The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

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• Mikael Blomkvist: (aka Kalle, a nickname which Blomkvist dislikes) Journalist, one of the three initial owners of the Millennium magazine. An investigative business reporter who exposes corruption and fraud in Swedish business until he is found guilty of libeling Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. This precipitates his decision to leave journalism and work for Henrik Vanger on the disappearance of his neice.
• Lisbeth Salander: Researcher who carries out security checks for Milton Security and who later becomes the assistant to Mikael Blomkvist. A complex character who possibly has Aspergers syndrome. Considered intellectually impaired by the Swedish state.
• Henrik Vanger: Retired Swedish industrialist and patriarch of the Vanger family. His obsession with the mystery of his niece's disappearance thirty-six years earlier sets off the main action of the novel.
• Harriet Vanger: Great-niece of Henrik. She vanished 36 years ago, and her disappearance and the puzzle of how and why this happened is the core of the novel.
• Martin Vanger: Brother of Harriet and at the time of the novel President of the Vanger Corporation.
• Erika Berger: Editor of the Millennium magazine, married and good friend and part time lover of Mikael Blomkvist; sometimes referred to by Blomkvist as "Ricky".
• Nils Bjurman: Lisbeth's second court-appointed legal guardian. Stern, sexually and violently abusive; uncompromising.
• Dirch Frode: Henrik Vanger's lawyer and confidante.
• Cecilia Vanger: Cousin of Harriet Vanger. Headmistress of local school. Daughter of Harald Vanger and sister of Anita. Part time lover of Blomkvist.
• Dragan Armansky: Lisbeth Salander's kind boss. Manages Milton, a major private security firm.
• Morell: Retired Detective Superintendent of Stockholm. The disappearance of Harriet Vanger troubles and displeases him after 30 years.
• Gottfried Vanger: Nephew of Henrik Vanger, and former executive of the Vanger Corporations. Father of Harriet and Marti Vanger before he drowned, a year before Harriet disappeared but his actions cast a long shadow over the events which followed.
• Harald Vanger: Barely appears in the novel. The very elderly brother of Henrik Vanger and father of Cecilia and Anita. A Nazi ghost from Sweden's past that most would like to believe never existed.
• Hans-Erik Wennerström: A powerful industrialist, who now has a personal vendetta against Mikael Blomkvist following Blomkvist's articles exposing shortcomings in his business dealings..
• Isabella Vanger: The self-centered mother of Harriet and Martin Vanger. She opposes Blomkvist's presence in Hedeby.
• Birger Vanger: Another member of the Vanger family. His growing opposition to Blomkvist makes him a suspect in Harriet's disappearance.
• Christer Malm: The art director and partner in Millennium magazine.
• Janne Dahlman: Employee at Millennium magazine. Has a significant role in the feud with Wennerström.
• Anita Vanger: Sister of Cecilia Vanger and friend of the youthful Harriet. Has lived most of her life in London.
• Holger Palmgren: Lisbeth's avuncular court-appointed legal guardian and mentor. Instrumental in Salander gaining a job with Milton.
• Otto Falk: Lutheran pastor of Hedeby, last person known to have seen Harriet Vanger before she disappeared.
• Gunnar Nilsson: "The caretaker" of Vanger estate buildings, friend of Harriet Vanger, possible childhood romance, closely scrutinized over Harriet Vanger's disappearance, alibi.
• Jeff: The Australian stockman.
• William Borg: Was a financial section cub reporter with Bomkvist.
• Plague: May also be known as Svensson. Genius, computer nerd, 6'2", 330 lbs, hygiene-challenged, social incompetant, lives alone. Works with Salander.
• Eugen Norman: Resident of Hedeby island, artist, "obligatory village eccentric".

Quotes edit see section history

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• “Mikael Blomkvist: What has happened to you? How did you turn out this way? You know everything about me. I don't know shit about you. Not a damn thing. Lisbeth Salander: That's the way it is.”

  Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander

• “"Sex has nothing to do with friendship. Sure friends can have sex, but if I had to choose between sex and friendship when it comes to you, there's no doubt which I would pick."”

  Mikael Blomkvist

• “Keep it in mind that I'm crazy, won't you.”

  Lisbeth Salander

• “What she had realized was that love was that moment when your heart was about to burst.”

  Lisbeth Salander

• “Every family had a few skeletons in their cupboards, but the Vanger family had an entire gallimaufry of them.”

  Mikael Blomkvist

• “Yes," Blomkvist said without hesitation, "Martin was dafter than a syphilitic polecat--where do I get these metaphors from?”

