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What Members Thought
Loved it! Mattie is my hero
To my complete surprise, I really loved this. I don’t read many Westerns, so I wasn’t expecting much, but I ended feeling deeply moved. Also to my complete surprise, Donna Tartt did a fantastic job reading the audiobook.
“You do not think much of me, do you, Cogburn?”...more
“I don’t think about you at all when your mouth is closed.”
“You’re making a mistake about me.”
“I don’t like this kind of talk, it is like women talking.”
“I was told in Fort Smith that you rode with Quantrell and that border gang.”
I don't know how I've missed reading TRUE GRIT for so long because, boy howdy, is it an entertaining read! Full of adventure, excitement, humor, and history, it's simply an engrossing, well-told story. The characters are colorful, the plot is compelling, and the storytelling is first-rate. Mattie's voice stands out especially with its forthrightness. She's so frank and unimpressed with the macho men around her that she comes off as unintentionally hilarious. Everything about TRUE GRIT is engagin
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I read this book years ago before watching the movie. This reading was the audiobook read by Donna Tartt and it is like listening to a radio play. Her voice and characterizations are fantastic. At the end of the audiobook, Tartt reads her essay about the love of this book.
Mattie is one of my fave characters and her name is the inspiration for my own Mattie. Strong, smart and blunt in her views of the world (as Tartt says in her essay).
Mattie is one of my fave characters and her name is the inspiration for my own Mattie. Strong, smart and blunt in her views of the world (as Tartt says in her essay).
This is such a perfect novel that it's hard to say too much about it. I had never read Portis before, but this certainly won't be the last time. Wonderfully written, incredible characters, seemingly perfect historical evocation...this book has it all. I've seen both film versions and this was still incredibly entertaining. Portis weaves a plot here that would have taken lesser storytellers three times the page count.
I can understand why, at one time, this was considered an American Classic. Acco ...more
I can understand why, at one time, this was considered an American Classic. Acco ...more
I can see why this is a classic, especially if you ignore the male-focused films that were made of it. The teenage girl as the main character is so interesting and compelling that the slightly crusty Western tropes pop back to life in vivid color. The action is great, and the writing is lively, but it works because the characters are fully formed and drive everything forward. Excellent from front to back. I read an edition with an afterword by Donna Tartt, and I can perfectly see the throughline
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I liked the author's writing style. It felt very much like the story was being told by a 14 year old girl. I am adding his other books to my to-read list.
I loved this book! True Grit has long been my favorite John Wayne movie, but I didn’t even know it was a book until the new version of the film was released in 2010. It was un-put-down-able! The story was told from Mattie’s point of view and I thought Portis did an amazing job of telling it in her voice. I found out after I had finished the boo ...more
I loved this book! True Grit has long been my favorite John Wayne movie, but I didn’t even know it was a book until the new version of the film was released in 2010. It was un-put-down-able! The story was told from Mattie’s point of view and I thought Portis did an amazing job of telling it in her voice. I found out after I had finished the boo ...more
I probably would have liked this more if I hadn't seen the recent movie first. Although I'm not a big fan of Westerns, so I probably wouldn't have ever picked this up if it weren't for the movie. As I haven't really read Westerns, I can't say how this compares to them. I enjoyed it because the whole thing felt more than a little tongue in cheek, but perhaps that's how they are.
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I'm not a huge fan of westerns but this one was okay. Mattie is a good storyteller and there were parts where I laughed out loud when she outwits nearly everyone she runs into. Otherwise, I found it to be a run of the mill western revenge story with the notable difference of a fourteen year old girl as the main character. Maybe I need to see the movie to get what all the fuss is about.
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What a fantastic book! How have I not read this before?!?
Sep 07, 2015
Judy
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
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Mar 31, 2017
Christine H
marked it as to-read
Jun 28, 2020
Julie
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Aug 28, 2020
Kathy
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Dec 19, 2020
James
marked it as to-read
Aug 14, 2025
Angela Jones
marked it as to-read
