Well, as day dawns, I've just finished book 3.
The final chapters certainly filled me with a sense of unfolding triumph and satisfaction as justice was methodically and meticulously delivered. All of those earlier chapters of wallowing planning and preparation paid off and tied the story into an excellent and, for the most part, deeply satisfying tale.
A very complex, active mind concocted this trilogy, and I admire his skill.
The romantic in me (yes, apparently there is one there somewhere) couldn't help but feel a twang of annoyance at Lizbeth's refusal to deal with her feelings for Blomkvist once and for all. It hung in the air as the unanswered question and the unresolved plotline throughout the whole series, and even the very ending, which apparently constituted resolution of this issue, left more questions than it answered. Then again, it perhaps couldn't have been any other way without doing gross Hollywood injustice to Lizbeth's character, and so while I confess to some mild disappointment, I expect my irritation would have been greater if the author had sold her out in this way in search of the happy romance-seeking audience.
In terms of Lizbeth's character, I thought that its careful mastery was one of the true gems from the series. I accept that part of my appreciation for her comes from a little too much identification, but I did think he created and maintained her in a very true manner throughout the series. Personally, it was the scene with her lawyer dropping her home after the trial that stuck with me as the saddest, yet the most symbolically accurate summation of her character.
The finale with the nail gun exceeded all expectations.
I thought Berger was irrelevant by book 3 and I kept waiting in vain for there to be some greater significance to her subplot.
The dismantling of the psychiatrist in the courtroom was pure gold and psychological dismemberment. Very, very satisfying, and cathardic, given my feelings towards the profession...
All in all, an excellent, enthralling, intellectually stimulating series I would thoroughly recommend to anyone who likes something they can really get their teeth into.
On a more personal note, it's been a long, long time since I read a book, a long time since I've been able to dedicate myself to a task that used to be 2nd nature to me. I'd even had these books quite literally for months before I could bring myself to get started.
But I found real pleasure, escape and reward in emersing myself in this story, and it has actually kept me trucking through some very very dark days and nights in the past couple of weeks. Part of me is sad and scared at its having ended for that reason, though thankfully I have the Hunger Games to kick off with now.
Glad I did finally mobilise myself to action on the bookclub, and I hope to keep pace with it a little better in the future.
Maddog
