Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    True Grit
    True Grit
    True Grit
    Audiobook6 hours

    True Grit

    Written by Charles Portis

    Narrated by Donna Tartt

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Mattie Ross, a fourteen-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.

    Editor's Note

    Cult classic…

    “True Grit” became an American cult classic thanks to its beloved narrator, the 14-year-old Mattie Ross, its dry sense of humor, and two critically acclaimed film adaptations, one starring John Wayne, the other Jeff Bridges. Author Charles Portis died February 17, 2020, at the age of 86.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 7, 2006
    ISBN9781428193772
    True Grit
    Author

    Charles Portis

    Charles Portis lives in Arkansas, where he was born and educated. He served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. As a reporter, he wrote for the New York Herald-Tribune, and was also its London bureau chief.

    More audiobooks from Charles Portis

    Related to True Grit

    Related audiobooks

    Western Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Seven Books I’ll Never Read

      Aug 7, 2018

      Seven Books I’ll Never Read
      6 min read

    • Article

      The best-ever ROMANCES

      Jan 7, 2021

      The best-ever ROMANCES
      2 min read

    • Article

      Ten Must-Read Crime Books Set in the American West

      Dec 27, 2019

      This list of must-read crime titles forms part of a lesser-known West, an awesomely weird landscape in which the line between Good and Evil shimmers like a mirage. The post Ten Must-Read Crime Books Set in the American West appeared first on The Mill

      4 min read

    • Article

      Reluctant Legend

      Jul 21, 2020

      Reluctant Legend
      9 min read

    • Article

      Holden Caulfield And The Culture Of Sexual Assault

      Feb 12, 2018

      Since it came out in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye has meant different things to different readers. For some, Holden Caulfield was the rebellious voice of a generation; for many today, he’s a whiny rich kid; for a pair of recent biographers, he’s the

      5 min read

    • Article

      Music To Our Ears

      Jun 19, 2019

      Music To Our Ears
      3 min read

    • Article

      Getaway Driver

      Feb 10, 2022

      Getaway Driver
      11 min read

    • Article

      Too Wild To Love

      Nov 24, 2022

      Too Wild To Love
      11 min read

    • Article

      Eating My Words

      Nov 15, 2021

      Eating My Words
      9 min read

    • Article

      Dog Tags

      Feb 25, 2023

      Dog Tags
      2 min read

    • Article

      Dog Tags

      Feb 25, 2023

      Dog Tags
      2 min read

    • Article

      Pockets Full Of Memories

      Oct 21, 2022

      Pockets Full Of Memories
      4 min read

    • Article

      Too Wild to Love

      Dec 1, 2022

      Too Wild to Love
      11 min read

    • Article

      Call The Vetwife

      Jul 18, 2019

      ON a quiet afternoon it’s worth spending a few hours with King Canute, Izaak Walton and Jane Austen, unlikely companions now gathered in death at Winchester Cathedral. Each came to mind in April after a visit: Canute when I contemplated the incoming

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Lightning Thread

      Sep 1, 2021

      The Lodge was a Victorian shooting box of minimal architectural distinction, belonging perhaps to the psychiatric baronial school. Its heavy, irregular exterior was set off by monkey puzzle trees, a mossy lawn and an embattled garden. The household w

      5 min read

    • Article

      Hold On For Your Life

      Aug 26, 2021

      Hold On For Your Life
      11 min read

    • Article

      The best bad things

      Sep 29, 2020

      The best bad things
      12 min read

    • Article

      One Coyote

      Sep 29, 2020

      One Coyote
      9 min read

    • Article

      Dads Behaving Badly

      Jun 16, 2017

      Dads Behaving Badly
      5 min read

    • Article

      In The Bunkhouse

      Mar 3, 2020

      In The Bunkhouse
      2 min read

    • Article

      Out to Pasture

      Nov 14, 2019

      Out to Pasture
      6 min read

    • Article

      Long-ago Rabbits And The Best Of Times

      Mar 11, 2020

      I was born in 1931. My first recollection has to be my mother’s roast rabbit; I can see it now in my mind’s eye, lying there in its bronze glory before being attacked by my siblings and me. At the back of the woodshed were the ferret hutches, which t

