BOOK REVIEW: TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis

A MINOR SPOILER BOOK REVIEW:

TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis (2010 version)

Sad to say, I have still not seen the 1969 classic western True Grit starring John Wayne nor the 2010 Coen brothers version starring Jeff Bridges. However, after reading Charles Portis’ classic novel, it is safe to say I intend on seeing both versions!

Photo by Keepsake Old Time Photos

That could pretty much be an entire non-spoiler review but let me spoil it a little bit since the book is a truly entertaining read.

The fictional story centers on 14-year-old Mattie Ross and is told in first person by her. She is on a mission to settle accounts after her father’s murder. And by settle accounts, I mean confirm the body at the morgue, collect his personal belongings, settle legal accounts, finalize financial transactions, and murder Tom Chaney, the villainous scum that killed her father.

This puts our hard-edged, pioneer teenager in the uneasy company of aged bounty hunter Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn and cowlick-bearing, studly Texas Ranger LaBoeuf. Mattie’s travels and adventures go up-and-down the intensity scale from aching backs from horseback riding to seeing hangings go awry to all-out shoot ‘em up action. Through it all, Mattie tells the details flatly and plainly – but Portis crafts it with such incredible comedic timing, I found myself laughing out loud while turning the page. In the book’s afterword, lovingly written by Donna Tartt, Mattie’s matter-of-fact delivery is compared to Buster Keaton’s cinematic persona: stone-faced in the face of adversity. Tartt is correct and this is, most likely, why the book resonated so well with me. I’m a huge Buster fan and just a pricey membership fee away from joining the Damfinos. 

The other reason that Portis’ book grabbed me was the amazing use of religion within the text – both in an admiration and humiliation. Again, Mattie is a straightforward pioneer who just happens to be a 14-year-old girl. That doesn’t stop her at all from knowing her faith, survival skills, and negotiation tactics. In regard to matter of faith, Mattie knows her Scripture and isn’t afraid to voice her opinion on Bible passages in direct application to the world around her. She conveniently leaves out the part of “Thou shall not kill” along the way – but she is single-minded and on a mission. It’s not a mission from God, but it’s her mission all the same. Tom Chaney must die.

This 2010 version lists no other author than Charles Portis but does call out in the fine print upfront, “True Grit  appeared in a somewhat different version in the Saturday Evening Post.” Yet, the back cover advertises, “Charles Portis has long been acclaimed as one of America’s foremost writers. True Grit, his most famous novel, was first published in 1968, and became the basis for two movies, the 1969 classic starring John Wayne and now, in 2010, a new version starring Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges and written and directed by the Coen Brothers.” At the bottom of cover are the movie credits for the 2010 version, which leads me to believe the text may have been tampered with a bit to fit the 2010 movie. I’m a sucker for film books with movie credits on the cover. I just am. Having enjoyed this book so much, I’m eager to watch the Wayne version first to see the differences and then take in the Coen brothers take on it.

Regardless of how they turn out to be, let me conclude by simply saying “Hurrah!” for the please-take-a-free-book-and-keep-it library in the campground WiFi room where I found this literary treasure. 

Special thanks to Out of the Past blogger Raquel Stecher for hosting the 2022 Classic Film Reading Challenge. This post is an official entry. To join us in this fun summer endeavor, visit her blog for more details. 

For film reviews of other John Wayne westerns on Digging Star Wars, peruse these links pardners…

The Searchers (1956)

Fort Apache (1948)

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)

McLintock! (1963)

#classicfilmreading