Nothing can get a person interested in reading a book like seeing a good movie adaptation of said book. So it was with me and Charles Portis' modern western classic, "True Grit." For those who have seen the recent Coen Brothers adaptation, or the original with John Wayne, the book has enough "grit" of its own to merit revisiting the story.
At 14, Mattie Ross sets out to avenge the death of her father at the hands of a scoundrel named Tom Chaney. Towards this end, she enlists the service of federal marshal Ruben "Rooster" Cogburn. Accompanied by a Texas ranger with his own interest in Chaney, the duo set out across a wild and lawless wilderness in search of their target. Along the way they will meet dangers that prove the mettle, the grit, in them all.
Rooster is a memorably cantankerous curmudgeon, but the true star of the show is Mattie. Much of the vibrancy and humor of the story is derived from the matter of fact way Mattie deals with people who are inclined to see her as nothing more than a child, and bluff her way through situations that are resolutely over her head. Portis' crackling prose reflects this directness. Mattie's narration and frequent brief asides to give her opinion on the matters of the story are delightful, and reveal a girl wise beyond her years.
This is where the book can excel over the movies - while both adaptations dip liberally from the spring of Portis' words, the novel reveals not just Mattie's words and actions, but her thoughts as well. Inside the mind of Mattie Ross is a great way to spend 300 pages. A classic western with definite cross-over appeal, "True Grit" is a winner!
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