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for True Grit

    4/5

    1,395 ratings139 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This is an entertaining story about a 14-year-old girl in the latter part of the 19th century, in pre-statehood-Oklahoma, who is bent on avenging the cold-blooded death of her father by a crooked farmhand. Portis gives us the visuals of a rich landscape and populates it with a believable set of human and Animal characters.
    • 4/5
      Quote: "The evil run when they are not pursueth."
      Possible entry for best character name: Rooster Cogburn.
      Far superior to the John Wayne movie.
    • 5/5
      Just about the best novel I have ever read. Certainly the most enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      I was familiar with the movies but not the book. I loved it! The reader was excellent! Thank you for the good work!
    • 5/5
      UPDATED: 03June15 - second reading5***** and a &#10084Audiobook performed by Donna TarttMattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl from Dardanelle Arkansas, sets out in the winter of Eighteen-Seventy-something to avenge the murder of her father. The story is narrated by Mattie some 25 years after the events she relates occurred. She hires Marshall Rooster Cogburn, the meanest available US Marshal, to track the murderer and insists that she will go along. They are further accompanied by LeBeouf, a Texas Ranger (so he says) who is also tracking the same man. Mattie doesn’t want him along because she wants to see Chaney brought to justice in Arkansas and she feels Rooster has the “true grit” to get the job done.I loved Mattie, who is confident and determined, especially so for a young woman of the era. As Mattie tells the tale we see her outmaneuver, out bargain, and outsmart the hard men and women she encounters. Her indestructible vitality and basic innocence by turns amuse, horrify and touch the reader. What happens to Mattie – and the gang of outlaws unfortunate enough to tangle with her – rings with the dramatic rightness of legend.On reflection – it is Mattie, herself, who displays true grit.The novel has been adapted to film twice. The first movie, which stars John Wayne in his only Oscar-winning role as Rooster Cogburn, changes the ending. The 2010 film, starring Jeff Bridges in the iconic role, is much more faithful to the book. But I have a soft spot for John Wayne, and fond memories of watching that version over and over again with my Daddy, so it remains a favorite.The audiobook is capably narrated by Donna Tartt. It includes an afterword written by Tartt in which she talks about the importance of this novel in her young life, and compares it to several other works, including [Huckleberry Finn].
    • 3/5
      I think I might need to avoid westerns in future. This is a masterpiece but for some reason not one thst appeals to me
    • 5/5
      Flawless story. Rewards every reading. Coen brothers, not John Wayne.
    • 4/5
      Narrated by Donna Tartt. Listened to this in advance of someday seeing the new movie. Mattie's dad was killed by his handyman Tom Chaney and Mattie is intent on exacting vengeance. She enlists U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn in her hunt for the killer; they are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (sp?) who is also interested in tracking down Chaney for the killing of a senator. Tartt enlivens this Western in many ways: She sets the scene for the reader with accents of the South and Wild West cowboys. Mattie is portrayed with jaw-set determination and practicality. Rooster is mean and gruff; LaBoeuf, somewhat full of himself. I rate it four stars for her voicework. Unfortunately, the presentation is marred by juicy sounds of her swallowing, tongue clicks and lip-parting. Rather disconcerting and hard to believe the producers didn't work to eliminate them.
    • 3/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Donna Tartt's excellent reading led me to laugh out loud many times.I was surprised by how different the Rooster of the book was from the Rooster of the movie. Jeff Bridges portrayed Rooster as the tough, silent, Marlboro man type; but in the book he is friendly, warm, and very talkative -- kind of like a chatty Andy Griffith, if Andy had fought hard in the Confederate Army, seen his friends killed, and become a Marshal in the Wild West instead of Mayberry (and had done most of that while drunk or drinking). Also, the ending of the book was much more satisfying than that of the movie, since in the book, the older Mattie still has a sense of humor, and enjoys her life (in her own way).Another thing that struck me from the book was a subplot so understated that Maggie herself did not seem to notice it, even though, as the narrator, she provided all the particulars for the reader. When Maggie first sees Rooster, he is giving testimony about a gunfight that led to the death of Marshal Potter. Later, she learns that Potter was Rooster's dear friend, who had served beside him in the war, escaped the Feds with him, robbed the Feds with him, and finally, brought him to work in the U.S. Marshals beside him. At the end of the book, Maggie tells us that a few weeks after her snake bite, Rooster is fired after killing the last criminal responsible for Potter's death; and then Rooster takes responsibility for Potter's widow and six children, moving them with him to Texas. So, during the action of the book, when Mattie is transitioning to the person she'll be after the death of her father, Rooster is transitioning to the person he'll be after the death of his good friend. Rooster's parallel story perfectly frames Mattie's story, since he first meets Mattie on the courthouse steps after giving testimony related to Potter's death. So perhaps he helps her, humors her, because he relates to her grief and need for action. It is also interesting to think of her story as his last experience as a U.S. Marshal.
    • 5/5
      “You must pay for everything in this world one way or another.”“The wicked flee when none pursueth.”Mattie Ross, a fourteen year-old girl wants to avenge her father’s death at the hands of Tom Chaney. With the backing of Lawyer Daggett and the help of Rooster Cogburn, she sets out to do just that! It's a grand tale, with great dialogue and a real sense and flavor of the "wild" west! I enjoyed it a great deal! And if liked the movies that were based on it, you'll really like this book!Great last line too: "This ends my true account of how I avenged Frank Ross's blood over in the Choctaw Nation when snow was on the ground." You go girl!
    • 5/5
      This is a near perfect book that although a work of fiction feel as though it is a true story told from the perspective of a young woman who indeed has, as the title alludes “True Grit”. I will listen to it again and again and share it with my son as soon as he is old enough to understand.

