Comments (40)

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Sep 16, 2023OIPgayle rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I loved Dog of the South so decided to read the book that made Portis famous. Having seen movie versions of the story many times, it was not such a visceral experience as I imagine it would have been otherwise. But still a solid with a…
Aug 31, 2023kmcartcart rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Mattie Ross is one of the best-written narrators that I have ever encountered. This book is concise and insightful in addition to being a fun read. Strong recommend.
Apr 27, 2023JCLLizW rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Being a 14-year-old girl in the lawless American West does not stop Mattie from pursuing her father's murderer into the Indian Territory with only a drunkard of a US marshal by her side. They are joined by a smug Texas Ranger who has been…
Mar 31, 2023haesel_eyes rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Cogburn was not a good guy. However, he protected Mattie when she needed it and saved her life.
Feb 27, 2023Griffeth rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
If you’re only familiar with True Grit from the movies (the 2010 Coen brothers offering or the John Wayne classic, pil-grim), you owe it to yourself to pick up the book. From the very first paragraph, this novel’s unique voice takes…
Feb 01, 2023ADragonInTheLibrary rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Pretty cool story with memorable characters, and a troubling perspective. You can very much tell who the biggest audience for this book is. But, in historical context, it IS very accurate.
Sep 18, 2022Tony_Jeffers rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Over all this a great book for girl's empowerment but the descriptions of the cruelty Rooster inflicts on Little Blackie to make him keep going to get rattlesnake bit Mattie to a doctor were just way too graphic. I would not want my…
Mar 30, 20224536o rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Always wondered how closely the Coens' 2010 movie followed the book. Two conclusions: (1) very closely with respect to the pace and narrative; and (2) most all of the quirky, wonderful casting-characterizations and colorful grammar draws…
Mar 10, 2022dhallfors rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Absolutely wonderful book. Could not put it down. I loved the characters. A great depiction of the wild west after the civil war.
Apr 16, 2021IndyPL_RyanL rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
True Grit by Charles Portis is one of the best works of American literature ever written. It's up there with the best works of Mark Twain, Flannery O'Connor, and many other authors I adore. It's a straightforward story about a very…
Apr 10, 2021erri_cc rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
True Grit is a book filled with suspense and tons of action. The plot is pretty straightforward and there aren't too much twists, which can be a good or bad thing. For me personally, it was very straightforward, which kept everything very…
Oct 26, 2020Shuken_1989 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
"True Grit" by Charles Portis is a superb fictional treatment of the Old West, set in the state of Arkansas and the Indian Territory (later the state of Oklahoma) during the administration of President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881). The…
Aug 12, 2020ChickenMetropolis rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
True Grit is about a girl named Mattie Ross, who is surprisingly young, considering the circumstances. She is on a mission: to avenge her father's death at the hands of a particular Tom Chaney. With a federal marshal named Rooster Cogburn…
Dec 14, 2019AnnabelleLee27 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Portis' most famous novel set in the old west and featuring a strong, perceptive, and straight-talking young heroine named Mattie Ross. The dialogue is told in the vernacular of the time and the comedic timing is pitch perfect while a…
Jan 09, 2019
Mattie's adventures have made for great book club discussions. This classic is filled with energy, dry humor, and a healthy dose of sass. If you are interested in trying out a Western, I'd start with this one as well as a contemporary…
Oct 16, 2018Laura_X rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Don't like "westerns"? You're missing out! Young Mattie hires a cowboy with "true grit" to help her avenge her father... but no one has as much grit as our young heroine. Fantastic story!
Sep 01, 2018DBRL_KrisA rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Unlike the usual, books-to-movies question of "Is the book better than the movie?" I kept getting asked "Which movie is better", as if the book didn't even deserve a seat at the table. For the record, the book, though pretty short, is…
May 27, 2018kwsmith rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This classic western novel features Mattie Ross, a sassy and over-confident 14-year-old girl who sets out to seek revenge against the low-life criminal who killed her noble father. This classic book is full of dead-pan humor, and Mattie is…
May 21, 2018DBRL_DanaS rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I am not a reader of westerns, but I picked this one up as it is often said that it has broader appeal to those who don't typically read in the genre. I liked the fact that there was a snarky female narrator but otherwise this just wasn't…
Apr 22, 2018
I was a bit too familiar with the story of Maggie and Rooster for this to be truly enjoyable, having seen both movie versions. That is, there are no surprises here, as both movies are quite faithful to the book. Mattie is a difficult…
Feb 13, 2018Alexisbellinger rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book has a great feel. The voice of the narrator is vivid and brings the whole western atmosphere to life. I personally like the wild west thing so I can't say if it'll be a general reader's cup of tea or not but there's a lot of…
Jul 22, 2017WendyT68 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
You don't have to love westerns to love this book! The humor is surprising, the characters are entertaining and the action just keeps coming!
Dec 16, 2015lukasevansherman rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Yeah, I didn't know "True Grit" was a novel either. The basis for the John Wayne film and the Coen Brothers' reboot, "True Grit" (1968) is an overlooked classic from the reclusive, Arkansas-born Charles Portis. Using a classic Western…
Apr 06, 201521221018293347 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
a visiting librarian recommended this novel to me. after having seen both versions of the movie, I thought that I would give this short (but powerful) book a read. It is an engaging adventure. Mattie was looking for help from a ranger…
Sep 16, 2013aboyter rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Read it out loud during a car trip. Better than the movies! Mattie Ross is one funny gal.