True Grit

A plucky Arkansas lass seeks vengeance for her father's murder accompanied by crusty, one-eyed Marshal "Rooster" Cogburn. The basis for the popular John Wayne movie, this high-spirited comic novella paints an unforgettable portrait of a girl with uncommon courage, heart, and sense. Mattie Ross, portrayed by Donna Tartt, tells her own story. Herself a respected novelist and poet, Tartt, whose authentic Southern accent and high youthful voice fit the character well, does an effective reading. Still, it would be a bit better if she had more finely tuned comic timing and managed to convey that the Mattie who tells the story is a bit older and wiser than the Mattie whose adventures she relates. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine