True Grit - Charles Portis - A Short Summary and Review

 True Grit - Charles Portis - A Short Summary and Review

By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

A Rite of Fancy Bucket List Book Adventure

Mattie, miffed over her father's murder, creates mayhem with the Rooster

A Short Summary:

True Grit by Charles Portis follows Mattie Ross, a sharp-tongued and determined fourteen-year-old girl whose father is murdered by Tom Chaney. Unwilling to let justice move slowly,  or possibly not at all, Mattie sets out to bring Chaney to account.

To do so, she hires Rooster Cogburn, a rough, hard-drinking U.S. Marshal with a reputation for toughness. Along with Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, Mattie and Rooster head into Indian Territory in pursuit of Chaney, and what follows is a fast-moving story of danger, revenge, stubbornness, and unlikely companionship.

My Favorite Quote from the Book:

"What have you done when you have bested a fool?"

- Charles Portis, True Grit

Questions to ponder while reading:

What would you do for justice?

What would you do for honor?

My Review:

True Grit is fun, gritty, fast-paced, and Western drama at its finest. Charles Portis gives readers a story full of danger, dry humor, rough justice, and unforgettable characters. Mattie Ross is the heart of the novel, and her voice is what makes the book so memorable. She is stubborn, saucy, practical, brave, and absolutely unwilling to be dismissed.

The novel works so well because it balances adventure with personality. Rooster Cogburn is a larger-than-life figure, but Mattie is never overshadowed by him. She is young, but she is not foolish. She is angry, but she is not helpless. Her determination drives the story forward, and watching her force grown men to take her seriously is half the pleasure of the book.

This is a classic Western, but it is also sharper and funnier than a simple revenge tale. True Grit has gunfights, pursuit, danger, and frontier justice, but it also has wit, style, and one of the best young heroines in American fiction. Nothing is better than a saucy girl with a mission.

If you liked True Grit, you may also like:

In the Distance - Hernan Diaz

The Revenant - Michael Punke

Wolf Pack - C.J. Box

_____________________________________________________________________________

About the Author

a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

✨ #TakeTheBackRoads

If you enjoy these literary wanderings, know that your support keeps the pages turning.