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Start giftingThe Fair Fight
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Learn moreThe Crimson Petal and the White meets Fight Club in this page-turning novel set in the world of female pugilists and their patrons in late-eighteenth-century England.
Moving from a filthy brothel to a fine manor house, from the world of street fighters to the world of champions, The Fair Fight is a vivid, propulsive historical novel announcing the arrival of a dynamic new talent.
Born in a brothel, Ruth doesn't expect much for herself beyond 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 meets pugilist patron Granville Dryer and discovers her true calling—fighting bare knuckles in the prize rings of Bristol.
Manor-born Charlotte has a different cross to bear. Scarred by smallpox, stifled by her social and romantic options, and trapped in twisted power games with her wastrel brother, she is desperate for an escape.
After a disastrous, life-changing fight sidelines Ruth, the two women meet, and it alters the perspectives of both of them. When Charlotte presents Ruth with an extraordinary proposition, Ruth pushes dainty Charlotte to enter the ring herself and learn the power of her own strength.
A gripping, page-turning story about people struggling to transcend the circumstances into which they were born and fighting for their own places in society, The Fair Fight is a raucous, intoxicating tale of courage, reinvention, and fighting one's way to the top.
Anna Freeman supported herself during the writing of this book by bartending at the Hatchet Inn in Bristol, the very pub where this female pugilism took root over two hundred years ago. This is her first novel. She lives in Bristol.
Fiona Hardingham is an award-winning actress and audiobook narrator whose credits include work in film, television and theatre. She is the recipient of several AudioFile magazine Earphones Awards and an American Library Association Odyssey Honor, and was listed in YALSA’s Top 10 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults in 2015.
Justine Eyre is a classically trained actress who has narrated many audiobooks, earning the prestigious Audie Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She has appeared on stage and has had starring roles in four films on the indie circuit. Her television credits include Two and a Half Men and Mad Men.
Steve West is an international actor who has starred on London’s prestigious West End stage, including productions of Mamma Mia! and Oh, What a Night! He is widely known for his television and film work in both the UK and US. He has performed for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and currently hosts his own television show for the UK live from Los Angeles.
Reviews
“Steve West portrays the upper-class men…Fiona Hardingham uses a broad accent to portray Ruth, a lowborn bare-knuckle pugilist…[and] Justine Eyre portrays Charlotte’s parts with a smoky voice and crisp accents…Hardingham, Eyre, and West join forces to enthrall, repel, and horrify listeners.”
“A hugely exciting and entertaining novel, written with warmth, charm, authority, and, above all, terrific flair.”
“The Fair Fight breathes, shouts, and swears, confident in its form and bold as brass in its execution.”
“Freeman’s familiarity with this rough and raunchy period of history and her wonderfully imagined cast of characters, often down but never out, make this a brilliant debut novel.”
“[A] cracking debut…A lively, rambunctious read.”
“Outstanding…It is a nuanced portrayal of class and gender equality that will keep readers eagerly turning the pages…Thoroughly entertaining and highly recommended.”
“Great characters and wild turns of events make this book a knockout.”
“Fighting (literally) for their own place in the world, they discover a strength they never knew they had.”
“Freeman cleverly uses Ruth and Charlotte to show how nineteenth-century women, no matter their circumstances, had few choices in their lives. Her evocation of the seedier aspects of Georgian England is persuasive, even for readers who don’t know a cove from a cull.”
“In sensuous, evocative prose, The Fair Fight wholly captures the spirit of eighteenth 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.”
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