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A review by odin45mp
True Grit by Charles Portis
4.0
I have never been one for Westerns. I prefer to look to fantastical worlds and creatures, or out to our future. I don't like looking back to a period of American history where the Individual, and his rugged determination and indomitible will was what defined success. As we pushed Native Americans out of their homes and exploited the Chinese, Native Americans, and African-Americans alike as we pushed out towards the Pacific to claim our "Manifest Destiny". And in the small towns, there is little if any law, and thus it falls on a man's man to enforce it.
With that in mind, I enjoyed reading True Grit. We follow a young girl, Mattie, who wants legally sanctioned revenge against her father's killer. She is determined to see this through herself - so I have a non-male protagonist and perspective. We have a whiskey-soaked U.S. marshall and a Texas ranger who reluctantly take her along as they pursue the killer out onto the frontier. The writing is sparse and economical. Each word has weight to it. There is little description. The dialogue doesn't convey as much as I want, but it conveys what it needs to and defines the characters through it. The adventure takes a largely predictable journey, but this is escapism. It is fun to pick up and lose yourself in for a few hours. If you are curious about the Western genre, this is a great place to start.
With that in mind, I enjoyed reading True Grit. We follow a young girl, Mattie, who wants legally sanctioned revenge against her father's killer. She is determined to see this through herself - so I have a non-male protagonist and perspective. We have a whiskey-soaked U.S. marshall and a Texas ranger who reluctantly take her along as they pursue the killer out onto the frontier. The writing is sparse and economical. Each word has weight to it. There is little description. The dialogue doesn't convey as much as I want, but it conveys what it needs to and defines the characters through it. The adventure takes a largely predictable journey, but this is escapism. It is fun to pick up and lose yourself in for a few hours. If you are curious about the Western genre, this is a great place to start.