We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the library. Find a location near you.

The Fair Fight: A Novel
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)

Book Cover
Average Rating
5 star
 
(0)
4 star
 
(1)
3 star
 
(1)
2 star
 
(0)
1 star
 
(0)
Published:
Penguin Publishing Group 2015
Status:
Available from OverDrive
Description
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPAGE AND LIBRARY JOURNAL
The Crimson Petal and the White meets Fight Club: A 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 George 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.
Also in This Series
Formats
Adobe EPUB eBook
Works on all eReaders (except Kindles), desktop computers and mobile devices with reading apps installed.
Kindle Book
Works on Kindles and devices with a Kindle app installed.
OverDrive Read
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Like This
Other Editions and Formats
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
04/14/2015
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780698167971
ASIN:
B00L9B7W2I
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Anna Freeman. (2015). The Fair Fight: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Anna Freeman. 2015. The Fair Fight: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Anna Freeman, The Fair Fight: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group, 2015.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Anna Freeman. The Fair Fight: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group, 2015.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
LibraryOwnedAvailable
Shared Digital Collection11
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
5419bce0-07a0-c346-f496-583ba6fbee36
Go To Grouped Work
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 18:14:33
Date Updated:
Dec 06, 2020 02:46:36
Last Metadata Check:
Mar 24, 2024 09:42:57
Last Metadata Change:
Jun 04, 2023 14:50:51
Last Availability Check:
Mar 24, 2024 09:43:00
Last Availability Change:
Aug 27, 2023 10:28:41
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Mar 27, 2024 02:11:40

OverDrive Product Record

images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1523-1/{C33DBB34-1D40-40FB-8BFE-E9E93E6DBF5E}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1523-1/{C33DBB34-1D40-40FB-8BFE-E9E93E6DBF5E}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1523-1/C33/DBB/34/{C33DBB34-1D40-40FB-8BFE-E9E93E6DBF5E}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1523-1/C33/DBB/34/{C33DBB34-1D40-40FB-8BFE-E9E93E6DBF5E}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
formats
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780698167971
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • identifiers:
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B00L9B7W2I
      • name: Kindle Book
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780698167971
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • id: ebook-overdrive
mediaType
eBook
primaryCreator
    • role: Author
    • name: Anna Freeman
title
The Fair Fight
dateAdded
2015-12-04T11:13:00-05:00
contentDetails
      • href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=1778941
      • type: text/html
      • account:
          • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
          • id: 1151
sortTitle
Fair Fight A Novel
crossRefId
1778941
subtitle
A Novel
id
c33dbb34-1d40-40fb-8bfe-e9e93e6dbf5e
starRating
4.1

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain
False
formats
      • fileName: TheFairFight_9780698167971_1778941
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 2814265
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780698167971
      • rights:
            • type: Copying
            • value: 0
            • type: Printing
            • value: 0
            • type: Lending
            • value: 0
            • type: ReadAloud
            • value: 0
            • type: ExpirationRights
            • value: 0
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • onSaleDate: 4/14/2015
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/fair-fight-c33dbb?.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: TheFairFight_1778941
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 0
      • identifiers:
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B00L9B7W2I
      • name: Kindle Book
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • onSaleDate: 4/14/2015
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/fair-fight-c33dbb?.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: TheFairFight_9780698167971_1778941
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 2814233
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780698167971
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-overdrive
      • onSaleDate: 4/14/2015
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/fair-fight-c33dbb?.epub-sample.overdrive.com
keywords
      • value: Victorian
      • value: Friendship
      • value: literary fiction
      • value: george
      • value: Historical
      • value: romance
      • value: needlepoint
      • value: bar
      • value: society
      • value: Boxing
      • value: baby
      • value: Fiction
      • value: novels
      • value: class
      • value: Charlotte
      • value: Coming of age
      • value: women
      • value: pub
      • value: Historical Fiction
      • value: mystery
      • value: Drama
      • value: England
      • value: tavern
      • value: Tom
      • value: brothel
      • value: prostitute
      • value: perry
      • value: literature
      • value: Ruth
      • value: Alternate History
      • value: fiction books
      • value: historical novels
      • value: pugilism
      • value: historical fiction novels
      • value: cross stitching
      • value: historical fiction books
      • value: books historical fiction
      • value: realistic fiction books
      • value: books fiction
      • value: books for women best sellers
      • value: novels for women best sellers
creators
      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Freeman, Anna
      • name: Anna Freeman
imprint
Riverhead Books
publishDate
2015-04-14T00:00:00-04:00
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
The Fair Fight
fullDescription
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPAGE AND LIBRARY JOURNAL
The Crimson Petal and the White meets Fight Club: A 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 George 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.
reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        April 27, 2015
        In this period novel, Freeman introduces readers to two diametrically opposite Englishwomen of the early 19th century. First is Ruth Downs, who is born and raised with her sister, Dora, in a brothel in Bristol called "the convent."Deemed not attractive enough to serve the brothel's clientele, Ruth accidentally stumbles upon a career as a bare-knuckle boxer fighting men for money. Her patron, Granville Dryer, is also Dora's regular client. The second woman is the well-born but pox-scarred Charlotte Sinclair, who marries Dryer to get away from her debauched brother, Perry. She finds life as a married woman boring, but one day, while attending the St. James's Fair, she is transfixed by the sight of Ruth in the ring. When Dryer decides to promote Ruth's boxer husband, Tom Webber, this brings Charlotte into contact with Ruth, who secretly teaches Charlotte how to box and becomes her sparring partner. But Tom's bad showing in London changes the game for all involved. Freeman cleverly uses Ruth and Charlotte to show how 19th-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. But the narrative fails to follow through on the promise of its premise, and the melodramatic pile-up of domestic and romantic entanglements overwhelms the more exciting story of what happens inside the prize ring.

