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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
I was not expecting this book to be funny, let alone hilarious. Mattie Ross... She's a pistol. Her straightforward, no nonsense narration elicited more than a few laughs.
The plot is incredibly simple: she wants to avenge her father's murder. What sets this book apart is the feeling that I'm sitting in Mattie's parlor with her while she tells me about that crazy time she chased after her father's murderer with an old Marshal and a dandy of a Texas Ranger.
Mattie is one of the most clearly drawn characters I have read. She is precisely herself at all times. Her willingness to sic her lawyer on people and unwillingness to entertain the opinions of others painted a very clear picture of the humourless, serious, rigid, and certain she's in the right girl that keeps up with all the leathery old lawmen and lawbreakers.
She is also very much a product of her time, a few years after the end of the Civil War, which is very clearly related, unflinchingly, by the author, happily without the use of intentionally hateful language, though with the use of terms that were accurate to the time the story takes place. The Western genre can be problematic when it glorifies the darker aspects of early expansion and Manifest Destiny and the impact that had on indigenous populations. I may have had many 'oof' moments at some of Mattie's opinions, but they did not feel out of place, or like the author was trying to justify them.
Overall a fantastic read.
The plot is incredibly simple: she wants to avenge her father's murder. What sets this book apart is the feeling that I'm sitting in Mattie's parlor with her while she tells me about that crazy time she chased after her father's murderer with an old Marshal and a dandy of a Texas Ranger.
Mattie is one of the most clearly drawn characters I have read. She is precisely herself at all times. Her willingness to sic her lawyer on people and unwillingness to entertain the opinions of others painted a very clear picture of the humourless, serious, rigid, and certain she's in the right girl that keeps up with all the leathery old lawmen and lawbreakers.
She is also very much a product of her time, a few years after the end of the Civil War, which is very clearly related, unflinchingly, by the author, happily without the use of intentionally hateful language, though with the use of terms that were accurate to the time the story takes place. The Western genre can be problematic when it glorifies the darker aspects of early expansion and Manifest Destiny and the impact that had on indigenous populations. I may have had many 'oof' moments at some of Mattie's opinions, but they did not feel out of place, or like the author was trying to justify them.
Overall a fantastic read.
Okay i think i just need to accept that i dont like westerns
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fun. Thats honestly the best most simple word for it. Fun from start to finish loved it
Several months ago, I read a book called Vengeance Road (I forgot the name of the author). Goodreads reviewers would tell you that it is a spiritual cousin of True Grit. In some ways, and a big asterisk on 'some', it is. Both Vengeance Road and True Grit feature a young, female protagonist in a Western setting, and both of them recruit a bunch of people to avenger their fathers. As far as similarities go, though, this is where it ends. Vengeance Road eventually turns into a amateurish romance set in the Wild Wild West, with a few gun fights in between. True Grit, on the other hand, is a classic that will continue to set itself apart in the genre.
What I love about True Grit is that it doesn't overstay its welcome. At around 200 pages, True Grit doesn't feel overly long at all, and tells a solid, concise story that doesn't drag its boots around. The characters are alive and vibrant, and you really come to root for all of them. It is also rare, may I point out, to have a strong, female protagonist around the time when this book was read. Mattie Smith uses her smarts to outwit the bandits, but she is not without her weaknesses — this, thus, makes her more real and relatable. Many films and books these days make female protagonists strong for the sake of having a strong female protagonist. Sometimes, this comes across as trying-too-hard-to-please. That is not the case here. Mattie is strong in believable ways, and weaker in believable ways also. While she can talk her way out of most situations, she is not the best person with a gun. This makes Rooster Cogburn stand out as a memorable character.
Within a short span of time, you come to care for Cogburn as a character. He is not your typical Western hero, and he certainly has a past he isn't proud of. But beneath all of that tough talk and whiskey is a man with, as Mattie says, true grit.
If True Grit was twice its length, I may have to drop a start or two. However, its length lends itself perfectly to the story. I don't think this book is a runaway page turner by any means. You have read these characters and situations before — a siege in a snowy cabin, a gunfight on horses, etc. However, author Charles Portis has probably done a better job than most in this genre, and that says a lot about this little gem of a book.
What I love about True Grit is that it doesn't overstay its welcome. At around 200 pages, True Grit doesn't feel overly long at all, and tells a solid, concise story that doesn't drag its boots around. The characters are alive and vibrant, and you really come to root for all of them. It is also rare, may I point out, to have a strong, female protagonist around the time when this book was read. Mattie Smith uses her smarts to outwit the bandits, but she is not without her weaknesses — this, thus, makes her more real and relatable. Many films and books these days make female protagonists strong for the sake of having a strong female protagonist. Sometimes, this comes across as trying-too-hard-to-please. That is not the case here. Mattie is strong in believable ways, and weaker in believable ways also. While she can talk her way out of most situations, she is not the best person with a gun. This makes Rooster Cogburn stand out as a memorable character.
Within a short span of time, you come to care for Cogburn as a character. He is not your typical Western hero, and he certainly has a past he isn't proud of. But beneath all of that tough talk and whiskey is a man with, as Mattie says, true grit.
If True Grit was twice its length, I may have to drop a start or two. However, its length lends itself perfectly to the story. I don't think this book is a runaway page turner by any means. You have read these characters and situations before — a siege in a snowy cabin, a gunfight on horses, etc. However, author Charles Portis has probably done a better job than most in this genre, and that says a lot about this little gem of a book.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Audio version is excellent.
Loved this book! I never thought I would love a "Western" or find a strong heroine in a young girl in that same Western, especially one that was written by a man in the 1960s, but this is it! Will read this one again and keep it on my bookshelf! How wonderful that the recent movie was so true to the book.
This was a good, fun read. Perfect travel book. More like 3.5, but I'll round up for the official rating. It was still pulpy though, and not Huck Finn level classic material as the back sleeve quote claims.