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freedommwrites's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Such a wonderful book, I laughed, cried got angry and felt nostalgia all at once. Can't wait to reread to gain even more insight. Loved this
wordsmithreads's review
4.0
Fighting is all about watching and reading and knowing where they are gonna go next. It's about seeing where the space is before they fill it: the size of the space tells you how they are gonna fill it up with a shot. It is about hearing their breathing: in when they pull back, out when they let go.
I remember walking around a Barnes and Noble, months ago, and seeing this book in the New Fiction section. I picked it up because of the absolutely gorgeous cover, and the blurb sounded interesting, so I put it on my TBR. There it has sat since it was released last March. No more!
Annie, our protagonist, is a young Romi girl who is sold when she's about 10. Her mother is pregnant, newly widowed, and has several other children to look after. Annie is purchased (adopted, more like it) by a Romi man, Bill Perry, who is a retiring boxer. Bill essentially becomes Annie's father, and as she grows into a young woman, she learns all sorts of things about the world around her — how to run an alehouse, how to box, how to hold her ground, how to read, and how to navigate the world as a young woman pugilist in the mid 1800s.
There are some far-fetched adventures in this, I will admit. Especially in the latter part of the book. But I loved Annie and Jem, Bill and Janey. I found myself fairly invested in the boxing matches, even though I am not a fan of boxing — maybe I just need to time travel to the 1800s and watch bare-knuckle fights?
A fast read for anyone who wants something mostly light though there are a few heavy topics (potential triggers behind the spoiler [
But looking up at the sun glowing through the leaves, and hearing the scutter of sparrow wings, I saw the underside of everything and I knew I was going somewhere that day like them martins knew they was destined for a journey.
I remember walking around a Barnes and Noble, months ago, and seeing this book in the New Fiction section. I picked it up because of the absolutely gorgeous cover, and the blurb sounded interesting, so I put it on my TBR. There it has sat since it was released last March. No more!
Annie, our protagonist, is a young Romi girl who is sold when she's about 10. Her mother is pregnant, newly widowed, and has several other children to look after. Annie is purchased (adopted, more like it) by a Romi man, Bill Perry, who is a retiring boxer. Bill essentially becomes Annie's father, and as she grows into a young woman, she learns all sorts of things about the world around her — how to run an alehouse, how to box, how to hold her ground, how to read, and how to navigate the world as a young woman pugilist in the mid 1800s.
There are some far-fetched adventures in this, I will admit. Especially in the latter part of the book. But I loved Annie and Jem, Bill and Janey. I found myself fairly invested in the boxing matches, even though I am not a fan of boxing — maybe I just need to time travel to the 1800s and watch bare-knuckle fights?
A fast read for anyone who wants something mostly light though there are a few heavy topics (potential triggers behind the spoiler [
Spoiler
some racism again Romi people including use of the slur g*psy, time-appropriate sexism since women didn't yet have the right to vote, violence since they are boxers and there is always alcohol around, brief mention of parent death/child death/institutionalization/suicideBut looking up at the sun glowing through the leaves, and hearing the scutter of sparrow wings, I saw the underside of everything and I knew I was going somewhere that day like them martins knew they was destined for a journey.
magicofthepages's review
adventurous
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jellifysh's review
DNF at 26%
It's not a bad book! If you think about it (and if mid-19th-century fistfighter stuff is your thing), it's probably a pretty book too. I'm sure if you liked Peaky Blinders, you'll like Featherweight.
It just didn't work out for me. For one, while I'm aware that "wench" is an old-timey word for woman, I just couldn't get used to it. Or the entire writing style. This may be completely reliant on me not being an English speaking native, but I had the hardest time with Kitson's style. It's probably very different from his other novel, Sal, since that one's a contemporary one, so I won't judge (much) for the writing.
The book starts in. Honestly, I already forgot. But the first chapter or two were not about the story the synopsis promised. I think it's future Annie telling a servant about her life? Not entirely sure though. After that, we're thrown into the past, where Annie is being sold because her family is starving, and gets bought by bareknuckle fighter Billy/The Slasher, who pronounces her his daughter from second one.
I'm fairly sure this is a "it's me not you"-scenario, so do not let yourself be influenced too much by my review. I didn't yet get to the whole... Well, a whole lot probably, because I feel like this moved very little plot wise, in the first quarter. But please, judge for yourself.
@Canongate and NetGalley: Thank you guys for this ARC!
It's not a bad book! If you think about it (and if mid-19th-century fistfighter stuff is your thing), it's probably a pretty book too. I'm sure if you liked Peaky Blinders, you'll like Featherweight.
It just didn't work out for me. For one, while I'm aware that "wench" is an old-timey word for woman, I just couldn't get used to it. Or the entire writing style. This may be completely reliant on me not being an English speaking native, but I had the hardest time with Kitson's style. It's probably very different from his other novel, Sal, since that one's a contemporary one, so I won't judge (much) for the writing.
The book starts in. Honestly, I already forgot. But the first chapter or two were not about the story the synopsis promised. I think it's future Annie telling a servant about her life? Not entirely sure though. After that, we're thrown into the past, where Annie is being sold because her family is starving, and gets bought by bareknuckle fighter Billy/The Slasher, who pronounces her his daughter from second one.
I'm fairly sure this is a "it's me not you"-scenario, so do not let yourself be influenced too much by my review. I didn't yet get to the whole... Well, a whole lot probably, because I feel like this moved very little plot wise, in the first quarter. But please, judge for yourself.
@Canongate and NetGalley: Thank you guys for this ARC!
emiliakennedy's review
3.0
When I initially pick this book up I thought the plot sounded really interesting, thought us seemed to have a bit like a female peaky blinder + Romani traveler vibe. Unfortunately this book fell a bit short for me there was nothing the felt like the driving force for the plot and read as if someone were simply recounting there life story in a slightly bland way. There is a lot of potential in this book that I think the author didn't tap into sadly.
xnikkiheart's review
3.0
This was another book I contemplated DNF-ing. It had such great promise and then... just fell flat. I think the worst part was how slow it started, I didn't really get excited about anything until maybe 75% of the way through and it was just a push to get there. Not my cup of tea.
Thanks to #NetGalley and publishers for the ARC of #Featherweight in exchange for the honest review.
Thanks to #NetGalley and publishers for the ARC of #Featherweight in exchange for the honest review.
lory_enterenchanted's review
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
Really loved the atmosphere, characters, and voice of this one. The way it switched from Annie's first-person narration to third-person was a little jarring and unexplained, but I shrugged it off as I was enjoying the story overall. I think the plot could have used a boost, however; there is a love story with absolutely no tension, for example. Sweet but quite boring. It seemed the author wanted to bring in excitement through fistfights, but I started to skip the blow-by-blow descriptions as those also are dull for me. Others may differ!
More interesting was when Annie was first learning to fight and she described it as a process of reading. I would have appreciated more on that theme. She did learn to read, as well, but there was not much about that except her gushing about how lovely Burns and Wordsworth were.
Really loved the atmosphere, characters, and voice of this one. The way it switched from Annie's first-person narration to third-person was a little jarring and unexplained, but I shrugged it off as I was enjoying the story overall. I think the plot could have used a boost, however; there is a love story with absolutely no tension, for example. Sweet but quite boring. It seemed the author wanted to bring in excitement through fistfights, but I started to skip the blow-by-blow descriptions as those also are dull for me. Others may differ!
More interesting was when Annie was first learning to fight and she described it as a process of reading. I would have appreciated more on that theme. She did learn to read, as well, but there was not much about that except her gushing about how lovely Burns and Wordsworth were.
teveritt's review
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25