      The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by someone with a great passion for the book herself which adds to the experience.
    • 3/5
      The story was good. The narrator was not. She was pretty good as Mattie, but her others characters were so bad it was distracting.
    • 4/5
      A great classic with terrific narration! This was my first introduction to this classic novel, believe it or not, as I have never read the book or seen the movie, although I remember it being a great hit when the original movie came out in the late ‘60’s.

      Described as ‘a comic de force’, the story tells of a very spunky young woman of 14 years, who leaves home to set out into the Wild West to avenge her father’s murder. What ensues is most entertaining!

      A relatively short but great, fun listen!
    • 5/5
      Book itself: took me by surprise how much I loved this story! It’s not pretentious, and a lot of the dialogue is he said/she said, but somehow it all just works! A great story that makes you chew on questions like what is justice vs revenge, what makes someone a bad guy vs good guy, what happens when civilization and wilderness collide. I actually want to read it again soon just to take it all in!

      For the narration: 100% loved it. The voices for the different characters were perfect! And the monologue at the end of the book where the narrator describes why she and her whole family love this book was pure GOLD!
    • 5/5
      The star of this novel is the narrator's voice, distinct and pitch-perfect. It conveys the worldviews of both the 14 year old main character, and her much older self, recounting the story sometime shortly before the 1928 election (whose outcome she wildly miss-predicts, another subtle marker of her skewed take on the world). Mattie Ross has grit in abundance; she has however no sense of humor or irony, and a wholly idiosyncratic form of dogmatic Calvinism that makes more use of Bible verses and theological concepts than they make of her. Portis never breaks from his character's voice, and so the humor in the book - and there's a lot - is delivered in a consistent deadpan.
    • 5/5
      True Grit by Charles Portis; (5*)True Grit is a simple and simply brilliant narrative. I fell in love with this book and the writer's prose. Upon completion of the novel, as I sat thinking I couldn't help but to bring to mind the reading some years back of Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. Another perfect piece of literature.If you've not yet read both of these, there is no better time than now. Both five star reads and both on my 'forever top reads' list.
    • 3/5
      Ended up going to see the new film version of this by my housemate last night (yes, on Valentine's Day -- she's single and I'm in a long distance relationship). We weren't planning to see this, but everything else we were interested in was sold out, bah, and I knew my brother loved the story. It turned out to be quite enjoyable and now I've read the book, I can see that it was quite a close adaptation of it, which is nice -- mostly, the book just has more descriptions, although there are a few more characters in the book, and events are changed slightly for dramatic effect in the movie.

      It's the story of a fourteen year old girl, Mattie Ross, heading out into Indian Territory to pursue the killer of her father, in the company of a US Marshall and a Texas Ranger, who do their best to leave her behind. She's smart and brave and resourceful, and quite capable of looking after herself, to their surprise. The book is narrated by her, and her no-nonsense attitude and her judgemental tendencies are quite revealing of her character. I found it a quick read, despite a couple of points where she tended to ramble, and despite Westerns not really being my genre.

      I'm not wild with enthusiasm over it, but it did raise a smile and even a giggle or two, and was an enjoyable enough way to spend a rainy evening (just like the film).
    • 5/5
      Charles Portis tells just a flat-out good story of how 14 year old Mattie Ross from Dardanelle, Arkansas hires the U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn to help her follow his killer to Indian Territory and avenge his death.Mattie is an amusing, compelling, and believable narrator. The story never flags and is satisfying from beginning to end.
    • 5/5
      superbly narrated by Donna Tartt ( a major novelist already, as many of you will know) in a manner that engages the listener and brings the narrative alive in a way few other audiobooks do ....
    • 5/5
      Wow, what a great story! Mattie Ross is just 14 years old when she hooks up with Rooster Cogburn, the “meanest” U.S. Marshal, to avenge her father, killed by an outlaw who took advantage of his good nature.

      Mattie endures bad weather, illness, grueling hours on horseback, runs into outlaws, and fights off rattlesnakes. She’s tough-talking, honest, loyal, fearless, and I enjoyed every moment with her. I also loved the realistic historical details and well-drawn secondary characters. The gruff and unkempt Rooster Cogburn was a perfect match for the stubborn and willful teenager.

      Mattie’s thoughts and exchanges with Rooster were hilarious.

      “Nature tells us to rest after meals and people who are too busy to heed that inner voice are often dead at the age of fifty years."

