True Grit by Charles Portis
1 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Backlist Burndown, Charles Portis, tenacious reader, True Grit, Western
Just finished reading True Grit which is one of those stories that I’ve wanted to read for ages and in fact had sitting by the side of my bed for about 3 or 4 years! Recommended by a good friend. In truth I don’t read a lot of western type stories and yet the few I have read I’ve enjoyed and True Grit is no exception. It’s just an incredibly good story, a bit of a coming of age tale really, told in retrospect by a woman called Mattie Ross.
I’m going to give you an example of the first few sentences which give you an idea of what Mattie is really like:
“People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father’s blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day. I was just fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robbed him of his life and his horse and $150 in cash money plus two California gold pieces that he carried in his trouser band.”
For me, that snapshot gives a really good idea of the writing style and the character that you will be introduced to with Mattie. It also pretty much sums up the story which is about Mattie finding her father’s killer, with the help of a US Marshall called Rooster Cogburn.
I’m not going to go further into the story because there are plenty of very excellent reviews already out there and on top of that the book has been successfully adapted to the big screen twice so I’m sure most people will already have an idea.
What made this book so enjoyable for me was a combination of plain, economic and yet effective writing, excellent characterisation and effortless world building that brings to life this strange and austere world coupled with very sharp dialogue that brings a certain comedic element in to play.
Now you might be thinking that with a 14 year old main protagonist this isn’t for you but Mattie is an intelligent girl who knows her own mind. She’s not stubborn – she just knows what she wants to achieve and systematically goes about making it happen. She’s not an emotional character at all and I think I really liked that about although in fact it did puzzle me at first, particularly how well she took the murder of her own father, but then the other thing with this story is it is being told by Mattie some considerable number of years later and so I suppose it’s easier to relate the story in a methodical and unsentimental manner. Whatever the case may happen to be, I really liked the narration and think Portis does a fantastic job of bringing this western to life.
Without a doubt Mattie and Cogburn steal the show. A detached 14 year old with a sharp tongue and an old curmudgeonly, drunken Marshall who would sooner shoot first and ask questions later. And, it’s not just that these two are such good characters but it’s also the strange bond that they seem to develop. Of course the story has other characters thrown in for good measure such as Chaney and Lucky Ned Pepper, plus LeBoeuf, the Texas ranger who is bounty hunting Chaney and manages to join up with Cogburn in the search.
I have to admit that if all westerns are this good I really could become quite addicted!
I would certainly recommend this and also, if you like what you read, you might also want to give Patrick DeWitt’s Sisters Brothers a look at. All that remains to be said is:
“Fill your hand you son of a bitch”
As this is a book I’ve taken from my tbr I’m adding this to my Backlist Burndown – which you can check out over at Tenacious Reader. (I’m a little late – should really have posted yesterday!)
Oh, and for the record – I really liked the John Wayne version of Rooster – nothing wrong with Bridge’s version of course but that’s my opinion.
The Six Gun Tarot by R S Belcher
21 January 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Golgotha, R S Belcher, The Six Gun Tarot, Western
Just finished reading The Six Gun Tarot by R S Belcher. This is a very unusual book with a lot going on to keep you occupied.
We start in the desert with Jim and his horse Promise. They’re lost and won’t last many more miles but Jim is determined to keep on going and get his horse and himself to safety. They’re eventually picked up by a bit of a rescue mission lead by the Deputy Sheriff of Golgotha.
At this point I had no idea what to expect. Jim’s story is quite intriguing and the beginning gently draws you in and is really quite engaging. Then you reach the strange town of Golgotha and from thereon in anything seems, and actually is, possible.
Basically, there is a strange and evil presence held deep within the confines of Golgotha, an evil so old that if it is released it will undo creation. And, this evil is stirring. It’s drawing to it the weakminded. It’s like a magnet for all things corrupt and yet it also attracts other strange powers who are subconsciously drawn to the magic that lurks beneath the hills.
On the face of it The Six Gun Tarot is a western, based in Nevada in the 1860s. The town’s sheriff is a mystery – he bears scars round his neck and seems impossible to kill. His deputy, Mutt, is also an oddity with strange connections to the wild coyotes. On top of this we have a town guardian and a Mayor who has a secret hidden in the tunnels beneath his house and if this wasn’t enough to keep you occupied, we have some unusual Chinese magic involving a jade eye, a secret assassin and member of an ancient order (trained by a pirate if you will) and a local shop, whose owner has a reanimated body kept in the rooms above, nice (and remind me not to shop there for me vittles!). Lots of secrets in this little town and if you like plenty going on you can’t fail to be impressed. The action starts up fairly quickly and once it does it pretty much keeps up a fairly consistent pace.
