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Featherweight

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A compelling story of overcoming all the odds, and a woman centuries ahead of her time, set on the canals of nineteenth-century England
  • 05 April 2022
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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.

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Price: $18.00
Pages: 304
Publisher: Canongate Books
Imprint: Canongate Books
Publication Date: 05 April 2022
Trim Size: 7.80 X 5.08 in
ISBN: 9781838851958
Format: Paperback
BISACs: FICTION / Literary, Historical fiction, FICTION / Sea Stories, FICTION / World Literature / England / 19th Century, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: Sense of place
REVIEWS Icon
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

Annie is a lively, appealing character and there is plenty more to enjoy in Kitson's narrative

A no-holds-barred portrait of an English town despoiled by the Industrial Revolution

A rollicking historical novel set in the Black Country during the Industrial Revolution . . . Offers plenty to enjoy

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



A wonderful novel . . . The themes of Kitson's plot also revolve around themes of rejection, lost hope, vulnerability. But in Annie it also shows us a strong woman, way ahead of her time who decides she can also turn her hand (or fists) to pugilism

Praise for Sal: Kitson writes clearly and concisely . . . Sal is an ambitious and skilled novel. Literature needs more stories like this
— JENNI FAGAN

Daring and original . . . Manages to feel both contemporary and timeless, both heart-rending and uplifting

Just wonderful. A breath of fresh air in a book. Sal is a story with incredible heart, told so beautifully and with such clarity and grace I can hardly believe it's a debut! I loved it
— JOANNA CANNON, author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP

Sal is an inspiring novel that feels honest and fastidious. It introduces the theme of redemption and fresh beginnings without shying from the awful truth
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.