      “I had hated these ponies for the part they played in my father’s death but now I realized the notion was fanciful, that it was wrong to charge blame to these pretty beasts who knew neither good nor evil but only innocence. I say that of these ponies. I have known some horses and a good many more pigs who I believe harbored evil intent in their hearts. I will go further and say all cats are wicked, though often useful. Who has not seen Satan in their sly faces?”

      The story is told by Mattie 50 years later. She is wealthy, unmarried, churchgoing, and as spirited as she was when she was a teen.

      I’ve never been a fan of John Wayne films, so I’ve missed this classic. Now I will have to watch it to see if the film is as good as the book.

    • 4/5
      I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this well known book. Donna Tartt’s reading would have been fabulous, but for the irritating breathing and mouth noises throughout.
    • 4/5
      True Grit was good, not great. More Josey Wales than Lonesome Dove, Charles Portis does give 14 year old Mattie a very authentic voice in the novel. Rooster Cogburn didn't seem larger than life in the book and I'm interested to see how the new movie treats him.
    • 3/5
      I'm not a huge fan of westerns but this one was okay. Mattie is a good storyteller and there were parts where I laughed out loud when she outwits nearly everyone she runs into. Otherwise, I found it to be a run of the mill western revenge story with the notable difference of a fourteen year old girl as the main character. Maybe I need to see the movie to get what all the fuss is about.
    • 5/5
      Fourteen year-old Mattie Ross is sent to collect her father's body, his personal property and his horse from Fort Smith, where her father was killed by Tom Chaney. Mattie arrives determined to see that Chaney is held accountable for this deed but discovers that the local lawmen have let the killer slip away and he's rumored to have joined up with notorious Lucky Ned Pepper's gang. Her determination never wavering, Mattie seeks out and hires Rooster Cogburn, the U.S. Marshal with the most "grit", which also means a man who gets the job done any way he can. They are joined by a lawman from Texas, who is also after Chaney for a separate murder.Mattie's calm intelligence, fearlessness, and ability to argue or haggle to the point that the men she's dealing with treat her as an equal, is a joy. She is the catalyst for everything that happens, as it's clear that Chaney would be allowed to escape justice if not for her grit.
    • 5/5
      I think this will always be one of my favourite books. Brilliant, evocative, short. A tale about the cost of revenge, redemption and courage in a bleak, desperate frontier wilderness. The book has been made into film twice, the second version being the Coen brothers interpretation which brings it to technicolor life brilliantly (though with a few of their own quirky excerpts thrown in). I'm always buying new copies of the book because I've given so many away.
    • 4/5
      A simple story about a 14 year old girl who travels into Indian Territory with an aging Federal Marshall to avenge her father's murder. This "novel" was originally a series in the Saturday Evening Post and reads as such. It's more of a novella. Maddie's voice holds this book together though and it's an enjoyable, quick read.
    • 4/5
      Loved the narrator of this western; Mattie Ross is a 14 year old girl out to avenge the death of her father. When she finds Rooster Cogburn, the excitement begins as they travel into Indian territory of Texas and Oklahoma. Listened to this for book club.Loved the references to places in Missouri: Sedalia and Osceola.
    • 4/5
      2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge: a Western

      Okay, so I found this book because of Ender's Game.
      I read EG in 2012 and was waiting for the movie to come out. I looked for other movies by Hailee Steinfeld who was cast as Petra. At last, I now have a reason to read this book.
      (Thank you, PopSugar!)

      I don't usually read Western novels, but I binged watched some movies with my father.
      This is one of those stories with strong female characters.
      (may edit later)
    • 5/5
      Charles Portis created one of the immortal American characters in Mattie Ross. I still cannot believe I did not come across Portis earlier in my reading life.
    • 2/5
      I have never felt so mislead by professional authors.

      I just have to move on.

      I mean, holy jesus, this stuff is painful. It's like a robot has learned what humans are like and how they speak and is now attempting to replicate those things, without the benefit of feelings or a sense of rhythm.


      I went in the back door without knocking and found Rooster sitting at the table with the man LaBoeuf. I had forgotten about him.

      "What are you doing here?" said I.

      "Hidy," said LaBoeuf. "I am having a conversation with the marshal." He did not go to Little Rock after all. "It is a business conversation."

      Rooster was eating candy. He said, "Set down, sis, and have a piece of taffy. This jaybird calls himself LaBoeuf. He claims he is a State Ranger in Texas. He come up here to tell us how the cow eat the cabbage."

      I said, "I know who he is."

      "He says he is on the track of our man. He wants to throw in with us."


      I half-expect to see point form notes, instead of dialogue and plot:


      Info to get across:
      -LaBoeuf is having a conversation with Cogburn
      -It is a business conversation
      -LaBoeuf claims he is a State Ranger
      -LaBoeuf is from Texas
      -LaBoeuf thinks he knows it all


      Make the robot stop imitating us!!!

      This must go to the "bad shelf".