The Girl in the Spider's Web is a big disappointment

I put off reading The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz for a good long while. I was just so afraid it wouldn't live up to my expectations due to how much I loved the original three books in the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series by Steig Larsson, as well as the movies based on the books.

I am glad I finally read The Girl in the Spider's Web, but it absolutely was nowhere near as good as the original series. In fact, there were parts that I found to be just downright irrelevant and even, dare I say, stupid.

There were also several aspects to the story that simply weren't well developed and others that were so incongruous with the original series that they made it difficult to take much of the novel seriously.

Lisbeth Salander is one of my favorite literary characters, and Lagercrantz dropped some of the tight, focused aspects of her personality while adding in other details that didn't fit with the character all that well. I wondered how much of this was due to Lagercrantz's own spin on the series versus Larsson's original notes for the book versus a lack of attention to detail by Lagercrantz with regard to the original series.

My other issue with this book is the translation. Perhaps it was translated for a British audience? I don't know...there were numerous spots where the translation felt clunky and where terms that were particularly colloquial were used (for example "sticky plaster" instead of "Band-Aid" or "bandage").

In general, I found the discrepancies between this novel and the original series to be quite glaring and I do NOT recommend this book.

In fact, I found the differences to be so huge and the side stories or background details so odd that I actually want to go back through the original three books and this one so I can map out all of the details--every little one!--to see if my impressions of this book are accurate or if I'm forgetting details of the original series. So, you may see some related posts coming out soon!

Although there were a few sections of the book and story that I liked, overall it was a huge disappointment--so much so that I am NOT linking to Amazon's listing for the book in this post. Instead, check out the four suggested books below, all of which I LOVE and highly recommend:

Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines

Whoa!

That's what I have to say about Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines--Whoa!

I picked up this book due to a vague sense that the title was familiar and one I wanted to read. Well, it turns out that it wasn't actually the book I had in mind--that book is The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

A few notes about Girl on a Train...
First, it is a self-published title on Amazon Create Space. In the past, I've not been overly thrilled with self-published works, but this is the first time I've handled or read something published on Create Space. I was truly surprised. It looks and feels just like any other professionally published novel. In fact, I only realized it was self-published when I went to post about it on my personal Facebook page and on Instagram. In those posts, I generally include the publisher. I only realized Girl on a Train when I couldn't find the publisher information and finally looked it up online.

Second, although the quality of the book was excellent, there were a few formatting errors. I have no idea if they were due to a glitch or overlooked by the author before she published, or what, but they are there. Mostly it is paragraphs breaking in the middle of a sentence. Thankfully, there aren't too many of them.

Now on to the review...
Girl on a Train is a thriller set in England and it delivers! Waines has crafted a page turner with suspense and intrigue throughout. She also deftly develops her characters and relationships in a way that make them all feel real.

The book truly is about a girl on a train and the events that lead up to her death and how the murder is uncovered.

The story centers around Elly Swift, the girl on the train, and Anna Rothman. The two characters meet on a train and the intrigue begins! Ultimately, Elly is murdered, but due to the circumstances, the cause of death is listed as suicide. Anna doesn't buy it. Anna has her own experience with suicide and doesn't think Elly's behavior fits. Unfortunately, proving that Elly was murdered isn't so easy.

What's interesting, besides the intrigue and mystery, is that Waines has also built a novel around a woman who is rather lonely and who has suffered a major emotional trauma. As a result of that emotional trauma, she's cut herself off from all but a minimum of personal relationships. Over the course of the story, Anna builds new relationships and ends up with a multitude of friends and supporters.

In fact, I enjoyed the side story revolving around Anna and her relationships that I'd like to read more about her and her life!

This novel includes murder, two suicides that might not be suicides, attempted murder, a sociopath, finding new family and friends in unexpected places, and a couple of twists you just won't see coming.

I highly recommend this fresh, fast, exciting novel!

I found Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines at my local library, but because its' self-published via Amazon Create Space, you likely won't find it at your library. If that's the case, you can buy a copy of Girl on a Train, The Girl on the Train, and two other novels that looks really good or below.

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