The Fair Fight

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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