A great listen.

The story is a very enjoyable one and is easily imagined that it could have happened. Would recommend this to anyone who loves an adventure. Well read and an easy listen.

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Where chivalry meets the wild frontier

This is a story probably better known, at least in the UK, for its movie adaptations, including the John Wayne classic. But the novel is a masterpiece in its own right, as Donna Tartt argues in an excellent afterword. The story of a bright young girl, Matty Ross, the narrator, seeking revenge for her father’s murder, True Grit explores her partnership with Rooster Cogburn, a jaded, heavy-drinking deputy US Marshall, with a reputation for shooting first and asking questions later, as they go on the trail of the killer, Tom Chainey, and the bandit gang of which he’s a member. Their adventures are related from Matty’s viewpoint in a marvellously deadpan style. Donna Tartt, author of modern classics The Secret History and The Goldfinch, and The Little Friend - also narrated from a young girl’s point of view - tells the story in a wonderfully evocative southern drawl. She’s an enigmatic figure, with limited public profile, which made her narration all the more fascinating. The novel’s plot really picks up momentum in the last hour or so; the finale and closing segments of the novel are masterfully done. For all fans of Westerns, and Tartt, this is obligatory listening.

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1 person found this helpful

First class narration Inna classic.

Audible version read by Donna Tartt.
She done a great job with this.
I can see why it's regarded as classic.
So glad I read it.
Five stars.

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1 person found this helpful

Brilliant story, wonderfully told

loved it.

(the chapter breaks seem a to be placed wrong, but it won't matter as you're gripped from start to end and will want to listennto it straight through)

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Truly Gripping

True Grit follows the journey of a stubborn young woman, 14 year-old Mattie Ross, as she seeks revenge for the murder of her father, enlisting the help of a Deputy US Marshall, Rooster Cogburn, because he has 'grit'. It's a wonderful tale of great courage and endurance on all sides. The novel's pace varies with the action it's describing: the long horse-rides are filled with extensive, languid character-revealing conversations, while the action scenes are eye-widening, fast-moving and sometimes horrifying.

I was surprised how close the original film starring John Wayne was to this novel, and as Donna Tartt read it I found I was seeing scenes from the movie in my mind's eye. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Ms Tartt's reading, which revealed how the written words ought to sound by intonation as much as by pronunciation. Because of the comparison with the movie, I found that the conversations with Stonehill (the horse dealer) lacked the irony and sarcasm that Strother Martin was able to inject in the film.

I loved it, I loved the characters, and Ms Tartt conveyed an empathy and love for the book herself in her reading, making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Be careful where you listen to this book - I was listening on commuter trains and on occasions gasped, smiled, laughed, and wept unable to stop, in front of wondering witnesses!

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9 people found this helpful

Brilliant Basis For The Movie

This is exactly page by page made into the movie. The writing is quite good and I must commend the narrator Donna Tartt. Will definitely listen to this again.

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Great story

I enjoyed this immensely. Generally, I don't really like Westerns but this is a great story and has an excellent plot. Whilst sad, it is an engrossing and totally believable tale of the people and places of the American wild-west of the 1870s.

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4 people found this helpful

An excellent yarn, told well.

It may be a short novel, but it packs a punch. A fast-moving story with memorable characters and good humour, well-told by Donna Tartt.

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better than the film

the film follows a lot of the book but the book offers more detail. The book is well read as it is a voice of the girl telling the story. some of the different male voices are good but could be better. I think lots of people know the story. The last chapter tells the continued story and is very interesting.

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Brilliant

This is a truly fantastic listen, performance and story are completely immersive and unforgettable! Highly recommended!

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