  Mikael Blomkvist

• “Then I discovered that being related is no guarantee of love!”

  Henrik Vanger

• “Normally seven minutes of another person's company was enough to give her a headache so she set things up to live as a recluse. She was perfectly content as long as people left her in peace. Unfortunately society was not very smart or understanding.”

  Description of Lisbeth Salander

• “Cortez looked like someone newly in love, the way only twenty-four-year-olds can look.”

• “In the evening he went to the cinema to see "The Lord of the Rings", which he had never before had time to see. He thought that orcs, unlike human beings, were simple and uncomplicated creatures.”

  Mikael Blomkvist

• “The media have the ability to attract the craziest people to call in perfectly absurd tips. Every newsroom in the world gets updates from UFOlogists, graphologists, scientologists, paranoiacs, and every sort of conspiracy theorist.”

• “I've had many enemies over the years. If there is one thing I've learned, it's never engage in a fight you're sure to lose. On the other hand, never let anyone who has insulted you get away with it. Bide you're time and strike back when you're in a position of strength - even if you no longer need to strike back.”

• “Wennerström was devoting himself to fraud that was so extensive it was no longer merely criminal–it was business.”

• “Everyone has secrets. It's just a matter of finding out what they are.”

  Lisbeth Salander

• “Kill them all and let God sort them out.”

  (print on Lisbeth Salander's t-shirt)

• “The truth was that she enjoyed digging into the lives of other people and exposing the secrets they were trying to hide.”

• “Friendship - my definition - is built on two things," he said. "Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don't have trust, the friendship will crumble.”

  Mikael Blomkvist

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Hedeby Island: The main setting of the novel where most critical events occur. Owned almost entirely by the Vanger family, many of whom choose to live here. It is also from here that Harriet Vanger disappears.
• Stockholm: Capital of Sweden and home of the main characters. Here Milennium magazine and Milton Security have their offices. Blomkvist owns a co-op apartment in the desirable neighbourhood of Bellmansgatan.
• Hedestad: The town in Northern Sweden which is the headquarters of the Vanger Corporation.
• Sandhamm: Village in Stocklom archipelago. Blomkvist has summer cabin, stuga, here.
• Susanne's Bridge Café: The cafe on Hedeby Island where Blomkvist spends much of his time.
• Ostergarden, Hedeby Island: Smallholding of Aronson family, not owned by Vanger clan. Family home to Gustav Aronsson, owned by his brother. Jerker Aronsson nephew of Gustav, same age as Harriet Vanger.
• Alice Springs, Australia: The Outback.
• Skellefteå: A city and the seat of Skellefteå Municipality in Västerbotten County, Sweden.
• Årsta: Enskede-Årsta was a so called borough (stadsdelsområde) in the southern part of Stockholm, Sweden from 1998 to 1 January 2007.

