Helpful Score: 2
The Coen brothers claim that their recent remake (2010) of the original John Wayne movie version of this book is different because, according to them, THEIR version is based more closely on the novel. So I read the novel. The Coen brothers are full of garbage... the original movie is almost word-for-word, scene-for-scene, taken straight from the original novel. And the novel is REALLY wonderful. This is a richly-illustrated, true Western adventure novel; one of the best I have ever read. Charles Portis does a masterful job of bringing his characters to full and vivid life, to the point that they almost walk right off the pages. Whether you're a fan of the John Wayne classic, or a fan of the Coen brothers' remake, or even if you've never seen either film, you should definitely read this book.