True Grit Audiobook

" This book was so compelling. "

" Very "real" narrative. My eleven year old son is reading it now. Can't wait to see the movie. "

" A classic. I love Mattie Ross's straight, no nonsense narration and her observations on all the silly adults around her. Very entertaining. "

" A fast read with wit and yes... Grit! No other way to say it! Loved the characters, wished they were real. My favorite read this summer! "

" Halfway through I realized how good it was and slowed down. To further savor the dialogue. Also highly recommend the 2011 film. "

" I've seen both movie versions, so I thought I should give the book a try. "

" I just knew I was going to love this book after seeing last year's movie. They were equally wonderful, although the book's ending was far superior to the movie's. Beautifully written with a unique, speech-without-contractions cadence, this was enjoyable from beginning to end. "

" I'm going to start using the word grit. And to strive to be worthy of it. "

" Great book, I have always loved Westerns, movies and books, the book is better then the movie, has a little more depth, and tells a bit more about the characters. Ending is way different, all in all a great book, that I will read agin. "

" The film (at least, the John Wayne 1969 version) was very true to the book--Up until the last 25 pages or so. It is obvious that the screenplay was adapted straight from the book since many pivotal scenes and lines are nearly word-for-word and action-for-action. It was disappointing, though, to learn that the film so drastically changed the ending of the novel: LaBeauf doesn't die in the book; Mattie loses her arm to gangrene after the snake bite; Rooster Cogburn dies 25 years after the events of the novel take place, but Mattie never sees him again after he rides her to safety (so she never gets to thank him, and the touching graveside scene of the movie doesn't take place--And also one of my favorite John Wayne sayings was apparently written for the movie instead of taken from the book: "Well, come see a fat old man some time!"). The novel's title obviously refers to Mattie's character, although in the story she attributes the "true grit" she sought solely to Cogburn, even though she had it as well; by changing the end of the novel to a more Hollywood-ized ending for the film, I think a lot of the final "grit" that is apparent in the novel's Mattie character is missing from the film version's Mattie (even though the film version still had plenty of grit herself!). "

" I haven't seen the movies so I truly came into this with no preconceived notions. Loved the narrator's voice - she has as much grit as Rooster. In the end though I enjoyed the narrator's thoughts and editorials more than the action of the story. "

" So they cut like two scenes out of the movie, basically. This book is feisty and awesome and full of sass. "

" meh. meh meh meh meh. "

" when it comes to literature, the western genre has never been my thing...that said...I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly to anyone. "

" I wonder if my four stars are influenced by years of other reviews, or the fact that the film adaptations have won Academy Awards. Definitely, the story is good, the narrative pithy, the characters engaging. But did it pull me in the way _The Help_ did? Or _The Posionwood Bible_? Or _Mudbound_? Not really. But also feel that if I don't give this book at least four stars I should be ashamed. "

" The Coen Bros. version of the film nails the language and the mood of the book, and even though the film also sticks closely to the plot, there's plenty of enjoyment to be derived from the novel's narration. The book fully merits its reputation for having a memorably singular narrative voice. "

" Read this for the first time after watching the movie. Very, very good book. "

" A must read. I loved the characters and the humor. "

" what a great story. it held me like a whip from start to finish, and i wished it wouldn't. the voice alone was worth the ride. the story never let up. the two together were magic. how did he do that? "

" A classic western story that I'd recommend to anyone. "

" I've never been one to read westerns, but this was a surprisingly good book. "

" A fun novel. I read it so I could watch the movies next. "

" Book on CD - wonderful story about a 14 year old girl with more spunk and intelligence than the average grown-up. We need people like that in government, smart practical and no nonsense. "

" My son, Colin, read this for his high school English class. It was laying on the bookshelf and I was looking for something to read between book club books. I loved it! Long before Hermione Granger or Katniss Everdeen, there was Mattie Ross. As fiesty a heroine as I've ever read in literature. "

" Even having seen the (wonderful) 2010 film thus and pretty much knowing what to expect, this was exciting, hilarious, and heartbreaking. Mattie Ross is one of the most memorable first-person narrators I've read. "

" Excellent book to give a teenager a taste of empowerment. "

" I loved the book as much as the original movie. "

" -Read after seeing the remake. So enjoyable-it didn't matter that I knew what was coming and when. Portis has a major talent for writing dialogue that leaps out at you. Cogburn is the western punisher. "

