True Grit

By: Charles Portis

Narrated by: Donna Tartt

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl from Dardanelle, Arkansas, sets out to avenge her Daddy who was shot to death by a no-good outlaw. Mattie convinces one-eyed "Rooster" Cogburn, the meanest U.S. marshal in the land, to ride along with her. In True Grit, we have a true American classic, as young Mattie, as vital as she is innocent, outdickers and outmaneuvers the hard-bitten men of the trail in a legend that will last through the ages.

©1968 Charles Portis (P)2006 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Charles Portis is perhaps the most original, indescribable sui generis talent overlooked by literary culture in America." ( Esquire)

“Tom Wolfe, who worked with Portis as a reporter at the New York Herald-Tribune in the early 1960s called him – the original laconic cutup. A generation of novelists since then have simply regarded him as a writers-writer and have made his name a sort of secret password. Soon, they’ll no longer have him to themselves.” ( Rolling Stone Magazine)

“Like Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Thomas Berger’s Little Big Man, Charles Portis’s True Grit captures the nanve elegance of the American voice.” (Jonathan Lethem)

So worth it!

This is my first encounter with "true grit" and I was very pleasantly surprised! Wanted to listen before going to the Coen brothers version. I agree with many who have said it is a modern classic. Keeps your attention, brilliant dialogue, characters that stick with you. I completely disagree with other listeners who did not like the narrator. Her interpretation of male voices is no worse than the best male narrators attempts at female voices; while her reading of young Mattie was amazing! There would not be a better narration without a full cast. I have listened to over 500 audible books, and would rate this in the top 10% at least.

Choose another audio version

This story is a delight from start to finish and I enjoyed it thoroughly. However, the audio recording had an unfortunate microphone placement which allowed you to hear Donna Tartt's mouth noises. This was incredibly distracting. Tartt is one of my favorite authors and her voice for the main character was wonderful - but her male voices fell flat for me and I was disappointed with them. If this is the only way for you to hear this book then overall you will be glad you did- but if you can find another audio recording you may enjoy it more.

True Grit

The story was great. I was surprised at how close the book was to the John Wayne movie, except for the ending. It also included parts that were later incorporated into the sequel "Rooster Cogburn". The only issue I had was that although the reader did a good job, it was distracting when "she" tried to play the men's parts. The female voice using the men's emphasis was just not right.

Highly recommended

Colorful and vivid language. The author quickly draws you in.
In my opinion, this is one of the best books of all time.

I have never reviewed narration before. This needed some editing. There is much "mouth noise". Swallowing and tongue adjustments. Annoying. The narrator voices many distinct characters, and does a wonderful job doing it 95% of the time. There are a few times when she falls out of character.

Still One of the Best

What's not to love about a stubborn young girl who explodes off the page and a rotten old Marshall joined up to do justice to an outlaw hiding out in the territory? Not a word wasted, this is not just entertaining, but a shining example of master craft.

Can an audio book become dog-eared?

This was a revelation! Having grown up thinking of True Grit as "another John Wayne western", I missed out on the book's humor, wonderful characters, and classic storytelling. The movie is a bit dated, but the book is timeless. I already know that I will be reading, listening to and sharing dog-eared copies of True Grit over the years.
Donna Tartt gives an inspired performance. Her love of the book comes through in every line. Make sure you listen to her afterward as well.

What a Fine Novel!

I’d seen the the film in 1969 with John Wayne, Glenn Campbell, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper & Kim Darby as well as a long string of others of the era who were regulars on the silver screen, but had never read the book. I didn’t know what I was missing… until now!!!

Wonderful!

So much better than the movie. The movie made a lot of changes. Narration was excellent.

Great Book

Great book, great story, and great narrator. loved it better than either movie.

WOW!!! Awesome book, Awesom narrator!!

Think I'll go back and listen to this one again. It is so good. Everyone will like it.