True Grit: Film tie-in edition
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Product Description
Time Out
‘Portis achieves the same blackly comic atmosphere as modern western writers like Annie Proulx and Thomas McGuane’
Review
'True Grit is the best novel to come my way for a very long time. What book has given me greater pleasure in the last five years? Or in the last twenty? I do not know What a writer!' Roald Dahl 'Charles Portis is a writer who - if there's any justice - will come to be regarded as the author of classics of the order of a twentieth-century Mark Twain' Esquire 'Portis has made an epic and a legend. Mattie Ross should soon join the pantheon of America's legendary figures such as Kit Carson, Wyatt Earp and Jesse James' Washington Post 'One of those rare sweet delights one can recommend to inveterate fiction readers and to those who read only one or two novels a year' San Francisco Chronicle
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I belatedly add to my all time favorite Western authors Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy the name of Charles Portis . Why did it take me so long to get round to True Grit ? Well perhaps it was the John Wayne movie which I saw some years ago . It was a good movie , but not a classic and it did not inspire me to seek out the book . My mistake ! With the publicity and rave reviews surrounding the remake which I have not yet seen I thought I should invest a few pounds and a couple of nights reading . How glad I am that I did .
This is simply the best book I have read this year with possibly the best first paragraph of any book I have ever read . Here Charles Portis sets the scene with clean , direct prose and in a few sentences has the reader hooked and wanting to learn more .
The story is not complicated . A piece of evil trash Tom Chaney kills and robs the 14 year old Mattie's father . She is not happy with the official investigation and wants justice tempered with a dose of vengeance . This self willed, straight spoken and highly intelligent young woman hires a notorious one eyed , overweight , middle aged marshal Rooster Cogburn . A peace officer who deals in rough justice . Does he have enough grit for the task ? They are joined by a good looking, young Texas Ranger LaBoeuf who also wants Chaney for shooting a Texas State senator with a substantial bounty if delivered to Texas dead or alive .The contrast between the two is substantial and adds mightily to the enjoyment .
A strange trio with more discord than harmony set off in the winter's snow to find Chaney .
They meet with more than their fair share of hardship, death and horror along the way . To tell more would risk ruining this classic tale for new readers . The 200 odd pages flew by as their quest and the conclusion unfolded without a dull passage .
True Grit which I can not praise highly enough is a great work of American fiction.
This is simply the best book I have read this year with possibly the best first paragraph of any book I have ever read . Here Charles Portis sets the scene with clean , direct prose and in a few sentences has the reader hooked and wanting to learn more .
The story is not complicated . A piece of evil trash Tom Chaney kills and robs the 14 year old Mattie's father . She is not happy with the official investigation and wants justice tempered with a dose of vengeance . This self willed, straight spoken and highly intelligent young woman hires a notorious one eyed , overweight , middle aged marshal Rooster Cogburn . A peace officer who deals in rough justice . Does he have enough grit for the task ? They are joined by a good looking, young Texas Ranger LaBoeuf who also wants Chaney for shooting a Texas State senator with a substantial bounty if delivered to Texas dead or alive .The contrast between the two is substantial and adds mightily to the enjoyment .
A strange trio with more discord than harmony set off in the winter's snow to find Chaney .
They meet with more than their fair share of hardship, death and horror along the way . To tell more would risk ruining this classic tale for new readers . The 200 odd pages flew by as their quest and the conclusion unfolded without a dull passage .
True Grit which I can not praise highly enough is a great work of American fiction.
27 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This review is from: True Grit (Paperback)
I recently heard that the Cohen Brothers were remaking the movie True Grit and that they are going to stick to the source material and not remake the John Wayne Classic. I had read the book a couple times (If I read a book more than once it is something special) but it was years ago. I decided to give it another reading with the new movie version on the way. It does not seem Possible but this book was even better than I remembered, I do believe a candidate for the great American novel. The original movie does a pretty good job of capturing the essence of the book, Wayne was a perfect Rooster Cogburn, and Kim Darby was born to play Mattie Ross, and even secondary characters like Robert Duvall as Lucky Ned Pepper are perfect. The one glaring miscasting in the original movie is Glen Cambell as the Texas Ranger La Boeuf. Cambell is such a bad actor he really does drage the movie down.
