Courtney Ellis's gritty third novel, Flyweight, follows two women in early 20th-century London who enter the boxing ring, battling outer and inner prejudices to participate in the sport they love.
Lucy Cotter, raised as a gentleman's daughter, is proud of her husband Robin's legacy as a boxer, though his experience in the Great War has left him blind and unable to fight or work most jobs. With her family facing eviction, Lucy secretly takes a cleaning position at Robin's former boxing club, where the new owner, Siobhan McCarthy, urges Lucy to begin training with her. Torn between her interest in boxing and society's disdain for women engaging in a "blood sport," Lucy reluctantly agrees to learn the basics. But when the women attempt to stage an all-female exhibition, they come up against naysayers from all sides, possibly including themselves.
Ellis (The Forgotten Cottage) sensitively explores Lucy's inner conflicts: her need to provide for Robin and their daughter, Ellie, and her concern about Robin's reaction to her work at the gym. In addition, Ellis probes Lucy's inner bias against women who box and the sport's contrast to the accepted societal perception of women as delicate creatures. As Lucy gains physical strength and mental toughness, she also develops a fierce determination to show her daughter what women are capable of, even if most people still believe women shouldn't box. Flyweight is a fascinating glimpse into the rise of women's sports and an account of two women fighting hard to prove that change--both social and personal--is possible. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams