I have read this novel in Swedish only, so I don't know how this comes through in the English. My American friends don't seem to have noticed the Pippi connection. Stieg Larsson has discussed this in the Swedish press--his portrayal of Lisbeth Salander was based on the idea, what if Pippi Longstockings lived in today's Sweden? Look for this additional layer, I think the author had a lot of fun with this idea.