Available Formats
Paperback, Export/Airside - Export/Airside/Ireland
Published: 20th July 2021
Hardback, Main
Published: 3rd August 2021
Paperback, Main
Published: 12th April 2022
Featherweight
By (Author) Mick Kitson
Canongate Books
Canongate Books
12th April 2022
6th January 2022
Main
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary
Narrative theme: Coming of age
Narrative theme: Sense of place
823.92
Paperback
304
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 18mm
205g
'A gleeful, page-flipping read' - Observer
'The ultimate summer escape' - New York Times
One wrong move, one misstep, and the course of a life can be changed for ever.
Annie Perry is born beside the coal-muddied canals of the Black Country at the height of the industrial revolution. At nine years old she is sold for six guineas to the famous and feared bare-knuckle boxer Bill Perry, the Tipton Slasher. From that moment on, Annie will fight - for Bill and for her future.
A whole new world opens up to Annie, one of love, fortune and family, but also of great danger.
'A punchy historical yarn . . . [Kitson] has a fine time with Annie and the Slasher - warm, memorable creations who come punching off the page . . . Featherweight transports the reader to the tough, rapidly industrialising world of the 19th-century Black Country, with its old canals and new railways, the soot of the forges and strikes at the nail factories, via lushly detailed, rhythmical descriptions . . . A gleeful, page-flipping read . . . A rollicking tale, one you'll be glad to take a ringside seat for' - Observer
'Annie is a lively, appealing character and there is plenty more to enjoy in Kitson's narrative' - Sunday Times, Best New Historical Fiction
'The ultimate summer escape . . . Sweeping . . . Will transport you to 19th-century England' - New York Times
'A rollicking historical novel set in the Black Country during the Industrial Revolution . . . Offers plenty to enjoy' - Daily Mail
'
Kitson creates a Dickensian flavour through Black Country dialogue, a strong sense of place (a smut-blackened
industrial town), and colourful characterisation. Detailed descriptions of what goes on in the ring add suspense . . . Readers will love rooting for this great little fighter who easily punches above her weight . . . Compelling
' - Booklist
Mick Kitson was born in South Wales, and studied English at university before launching the prolific 80s pop band, The Senators, with his brother Jim. He worked as a journalist for several years, then went on to become an English teacher. His debut novel, Sal, was the winner of the Saltire First Book Award. Mick lives in Fife, Scotland.