As should be the case for all good titles, there are several ways to understand the title of the The Fair Fight.

Of course, it is first and foremost a reference to boxing, which is the guiding thread of the whole narrative, but it is in many ways only a secondary theme, albeit a strong one. In any case, Freeman's 18th century Bristol is a grim and eminently unfair world, where even those members of society that could be thought of as privileged end up having to face almost insurmountable odds.

Perhaps a more apt explanation for the use of the word "fair" is as a reference to the phrase "the fair sex." Although the women in the story are as lacking in beauty (either moral or physical) as its men, the book focuses principally on the fights waged by women.

The two main characters, Ruth and Charlotte, are possibly the ones fighting the hardest (be it against their own nature, circumstances, or the patriarchy), and the ones ultimately coming closest to some sort of victory. The book is certainly a paean to the underdogs and the downtrodden who find strength in themselves and in each other, forging links of solidarity against the odds, in what truly isn't a fair fight.

In theory, this should be an unputdownable page turner of a book. It has pretty much everything - great characters, a solid plot and good writing - but the vital spark is somehow missing at its heart. Even if Freeman is particularly adept at rendering the electric excitement of the fights.

Perhaps the oddly concatenated structure where each section, presenting the points of view of different character, partially overlap each other, without bringing enough important new information to justify those constant set backs. This unfortunately gives the book the ponderous gate of a heavy-weight, rather than the fleet agility of a flyweight.

I can't quite tell what it was but something held me back from fully immersing myself and truly enjoying the book, which is quite unfair, if you ask me.