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thisotherbookaccount 's review for:
True Grit
by Charles Portis
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.