But I digress, this is a review of the book. The book is told through the point of view of an old, one armed lady, Mattie Ross. She recounts her odyssey to avenge her fathers death at the hands of the no account Tom Chaney. To help her do this she enlists the help of hard living, hard drinking, shoot first and ask questions later Rooster Cogburn. The two seem polar opposites the Bible quoting puritanical Ross and the vulgar frontier Marshal, and these differences make up a lot of the humor in the book, but over the course of their adventure the reader learns they have one thing in common and that is "True Grit." I don't want give away all the differences between the book and the movie but there are enough to make the book a different and enjoyable experience. Lets just say the style of the book is more realistic without any perfect Hollywood endings. I love a good western and this one belongs on the top shelf along with "The Ox-Bow Incident (Signet classics)," "Lonesome Dove," "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "All the Pretty Horses: The Border Trigoly (Border Trilogy 1)." And for a great modern day western I recommend "Across the High Lonesome.
Additional comment 1/15/2011: Just finished another great new western with plucky young female protagonist "The Bridge at Valentine" highly recommended.
I recently heard that the Cohen Brothers were remaking the movie True Grit and that they are going to stick to the source material and not remake the John Wayne Classic. I had read the book a couple times (If I read a book more than once it is something special) but it was years ago. I decided to give it another reading with the new movie version on the way. It does not seem Possible but this book was even better than I remembered, I do believe a candidate for the great American novel. The original movie does a pretty good job of capturing the essence of the book, Wayne was a perfect Rooster Cogburn, and Kim Darby was born to play Mattie Ross, and even secondary characters like Robert Duvall as Lucky Ned Pepper are perfect. The one glaring miscasting in the original movie is Glen Cambell as the Texas Ranger La Boeuf. Cambell is such a bad actor he really does drage the movie down.
But I digress, this is a review of the book. The book is told through the point of view of an old, one armed lady, Mattie Ross. She recounts her odyssey to avenge her fathers death at the hands of the no account Tom Chaney. To help her do this she enlists the help of hard living, hard drinking, shoot first and ask questions later Rooster Cogburn. The two seem polar opposites the Bible quoting puritanical Ross and the vulgar frontier Marshal, and these differences make up a lot of the humor in the book, but over the course of their adventure the reader learns they have one thing in common and that is "True Grit." I don't want give away all the differences between the book and the movie but there are enough to make the book a different and enjoyable experience. Lets just say the style of the book is more realistic without any perfect Hollywood endings. I love a good western and this one belongs on the top shelf along with "The Ox-Bow Incident (Signet classics)," "Lonesome Dove," "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "All the Pretty Horses: The Border Trigoly (Border Trilogy 1)." And for a great modern day western I recommend "Across the High Lonesome.
Additional comment 1/15/2011: Just finished another great new western with plucky young female protagonist "The Bridge at Valentine" highly recommended.
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is a great pity that author Charles "Buddy" Portis did not fulfil his great writing potential. His novels are sadly few. He has only written five, his second and most famous of course, being his western 'tour de force' "True Grit". This relatively short novel is so good, that you wonder what might have been if he had written more from the same genre. Perhaps he could have been in the same big league as Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry. As it is we must be content with this little gem of a novel. Although much more respected across the pond, even being used in national curriculums at one time, it is only really known by most people in the UK from the John Wayne film of the same name in 1969. Respected American author Donna Tartt gives a glowing introduction to the book, in which she says that that film does not really do the novel full justice, a common complaint. I must disagree with that, as having just read the book for the second time, I think the film sticks pretty much to the story with a few minor changes. If the Coen brothers film does half as good a job, then it won't be a bad film. The signs are good as the film has already enjoyed success in America.
The story, in case you are not aware, concerns the 14 year old Mattie Ross from Yell County near Dardanelle, Arkansas who goes after the murderer of her father in 1870s Indian Territory. She hires US Marshall Reuben J 'Rooster' Cogburn, and together with Texas Ranger LaBoeuf pronounced 'LaBeef', they set off in pursuit of their man. This proves problematical as the murderer has fallen in with a gang of desperados lead by Lucky Ned Pepper. Flushing them out from their lair deep in Indian Territory will not be easy. Will the aging Rooster, who is very fond of pulling a cork, still be up to the job. Does he have the true grit that will be needed. No grit? Rooster Cogburn? Not much!
