Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

True Grit by Charles Portis

8 reviews

reverie_and_books's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

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

4.0

In the 1870s a 14 year-old girl named Mattie Ross from Arkansas is on a manhunt to avenge her father. Together with Rooster Cogburn, a man with true grit, and a ranger, she sets out into wilder territories. 

Politics aside, this was a great, fun read! This narration style and PoV are somewhat unique. Mattie is strong-headed and focused on a single mission. She fights to be taken seriously. And I don’t think it‘s a spoiler saying: she succeeds. 

»People do not give it credence that a four-teen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father's blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day. I was just fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name of Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robbed him of his life and his horse and $150 in cash money plus two California gold pieces that he carried in his trouser band.« 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Animal death, and Gun violence

chemistreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a book I couldn’t wait to put down. This book didn’t capture me and it was hard to follow along with Maddie’s first person narrative - it felt choppy. I was left with a lot of questions about whether she was telling the truth and whether she really accomplished what she set out to accomplish without losing herself and her humanity. The book seemed like a justification of her actions and how her life turned out. She didn’t seem….human. The book didn’t feel believable and I think the 1st person narration is to blame. It brought up some interesting questions about what justice looks like and how that has changed over time. I couldn’t disagree more with Donna Tart (not a suprise I DNF A Secret History because of how bad it was) in her essay at the end of the book that claims this is one of the best books she has ever read. I cannot agree that this is THE great American novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death of parent and Gun violence

jemmers's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

great, quick read! horses and cowboys! Marshal Rooster Cogburn is a problematic but loveable fave. I love when he holds the reins in his mouth and shoots with a gun in each hand. (expected amount of racism and misogyny for the era and genre.)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Racism, Colonisation, Police brutality, and Slavery

snakes

graceesford's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Death, Sexism, Death of parent, Violence, Racism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Slavery and Colonisation

amycam's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Racism, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder

queenkath32's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Violence, Death, and Racism

shieldbearer's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Child abuse, Racism, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Genocide, Death, Ableism, Misogyny, Murder, Xenophobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Minor: War and Slavery

jmtinsd_58's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

The violence was jarring. Mattie Ross is an unbelievable spunky character. Wonderful portrayal of the roughness of life on the frontier. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Cliff hanger ending