" I loved Mattie Ross. And the ending is fantastic. "

" This was a great book. An straight forward and honest Western novel. I read this book because I watched the movie. It's charming and funny. I haven't checked to see if Portis wrote more Westerns but if he did, I will definitely read them. 5 stars. "

" Fantastic! Favorite line by main character when asked if she'd like a swig of booze: "Why would I put a thief in my mouth to steal my brains??" Hahaha!! "

" Saw the Jeff Bridges movie and enjoyed the dialogue so much I decided to read the book. Good decision; very much along the lines of Lonesome Dove, but nicely shorter. "

" A fine, fine book that reveals much about American character, rendered with fine craft and and biting and bright dialogue. "

" Liked this a lot more than I expected to. "

" What a great book! I saw the Cohen bros movie then checked out the book- definitely worth it. It was a lot of fun and a really well told story. It's always nice to read something well-written that's also fun to read. "

" Great spunky characters, classic Western elements, and compelling back stories (and the bonds forged because of them) makes this one a page turner for sure. "

" Very fine novel that definitely entertains all the way through. It's a rather standard plot with Mattie Ross seeking to get revenge for the death of her father, but the dialogue and characters make it fairly interesting, and the pace of the story is luckily very well balanced. "

" Now to watch both movies and compare. "

" A humorous romp, though not as picaresque as one may desire: so go the purple passages when penned by spinster Presbyterians. I enjoyed the novel, though felt it slight at critical points. "

" Enjoyed it. Very close to the Coen movie. "

" What beautiful writing, simplistic and stylistic. Rooster is one of those characters that is captured so well in writing rather than a movie. "

" Really liked this book. Had not seen the movie, so I wasn't sure what it was even about - it was great. "

" An odd little book, but full of adventure. "

" I love Charles Portis. All through the book, I can hear the voices from the John Wayne movie. It is as if Mattie Ross has written her first hand account of a romanticized adventure from 25 years before. I will continue to devour all that Portis has written. "

" I enjoyed the book when I started reading it but about half way through it began to lose its charm. The book was short and easy to read but I really don't see why so many people love this book. "

" The movie was a pretty true adaptation of the book, so there weren't a lot of differences. But, regardless, it was an enjoyable read and fast one too. "

" What I love about this novel is the mixture of the young and the old voice of Mattie. Both are strong and true. "

" Garrett insisted I read this before we watched the movie (he LOVED both). It was a fun, fast read. As a side note, Garrett says, "When it was first written it was an instant classic...until it went out of print." "

" I picked up this book after seeing the movie( which was great!the music was brilliant!).Mattie is a fantastic character.Enjoyable read, with an ending that isn't happy ever after.That is why i liked it. "

" I enjoyed the book when I started reading it but about half way through it began to lose its charm. The book was short and easy to read but I really don't see why so many people love this book. "

" I wish there was a 4 1/2 star rating. I wouldn't quite put it up there with my 5-star classics, but I loved it! It's short, easy to read, and fast-paced. Best of all, it is funny! The subtle humor kept me smiling almost every page. Recommend it to anyone!!! "

" This was a great story.. an interesting read with well drawn characters. It would be fine reading for high school students giving them an opportunity for good discussions. "

" Really great read: great language, character, action, setting. The plot is pretty straightforward -- and the recent Coen Bros' movie is mostly faithful. I'm planning on reading additional Portis titles. (Overlook Press sent me his entire backlist -- a contest I won.) "

" I loved this book. The narrator is one you'll never forget. I love the way she talks and thinks. The recent movie version is as true to the story as a screenplay can get, but you still miss some of the great narration that goes on in Maddie's mind as well. Loved it! "

" A very fun book to read. The Cohen brothers adhered nicely to the original novel in their recent adaptation. "

" The distinctive voice and often hilarious dialogue in this book make it worth the read, even if you've seen the movies. "

" I actually liked the movie better than the book! That never happens to me! I hated that she lost her arm! Still an interesting book! "

" Such a fun read. Love the strong characters and the story. The ending is great. "

" I actually liked the book but I liked the movie a whole lot better. Which is rather odd!!! My one complaint with the book was the way it was written. It was weird for me. I like books that are third person but this one was too much. "

" I have never been a fan of Westerns but this is a thoroughly entertaining story with a great narrator. I loved the slang and language that was used that seemed to make it much more authentic. I haven't seen the films but would love to check it out. "