The Fair Fight

Freeman, Anna

ISBN 10: 148152030X ISBN 13: 9781481520300

Publisher: Blackstone Pub, 2015

Synopsis

The Crimson Petal andthe White meets Fight Club inthis page-turning novel set in the world of female pugilists and their patronsin late-eighteenth-century England.Moving from a filthy brothel to a fine manor house, from theworld of street fighters to the world of champions, The Fair Fight is a vivid, propulsive historical novel announcingthe arrival of a dynamic new talent.Born in a brothel, Ruth doesn't expect much for herselfbeyond abuse. While her sister's beauty affords a certain degree of comfort,Ruth's harsh looks set her on a path of drudgery. That is until she meetspugilist patron George Dryer and discovers her true calling--fighting bareknuckles in the prize rings of Bristol.Manor-born Charlotte has a different cross to bear. Scarredby smallpox, stifled by her social and romantic options, and trapped in twistedpower games with her wastrel brother, she is desperate for an escape.After a disastrous, life-changing fight sidelines Ruth, thetwo women meet, and it alters the perspectives of both of them. When Charlottepresents Ruth with an extraordinary proposition, Ruth pushes dainty Charlotteto enter the ring herself and learn the power of her own strength.A gripping, page-turning story about people struggling totranscend the circumstances into which they were born and fighting for theirown places in society, The Fair Fightis a raucous, intoxicating tale of courage, reinvention, and fighting one's wayto the top.

About this title

Review:

"A ripping fine yarn . . . . Thoroughly entertaining and highly recommended." Library Journal
The Fair Fight is a hugely exciting and entertaining novel, written with warmth, charm, authority and, above all, terrific flair. I loved it. New York Times-bestselling author Sarah Waters

In sensuous, evocative prose, The Fair Fight wholly captures the spirit of 18th century Bristol's female pugilists and their patrons. An absorbing, bawdy tale of passion, class conflict and surprising friendship, it's a fabulous piece of writing. national-bestselling author of The Painted Girls, Cathy Marie Buchanan

Anna Freeman's familiarity with this rough and raunchy period of history and her wonderfully imagined cast of characters, often down but never out, makes this a brilliant debut novel. The Times (London)

Truly bears comparison with Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White as first-time author Freeman brings the 18th century to throbbing life, in an immersive novel rich with extraordinary characters and a cracking plot. The Bookseller
Lively and original. The Sunday Times (London)

Enthralling. Times Literary Supplement
[A] cracking debut . . . A lively, rambunctious read. Sunday Express
Brash and brave and unflinching- a violently satisfying read drawn as tight as corset stays. BookRiot

From the Hardcover edition."

Book Description:

For fans of Sarah Waters and THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE, a vibrant tale of female boxers and their scheming patrons in 18th-century Bristol.

About this edition

• Publisher: Blackstone Pub
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 148152030X
• ISBN 13: 9781481520300
• Binding: Audio CD