      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        Starred review from March 1, 2015
        A lady boxer, a poxy lady and a louche pretty boy tangle in 18th-century England."I'd like to say that my beginnings were humble, but they weren't beginnings, because I never really left them but for a short while." This is Ruth, and the birthplace and lifelong home she's referring to is a Bristol whorehouse known as "the convent." When her older half sister, Dora, is drafted at "12 or 13" into the ranks of their mother's "misses," plain-faced Ruth feels left out and jealous, not least of the big, fat piece of bacon Dora now rates at the breakfast table. The tension erupts into a catfight, which the gentleman patrons witness with such enthusiasm that it's moved to the yard outside and bets are placed. One of the onlookers is a fellow named Dryer; he becomes the patron of both girls, Dora at the brothel and Ruth in the boxing ring. (In the Author's Note of her debut novel, Freeman writes that lady pugilists were just one of many rough entertainments common in the nasty, smelly 1700s, so brilliantly evoked here.) Through Dryer, Ruth will eventually meet the two other main characters of the story, both of whom take turns with her in telling it. One is Charlotte Sinclair, an upper-class young woman who was terribly marked by childhood smallpox; she ends up married to the awful Dryer. The other is George Bowden, a schoolmate of both Dryer and Charlotte's brother Perry; George's good looks far surpass his moral character. Gamblers, drinkers, fighters, hookers; the fancy, the rowdy, the rude-Freeman does a wonderful job of spinning this furious yarn, in which the fury of women plays the lead role. Great characters and wild turns of events make this book a knockout.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        January 1, 2015

        Born and raised in a brothel in Bristol, the lumpish and unattractive Ruth is considered unsuitable to become a lady of the house, so it is fortunate that her early signs of talent for scrappiness leads to some success as a professional pugilist. In this sweeping 18th-century saga, her story is intertwined with two others: that of George Bowden, the well-born youngest son of a family from whom he will inherit neither title nor fortune and who comes to depend on the largess of his schoolboy friend and lover, Perry Sinclair, and of Perry's sister, Charlotte. Charlotte is a smallpox survivor whose fortunes are considerably diminished by her facial scarring and who is kept firmly under the thumb of her irascible brother until he marries her off to a mean and neglectful husband. These three characters find their lives converging in the boxing arena--Ruth, as a fighter and later as the supportive wife of an aspiring champion; Charlotte, with a developing fascination for the sport, both as a spectator and a would-be participant; and George, as a gambler hoping that a big win will secure his future. VERDICT This debut, a ripping fine yarn, will have particular appeal to fans of recent Austen-era hits such as Jo Baker's Longbourn and P.D. James's Death Comes to Pemberley. Thoroughly entertaining and highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 10/27/14.]--Barbara Love, formerly with Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.

        Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        Starred review from January 1, 2015

        Born and raised in a brothel in Bristol, the lumpish and unattractive Ruth is considered unsuitable to become a lady of the house, so it is fortunate that her early signs of talent for scrappiness leads to some success as a professional pugilist. In this sweeping 18th-century saga, her story is intertwined with two others: that of George Bowden, the well-born youngest son of a family from whom he will inherit neither title nor fortune and who comes to depend on the largess of his schoolboy friend and lover, Perry Sinclair, and of Perry's sister, Charlotte. Charlotte is a smallpox survivor whose fortunes are considerably diminished by her facial scarring and who is kept firmly under the thumb of her irascible brother until he marries her off to a mean and neglectful husband. These three characters find their lives converging in the boxing arena--Ruth, as a fighter and later as the supportive wife of an aspiring champion; Charlotte, with a developing fascination for the sport, both as a spectator and a would-be participant; and George, as a gambler hoping that a big win will secure his future. VERDICT This debut, a ripping fine yarn, will have particular appeal to fans of recent Austen-era hits such as Jo Baker's Longbourn and P.D. James's Death Comes to Pemberley. Thoroughly entertaining and highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 10/27/14.]--Barbara Love, formerly with Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.

        Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        November 15, 2014

        Having had great advance notice, including rave reviews upon its publication in the UK, this debut novel lands with a punch--quite literally, since its subject is female pugilism in late 18th-century England. Brothel-born Ruth won't triumph in the demimonde, lacking the beauty of her sister, Dora, but at a tender age she meets pugilist patron George Dryer and becomes a huge success as a bare-knuckle fighter in the prize rings of Bristol.

        Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

popularity
198
links
    • self:
        • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/c33dbb34-1d40-40fb-8bfe-e9e93e6dbf5e/metadata
        • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
id
c33dbb34-1d40-40fb-8bfe-e9e93e6dbf5e
starRating
4.1
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1523-1/{C33DBB34-1D40-40FB-8BFE-E9E93E6DBF5E}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1523-1/{C33DBB34-1D40-40FB-8BFE-E9E93E6DBF5E}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1523-1/C33/DBB/34/{C33DBB34-1D40-40FB-8BFE-E9E93E6DBF5E}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1523-1/C33/DBB/34/{C33DBB34-1D40-40FB-8BFE-E9E93E6DBF5E}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
isPublicPerformanceAllowed
False
languages
      • code: en
      • name: English
subjects
      • value: Fiction
      • value: Literature
      • value: Historical Fiction
publishDateText
04/14/2015
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9781594633294
mediaType
eBook
shortDescription
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPAGE AND LIBRARY JOURNAL
The Crimson Petal and the White meets Fight Club: A 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 George 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...
sortTitle
Fair Fight A Novel
crossRefId
1778941
subtitle
A Novel
publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
bisacCodes
      • code: FIC014000
      • description: FICTION / Historical / General
      • code: FIC019000
      • description: Fiction / Literary
      • code: FIC043000
      • description: Fiction / Coming of Age