Organizations edit see section history

• Millenium Magazine: The magazine owned by Blomkvist and Berger.
• The Vanger Corporation: A larger Swedish industrial consortium, experiencing hard times at the time the events in the novel take place but once a large and prosperous concern.
• The Wennerstrom Group of companies: The business empire of Hans-Erik Wennerström. A network of interlinked companies suspected of criminal activity by Blomkvist.
• The Hedestad Courier: The local newspaper in Hedestad. Its back issues prove vital in solving the mystery of Harriet Vanger's disappearance.
• Milton Security: The large private security firm where Salander learns her trade and borrows the surveillance equipment she needs to carry out her schemes.
• National Criminal Police: Sweden's national police.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Gallimaufry: A jumble, hodgepodge. From the French "galimafrée" ragout, hash, of unknown origin (Collins English Dictionary).
• Enmity: A state of deep-seated ill-will (Dictionary). "Maybe it was a question of chemistry, but the foundation had been laid there for a lifelong enmity." p. 15
• Gaol: A correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government. Either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence. verb)—lock up or confine, in or as in a jail (Dictionary). "Journalist Mikael Blomkvist of the magazine Millennium was sentenced this morning to 90 days in goal for aggravated libel of industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerstrom." p. 16
• Painter: A line that is attached to the bow of a boat and used for tying up, as when docking or towing (Dictionary). "Blomkvist climbed up on the railing and held out a hand for the painter." p. 20
• Subvention: The act or process of providing aid or help of any sort (Dictionary). "In practice, however, it meant that Swedish companies would get state subventions for going in and establishing themselves as part owners in companies in Eastern European countries." p. 22
• Speculation: An investment that is very risky but could yield great profits (Dictionary). "'Are you telling me that Skanska doesn't do speculation? Wasn't it their managing director who was fired after he let some of his boys speculate away half a billion in quick stock turnovers?'" p. 23
• Indemnification: A sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury (Dictionary). "Here the state guarantees kicked in, and Wennerstrom was indemnified." p. 26
• Quintessence: The most typical example or representative of a type (Dictionary). "She did not just seem difficult -- in his eyes she was the quintessence of difficult." p. 39
• Anathema: A detested person. A formal ecclesiastical curse (Dictionary). "She made coffee, went to the post office, and took care of the copying, but conventional office hours or work routines were anathema to her." p. 39
• Vouchsafe: Grant in a condescending manner (Dictionary). "After four years she had still vouchsafed hardly a detail about her private life or her background to Armansky." p. 47
• Avuncular: Resembling a uncle in kindness or indulgence (Dictionary). "There was a brief, embarrassed silence before Frode finally turned to Salander and tried to repair the damage by assuming a friendly, avuncular tone." p. 49
• Equivicol: Open to two or more interpretations (Dictionary). "'You couldn't get more equivocal, could you?'" p. 72
• Proselytise: Convert to another faith or religion (Dictionary). "'In his free time he travelled around and did proselytising for Nazism.'" p. 89
• Indolent: Disinclined to work or exertion Dictionary). "'If Richard personified the family's dark, fanatical side, Gottfried embodied the indolent one.'" p. 89
• Intimation: An indirect suggestion (Dictionary). "At the end of the hearing, Palmgren intimated that compulsory institutionalisation was in all probability not only contrary to Parliament's decisions in similar situations, but in this particular case it might in addition be the subject of poiltical and media reprisals." p. 161
• Invective: Abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will (Dictionary). "But without warning, a long way into the woods, he began to berate her with humiliating invective and revolting remarks about her morals and sexual predilections." p. 256
• Salvo: An outburst resembling the discharge of firearms or the release of bombs (Dictionary). "'But I'll make it clear now that Millennium will not be sunk with the first salvo.'" p. 266
• Importunate: Expressing earnest entreaty (Dictionary). "Blomkvist did not want to be importunate, so he waited a week before he went to her house." p. 294
• Scurrilous: Expressing offensive reproach (Dictionary). "The reporter, Torsson, had cobbled together a scurrilous piece." p. 384
• Vitriolic: Harsh or corrosive in tone (Dictionary). "'For me, it's also important that you absolutely understand that I have nothing whatsoever to do with this vitriolic attack.'" p 386
• Capitulate: Surrender under agreed conditions (Dictionary). "'Very Well,' Martin said. 'Then I'll shoot you in the kneecap.' He took aim. Blomkvist capitulated. He had no choice."
• Advokat: A professional title in Sweden for someone who has passed the bar association and practiced law for 5 years.
• Konor: Krona-basic unit of money in Swedenplural form of krona1 Krona = 6.7-6.8 US dollars1 krona divides into 100 ore.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Violence Against Women: This is a major theme throughout the Millennium Trilogy.
• Feminism: This book explores a variety of types of women and situations common in the exploration and discussion of feminism.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by The Girl Who Played with Fire.

Preceded by Atonement, and followed by The Tipping Point.

Preceded by A Midsummer Night's Dream, and followed by American Gods.

Preceded by Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and followed by The Forgotten Garden.

Preceded by The Host, and followed by Lord of the Flies.

Preceded by The Fountainhead, and followed by The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Stieg Larsson (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. Reg Keeland (Translator) - Translated the novel into English.

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Anthony Award (Finalist, October 2009: First Novel)
• Glass Key Award (Best Crime Novel, Winner)
• Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (South Africa) (2008, Winner)
• Barry Award (2009: Best British Novel, winner)
• Galaxy British Book Award (2009: Crime Thriller of the Year)
• Amazon Best of the Month (September 2008)
• NPR's Top Crime and Mystery Novels (2008)
• Library Journal Best Book (2008)
• Duncan Lawrie International Daggar (Crime Writer's Association) (2008, shortlist)
• Anthony Award (October 2009: Best Cover Art)
• Macavity Awards (2009: Best First Mystery, #1)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PT9876.22.A6933 M3613
• Dewey: 839.738

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Very graphic and disturbing violence and sexual content, not recommended for the young reader.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Thrillers › Suspense
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Mystery › Series
• Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › Scandinavian

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Stieg Larsson
• Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Official website.
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Wikipedia Page

Movie Connections edit see section history

• Män som hatar kvinnor (2009) (IMDb): Swedish version with Subtitles
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2012) (IMDb): US Version

More Books Like This edit see section history

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history

Books Cited by This Book edit see section history