Mattie takes a train to Fort Smith to take care of her father’s body and to find his killer. Chaney shoots Frank and steals the remaining $150, as well as two pieces of gold that Frank always had on his person. Chaney tells Frank he will get his money back by force, and Frank tries to stop what he knows will only end poorly for Chaney. Riding back, Chaney blows all of his paycheck on drinking and gambling. Along with a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf, the trio follow Tom Chaney into sparsely populated Indian-American lands. 'Rooster' Cogburn (referred to as ‘Rooster’ or ‘Cogburn’), the most ruthless U.S. To help assist her revenge, Mattie hires Marshal Reuben J. Mattie, set on revenge, leaves her hometown in Arkansas to find and kill Chaney. Written in first person, the protagonist, Mattie Ross, looks back at her fourteenth year when her father, Frank Ross, was murdered by a craven man named Tom Chaney. The novel has a plain, straight-forward style typical of a western, but with several unexpected turns that makes this novel an American classic. His major themes include loyalty to family and friends, perseverance despite all obstacles, and respect for justice. In True Grit, his characters are all flawed, and are presented with a deadpan humor. Portis has been lauded for applying a comic style to the traditional western novel. Portis is also known for writing Norwood (1966), his first novel about a young man of the same name who has wacky adventures around New York before returning to his home in Texas.

Acclaimed author Donna Tartt narrated the audiobook version in 2006. True Grit (1968) by acclaimed western writer Charles Portis was an instant bestseller, adapted to a 1969 movie featuring John Wayne, and in 2010, an academy award-winning film directed by the Cohen brothers.

Grit a novel