TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis, c1968.
  I remember my grandfather reading this novel when it was first released; at the time it didn't interest me, as I was never a big fan of western stories. I believe I watched the older movie version of the novel that starred John Wayne once or twice on TV and enjoyed it; only recently I viewed it again and then saw the recent remake of the film and realized that the original was actually the more satisfying of the two films for me, even though the newer film hewed closer to the book.
  When a colleague chose the book for our library book discussion group, I decided I'd read it also, but my wife snatched the book and read it first; when I finally got it, it really took hold of me. It's a wonderfully written story that has it all: the wild landscape of the 1870s West, nasty villains, brave lawmen, lots of violence, and a precocious teenage heroine out for justice. Such entertainment! After reading it, I wondered why I hadn't before now.
  The story is relatively straightforward: feisty 14 year old Mattie Ross comes to Fort Smith from near Dardanelles, Arkansas, to avenge the death of her father, Frank, who was shot by a drunken Tom Chaney, who has since fled into the lawless Indian Territory. She hires Rooster Cogburn, one of the local Federal marshals to assist her, because she was told he has "true grit." They are joined by a Texas Ranger, LaBeouf (called LaBeef), who has been tracking Chaney (aka Chelmsford) for murdering a Texas senator. Mattie wants revenge, plain and simple, and she insists she will ride with them, even though they try mightily to dissuade her; she determinedly plunges ahead and manages to hold her own as they travel through Indian Territory searching for clues to locate Chaney, who they discover has likely joined the vicious Ned Pepper's gang. On their journey, they meet an assortment of characters good and bad (including thieves and murderers) and make use of their survival skills to combat weather, rivers, and injuries. After they get too close to their quarry, Mattie accidentally runs into Chaney at the river and is taken captive by him, which leads to the final showdown between Mattie and Chaney, as well as one between Cogburn and Ned Pepper.
  Portis writes with a huge sense of humor and deceptively simple language that rings believably true, his characters are human and vibrantly portrayed, with my two favorites, Rooster Cogburn larger than life in his personality and Mattie a determined, plucky teenager who can give as good as she takes, real standouts among his characters. The narrative flows swiftly and effortlessly, and I found myself involved, totally caught up in their adventure, hoping that Chaney would be caught and justice served. I think Portis was smart to have Mattie tell the story looking back over the years, and while the book's ending was not as satisfying to me as the original film version's ending, it was still well done and effectively tied up the strands of the plot. I would happily recommend it for anyone who enjoys stories of the West, coming of age stories, or a good adventure yarn.