Circumstances sometimes link things forever in my mind, like the time many years ago that I caught a double feature at my local movie house. I had come expecting nothing of the movies of which I had never heard, “Play Misty for Me” and “Sometimes a Great Notion.” But now, they are among my all time favorites, and, although very different, I can’t think about one without thinking of the other.
The same goes for The Marrowbone Marble Company by Glenn Taylor and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. These novels have nothing in common, but that they were downloaded from the library’s digital download site and resided on my e-book reader at the same time for awhile. Oh, yes… And that I enjoyed both immensely.
Marrowbone is the second novel of a writer with strong roots in West Virginia. It is the saga of a man and his family from WWII through the civil rights movement in the south in the sixties. The plot involves a righteous man who sometimes does some less than righteous, even violent, things in order to achieve a just result. Along the way, the reader is eased into a communal existence while hardly realizing it. Written in a straightforward way, it manages to weave a lesson in the glass blowing business with the turbulent history of the times. Having not heard of the book or the author before, this novel was a pleasant surprise. Although I was a bit troubled by “the end justifies the means” message, the plot saved this one for me.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is part of a trilogy by a Swedish writer who died shortly after completing the works. All three books have become immensely popular as are the movies that have been made of two of them. With some trepidation, I felt compelled to read this book just because of its notoriety. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like it. I was even more dubious, because I don’t generally like to read books in translation. However, I found myself hooked from the very first paragraph.
A mystery within a mystery within a mystery, the plot is exceeded in complexity only by the nature of its characters. This is one of those books you just can’t put down. Initially, there are three seemingly separate events involving three different characters. You know they are going to have to come together somehow; you just hope it isn’t going to take too long. It doesn’t.
The main character, tough-as-nails Lisbeth Salander, is a brilliant but unlikely modern day sleuth, who has survived a tragic youth and is subjected to unspeakable violence that does not deter her in her investigations. I suppose that last is a bit of a warning for those readers who are put off by passages involving sexual violence. This book might not be for you. As for me, I have Larsson’s other two books, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest and The Girl Who Played with Fire, on hold at the digital download site.
Editor's note: The movie made from The Girl Who Played with Fire will be playing at the Little Art starting Friday through Thursday, Sept. 9.
Reader reviews of materials available at or through the Yellow Springs Library are encouraged and appreciated.
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1 comment:
The Steig Larsson novels are not to be missed; I think these will be on lists of best books for a long time. Well-crafted, they somewhat defy definition. The first one starts slowly, but be patient; you won't want to put it down. These are the kinds of books that no one gives up; we've only had 2 copies come into Dark Star used in the time they've been out even though they've sold tons...
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