As someone once said in book 1---oh my god, 'there's another one of her!' Who knows, but I doubt that they are at all alike. Will we ever know? I also want to know about Lisbeth and Michael. I feel left on the edge...grrrrrr....
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2010 17:55:29 GMT
Although there are several world class (and American) directors who could do this properly, I am very worried about this item from CNN:
London, England (CNN) -- A Hollywood remake is in the works for Stieg Larsson's international best-selling book "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."
The Swedish-language adaptation of Larsson's book released earlier this year, "Man Som Hatar Kvinnor" ("Men Who Hate Women") was sleeper hit, grossing nearly $100 million in Europe, according to Variety.
Now producers are hoping a star-powered English-language adaptation can turn the already successful Swedish adaptations of the "Millennium" trilogy into a truly global phenomenon.
"The English-language films will be a more international story than the Swedish ones," said Mikael Walleen, Managing Director of Yellow Bird Pictures, the company producing the original Swedish adaptations.
Larsson's award-winning crime novels, epic tales of corporate trickery that span continents, were published after his death and quickly gained popularity and a huge readership across many countries.
"[The film is] big in major parts of Europe, but can be much bigger in Asia and Latin America, and all the parts of the world where the book hasn't been released." Walleen told CNN.
Larsson's crime-thriller series has sold an estimated 22 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 2005, publisher Random House said.
Walleen said Sony Pictures is currently in final negotiations for the rights to option the "Millennium" trilogy, starting with a film of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," and following up its sequels "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest."
"We will start from the books and try to make an English-language story based on the books, not based on our Swedish version of the film," said Walleen.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" follows the lives of characters Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced financial journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, a genius social misfit, as they work together to solve a creepy, cold case murder.
For the Swedish version, Yellow Bird chose a relatively unknown actress, Noomi Rapace, to play the female lead.
It's big in major parts of Europe, but can be much bigger in Asia and Latin America, and all the parts of the world where the book hasn't been released.
Rapace, who earned a European Movie Award nomination for the role, told CNN her sudden stardom is "complicated."
"Of course it's a good thing to be famous, so people know you and people maybe want to work with you, hopefully. But there's another side of it where everybody knows you, on the street and in stores and in the schools and so on," she said. "It has changed my life."
"She's quite special and quite young," said Walleen, describing Lisbeth. "It may be hard to cast an actress that's too famous in that role."
"If Sony invests a lot of money though, it's also quite probable that they will want to have a well-known actress," for the English version too, Walleen speculated.
Academy Award-winner Scott Rudin, who is behind several successful adaptations including "No Country for Old Men," helped broker the deal. Academy-award winning writer Steven Zaillian, who wrote "Schindler's List," is in talks to pen the screenplay.
The Swedish adaptations -- "Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl Who Played With Fire" have been released so far -- quickly became international hits in Europe.
Since "Men Who Hate Women" was released in the Nordic countries in February 2009 more than 7.4 million people have seen now seen it across Europe, according to Yellow Bird.
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Post by bjd on May 4, 2010 18:09:43 GMT
Does this mean Angelina Jolie will be playing Lisbeth Salander? Oh, I know -- Brad Pitt could play the journalist. That would be a novel idea.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2010 18:36:17 GMT
Those are the first names I thought of, too!
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Post by bixaorellana on May 21, 2010 14:53:23 GMT
Whew! The third volume of the Millenium series is finally going on sale in the US. I don't know who is going to buy it, as it seems Americans couldn't wait and have been reading the British edition, as I assume the Canadians did as well. At any rate, here is an eight-page article from the NYTimes about the writing of the books and the fate of the estate and manuscripts. I haven't read it yet, but am most curious. www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/magazine/23Larsson-t.html?pagewanted=1
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Post by bjd on May 29, 2010 11:33:58 GMT
There is a review of volume 3 in today's IHT. www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html It says volume 2 was a disappointment. I only read volume 1, so can't judge. Do any of you agree with the writer of the review?
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Post by bixaorellana on May 29, 2010 17:48:45 GMT
No, I don't agree with the review at all. Quickly looking through reader reviews on the Amazon pages about the three books, I see that some people wanted all the books to be exactly like the first one, whereas I think their great strength is how they change and grown from one to another.
I skimmed through the linked review, thinking how arch and bitchy it sounded, and when I got to the bottom of page one saw that it was written by a contributing editor for Vanity Fair. That certainly shows.
The writer of the review at least has the grace to warn readers that page two of his review contains spoilers. I second that. If you read and enjoyed the first volume of the trilogy, I truly think you will enjoy all three of the books.
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Post by joanne28 on May 31, 2010 18:36:08 GMT
I agree with you on that bitchy review - death by coffee, I mean, really!
I've read all 3 now and I liked each better than the last. I can easily see myself rereading all three in a row every year or two, sitting in my garden with a cold drink, feet up and feasting on the books.
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Post by bjd on Jul 23, 2010 7:35:13 GMT
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Post by Jazz on Jul 23, 2010 15:56:15 GMT
Thanks Bjd. Review of the reviews: I didn’t agree with the one above ('The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo was a serviceable but not terribly inspired introduction to the world of '...) and disliked and disagreed strongly with the review in #25. The writer herself is a hack. The 8 page article in #24 was the most interesting for me.
I finally saw the film, The girl With the Dragon Tatoo. It isn’t as good as the book, but I expected that and was wondering how they would translate it to the screen. But it was very good, although they had to pare down it so much to fit into 2 hours. This is usually the problem with a good, lengthy book. Lisbeth is as compelling on screen as in the book. This may seem like a contradiction, but I liked the minimalist approach and enjoyed being given a glimpse of Sweden, the countryside etc. Very entertaining film.
I shudder to think of the American remake where ‘the English language films will be a more international story than the Swedish ones’. Why?
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