Reviews tagging 'Death'

True Grit by Charles Portis

7 reviews

passionatereader78's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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_cecilie_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If anyone on this here plane has true grit it's Mattie Ross and I'm utterly charmed by her. She is just so - for lack of a more weighty word - cool. 

And this novel was so gripping precisely because it captured her voice so very well: Mattie is a fourteen-year-old farm girl, who at times reads both more mature and more naive than her age suggests. This makes her even more believable as a teenaged girl who has more responsebility than someone her age should have but who handles it like an ranger would a defiant pony. And while I was told that she seeks revenge for her father's death, I think a better word would be retribution. She doesn't want to shoot the scoundrel Tom Chaney herself, that wouldn't be right after all, but she wants to make absolutely sure that justice will be done. 

Throw in some rooster, beef and horse and you've got a full course literary meal. Excuse the puns, of course the side characters are also great in their own right. At times dry, otherwise boozy, (un)intentionally hilarious and trigger-happy Rooster and LaBoeuf complete the best wild west novel I will ever read. This might be the perfect story, snake-pits and all.

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slahlum's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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graceesford's review

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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amycam's review against another edition

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5.0


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queenkath32's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

5.0


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shieldbearer's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this is a classic for a reason, and out of all the Westerns I've read so far it's probably my favorite. Maddie has such a strong voice and describes the landscape and events so vividly. That said, it's still a product of its time, and as much as I liked the book, there are certain themes or elements I wish had been handled with more care and nuance. The offhanded reference to residential schools being a GOOD thing turned my stomach. I have complicated feelings around Rooster's narrative treatment and the almost casual way his brutality and his Confederate past is treated. 

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