Now, all that being said I did come away with slightly mixed feelings and more of a lean toward ‘like’ than ‘love’ and I think the main reason for this is that I felt I didn’t get to spend enough time with the characters and find out more about them. I also thought that some of the explanation in relation to the magical elements was left a little too vague, some of the dialogue could have been a bit sharper and I definitely had unanswered questions. I thought we got a fairly good look into Jim’s past and it was interesting and well defined but I would have liked more of the same in relation to some of the other inhabitants. However, and here’s the thing, I think the author has a reason for this – I could be wrong of course, but this book feels like the perfect set up for further stories set in Golgotha where more time would be spent with the main characters already introduced and to give time to build up their individual stories. I actually hope that this is the case. I think that if this is the first in a new series it will definitely be somewhere that I would like to revisit and see how the characters grow. Not to mention I have quite a few queries – for example, what on earth is going on in the graveyard? It won’t be the first time that I’ve started a series with slight niggles or doubts and I think this is perfectly reasonable if the author intends to take us back.
Anyway, part western part horror, sprinkling of sci fi and plain weird, dash of supernatural, mix together with a bit of theology and finish it off with a grand finale involving a zombie-type break out and you have a rough idea of what’s going on (and put like that it does seem a bit ambitious doesn’t it and perhaps the author should have gone a bit more slowly, maybe held back a few ideas but you certainly can’t say it’s dull).
So, will I be disappointed if this is the end of Golgotha? Yes, I want to know more. I want to see how the author develops this. I definitely want to read more about Jim and see if we find any more out about his remaining family and I want to see how Maude and Mutt progress. If this is a standalone novel I will be slightly more disappointed as I don’t feel it’s fully complete. Lets wait and see then!
I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
29 August 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers, Western
Just finished reading The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt and will say what a great read this was, in spite of my reservations!
Firstly, great cover, secondly, great name and thirdly – one of the characters is called Herman Kermit Warm – which frankly sealed the deal! My intrigue-ometer was off the chart. Anyway, aside from that one of my very good friends, who has introduced me to so many good books over the years, recommended this, in fact she specifically said ‘I would love it’ (with that ‘or else’ tone!) And, I actually did which was a BIG surprise to me.
Okay, the reason this was a surprise? This is a western and I’m not really a Cowboys and Indians type of reader but sometimes you just have to put the comfort blanket aside. The story is told by Eli Sister (yes, that’s the surname). Eli and his brother Charlie are a couple of guns for hire working out of Oregon for the chief honcho, The Commodore. Their latest mission, which they have chosen to accept, is to travel to San Francisco and kill said Herman Kermit Warm (HKW).
In between Oregon and San Francisco they become involved in a number of scrapes along the way that usually end with some form of violent altercation (frequently ending up quite badly for the other character or characters involved) until they finally reach their destination and things get turned on their head.
The characters – the brothers are brilliant to read. The dialogue between the two is highly entertaining. I’ve read that this book has a comedy (dark) element – I definitely wouldn’t class this as a comedy but the conversation between these two is very effective. The way the two brothers are written is plain and simple, as is the description of place, and yet the author manages to conjure them perfectly. I never had any problems imagining either of them and they’re also joined by some other entertaining characters along the way. Again, all easy to picture.
This is a simple and quick read with a good story that unfolds at a decent pace. You see, basically, Eli is starting to question this way of life. Why are they going to kill HKW? Wouldn’t a quieter life be easier? They could try it for 12 months. Their reputation doesn’t really lend itself to a quiet life after all. He’s started to seek out a bit of female companionship – although this doesn’t come natural to him and his brother seems to enjoy the lion’s share of any attention to be had. Eli, is apparently a bit portly and enjoys his vittles. This definitely lends quite a bit of humour as he becomes probably the first gun fighter come hired assassin that I’ve ever read about who is on a diet. Bless his grubby little socks!, On top of that he seems to be developing not only a conscience about his fellow man but also a bit of compassion for his animals, or in this case his horse! Inconceivable!!
Anyway, to cut a long story short, the boys end up in SanFrancisco during 1850’s gold rush. Patrick deWitt also does a great job of capturing the essence of the fever and hysteria. He shows families gone to wrack and ruin over blood lust and the levels that people sink to for a bag of gold.
There certainly isn’t a shortage of killings or ‘ick’ moments, but, I didn’t find any of it off putting. It’s just not gratuitous and is told in a very matter of fact way – ‘this is how people lived so get over it’ – sort of style.
I really can’t fault this and thought it was very entertaining. I would definitely recommend it regardless of if you think you like westerns or not. Well written, good story, entertaining, great dialogue and two brothers who you feel compelled to follow on their journey.
The Sisters Brothers
Books and travelling with Lynn 