Donna Tartt says that no living southern writer, and Portis is still alive and kicking, picks up the spoken idioms of the south as artfully as he does. This is certainly his greatest strength. He knows the southern dialect inside out, and the conversations in the book are a joy to read. I particularly liked the banter between Mattie and Colonel Stonehill the frustrated horse trader, which were both affectionate and genuinely funny. But there are many delightful exchanges between the feisty Mattie, Rooster and LeBoeuf. Mattie always giving as good as she gets. As a vexed LeBoeuf says, "You'll push that saucy bit too far". Happily for the reader she does! Portis has created some marvellously larger than life characters who take glorious flight under his pen. For once the praise that was forthcoming for "True Grit" was deserved. Book Week described it as 'A beautiful, funny, gripping story.......True Grit is true genius'. Spot on I would say! It is doubtful that Portis, who has not published anything since 1991, and lives as a J D Salinger like recluse, will give a monkeys about the possible resurgence of interest in his book. He may just dust off his six shooters and go looking for those two pesky varmits the Coen Brothers. I would suggest he centre his hunt around Hollywood and not the Indian Territory!
The story, in case you are not aware, concerns the 14 year old Mattie Ross from Yell County near Dardanelle, Arkansas who goes after the murderer of her father in 1870s Indian Territory. She hires US Marshall Reuben J 'Rooster' Cogburn, and together with Texas Ranger LaBoeuf pronounced 'LaBeef', they set off in pursuit of their man. This proves problematical as the murderer has fallen in with a gang of desperados lead by Lucky Ned Pepper. Flushing them out from their lair deep in Indian Territory will not be easy. Will the aging Rooster, who is very fond of pulling a cork, still be up to the job. Does he have the true grit that will be needed. No grit? Rooster Cogburn? Not much!
Donna Tartt says that no living southern writer, and Portis is still alive and kicking, picks up the spoken idioms of the south as artfully as he does. This is certainly his greatest strength. He knows the southern dialect inside out, and the conversations in the book are a joy to read. I particularly liked the banter between Mattie and Colonel Stonehill the frustrated horse trader, which were both affectionate and genuinely funny. But there are many delightful exchanges between the feisty Mattie, Rooster and LeBoeuf. Mattie always giving as good as she gets. As a vexed LeBoeuf says, "You'll push that saucy bit too far". Happily for the reader she does! Portis has created some marvellously larger than life characters who take glorious flight under his pen. For once the praise that was forthcoming for "True Grit" was deserved. Book Week described it as 'A beautiful, funny, gripping story.......True Grit is true genius'. Spot on I would say! It is doubtful that Portis, who has not published anything since 1991, and lives as a J D Salinger like recluse, will give a monkeys about the possible resurgence of interest in his book. He may just dust off his six shooters and go looking for those two pesky varmits the Coen Brothers. I would suggest he centre his hunt around Hollywood and not the Indian Territory!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
fantastic western
wow what a novel this is! unlike some people I read this book after watching the film I can only say this is superior to the film in every way, truly epic adventure.
Published 14 days ago by dantordaan
Superb
This is one of the best books I have read in a good while. The plot is simple but the writing is as tight as a drum, not a single wasted word. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lilith
A GREAT WESTERN NOVEL
Great western novels are rare; the truth is, there are scant few. True Grit is one of them. Probably like quite a few others I came to this novel after seeing the Coen Brother... Read more
Published 2 months ago by John Edwards
AN AMERICAN CLASSIC...
This is the story of fourteen year old Mattie Ross, who lived in Arkansas in the 1870s. When her father was robbed and killed, Mattie vowed to avenge his death. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lawyeraau
I read this book in
the Dutch language, in the English language, in the Spanish language, I have it on DVD, and on Blu Ray, I have it on my Sony laptop and as an audible book on 6 CD's. Read more
Published 3 months ago by F., E., Van Rhijn
When the west was wild.
The book is a brilliant tale of the Wild West, written by Charles Portis, not a long book but full of humour mixed with pathos. Read more
Published 3 months ago by DalekCity
rooster the read
an excellent purchase , i would recommend this item ,to any fans of true grit, will look for more items from this seller
Published 7 months ago by reevo
An ultra-tight story told with a perfect economy of words
Mattie Ross, the straight-talking fourteen year-old girl who sets out to avenge her father's death, joins Randall P. McMurphy and Yossarian in my hall of fictional heroes. Read more
Published 8 months ago by mogwins
After two films it was good to read the book
I bought this book after seeing the new Coen brother's film. It was interesting to compare it with both this and the original John Wayne version, both of which I thoroughly... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Blackers
A Real Masterpiece...A must read
If nothing else good could be said for the recent release of the Cohen bros. reinterpretation of Charles Portis' novel, it would be that this overlooked classic could receive some... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Bryan
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