True Grit - Charles Portis

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⭐ 9/10

An odd score for something I have no complaints about. I flew through this pleasantly short book in about 2 days, and loved every moment. We are in the perspective of a young girl trying to avenge the death of her father, following her as she gets herself in danger but has no fear or filter. She is witty, intelligent, and I had the thought that finally I am seeing a precocious youngster I don't hate! She is defined by a sense of righteous justice, and she refuses to even acknowledge her age, always haggling with adults and getting her way. The caveat is that this book is actually told by Mattie Ross in the future, but still, her voice is very fresh, especially compared to the cookie-cutter manic-pixie-dream-girls of another author I read too much of.

The plot is simple, the main three characters are memorable, and the charm is unavoidable. When danger comes you can really feel the vulnerability of Mattie, despite her defiance all book long, and the safety of these tougher men she has found on her journey. The ending is very sweet, nearly brought a tear to my eye, and I'm sure once I watch the movie I will love this even more.

I really appreciated the afterward by Donna Tartt, explaining how beloved this book is by the women of her family and how it was passed down through the generations. What a cool family! She also mentions that Roald Dahl said this was his favourite book of all time, which makes total sense in a way I can't begin to explain. I loved Dahl as a kid and there's something tonally consistent running through his works and this book.

A real delight, especially as a vacation read, and I also couldn't help but imagine the Coen's take on this, seemingly perfect filmmakers for this tone.

Comments

  1. Joe6 March 2026 at 11:44

    Man reading a book from a good writer after two bad ones must have felt good

    ReplyDelete

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