Historical fiction book · Curated
True Grit
Charles Portis · historical fiction
In the winter of 1878, fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross leaves Yell County for Fort Smith after Tom Chaney shoots her father, Frank, and rides off into Indian Territory with his horse and his money. Charles Portis’s 1968 novel is Victorian adventure historical fiction of the hunt she will not delegate—one-eyed deputy marshal Rooster Cogburn, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, and Ned Pepper’s gang in the Winding Stair Mountains.
Why read it: A widely searched western—the Portis title readers look up by name (and both films), and an Indian Territory counterpart to Lonesome Dove already on the shelf.
About this historical novel
True Grit by Charles Portis is historical fiction set around 1878 in the Victorian / Gilded Age period with key settings including Fort Smith, Dardanelle, Yell County, Indian Territory. In the winter of 1878, fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross leaves Yell County for Fort Smith after Tom Chaney shoots her father, Frank, and rides off into Indian Territory with his horse and his money. Charles Portis’s 1968 novel is Victorian adventure historical fiction of the hunt she will not delegate—one-eyed deputy marshal Rooster Cogburn, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, and Ned Pepper’s gang in the Winding Stair Mountains.
On HisFic we tag it under 6. Adventure & epic and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include revenge, the law, grit, the frontier, and coming of age. A widely searched western—the Portis title readers look up by name (and both films), and an Indian Territory counterpart to Lonesome Dove already on the shelf.
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Plot summary
In the winter of 1878, fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross leaves Yell County for Fort Smith after Tom Chaney shoots her father, Frank, and rides off into Indian Territory with his horse and his money. Charles Portis’s 1968 novel is Victorian adventure historical fiction of the hunt she will not delegate—one-eyed deputy marshal Rooster Cogburn, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, and Ned Pepper’s gang in the Winding Stair Mountains. A widely searched western—the Portis title readers look up by name (and both films), and an Indian Territory counterpart to Lonesome Dove already on the shelf.
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Eras
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Regions & places
North America
Fort Smith · Dardanelle · Yell County · Indian Territory · Arkansas
Themes
- revenge
- the law
- grit
- the frontier
- coming of age
Tags
adventure · classic · bestseller