"Sparked by the true story of London's first female bare-knuckle prize fighter, this brilliant novel blazes with survival, sisterhood and surprising bonds of love."
Thrillingly entertaining, and radiant with unexpected floodings of the heart, along with the magic of folks who put their lives on the line for one another, Gillie Basson’s Undefeated is gloriously gratifying. Pugilism has never been so exhilaratingly portrayed, and rarely has a story of 18 th -century grit, corruption, sisterhood and survival been so fulfillingly told.
Often described as an “Amazonian virago”, female fighter Elizabeth resolves to change her life when her husband is hanged for murder: “With Robert gone, I’ve decided to leave the fighting world and try to start afresh. If only a fresh start would present itself. The only thing fresh is the tankard of gin in front of me”.
Trouble is, Elizabeth simply loves fighting: “I like punching someone in the face. It’s a useful release from everything else. All my life, it seems, all I’ve known is fighting”, so even after finding unfulfilling employment as a seamstress, its lure is hard to resist, not least when 11- year-old pickpocket Halfinch keeps turning up to tell her what a fighter she is, and how she doesn’t belong in a haberdashery, But, in typically Mae-West-quipping style, Elizabeth tries to stick to her guns: “I’m my own woman and my choices are my own — even if they are the wrong ones.”
As things turn out, Elizabeth finds a new trainer and manages to stay off the gin to become Championess of England. Her transformation from a very hard drinking, very hard hitting, straight-talking loner to a still-hard hitting, still-straight-talking woman of huge heart and compassion is absolutely joyous, albeit through a succession of tragic injustices that’ll have you reaching for a big box of tissues. What a knockout of a novel.
A novel inspired by London's first ever female bare-knuckle prize fighter
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
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Closing date: 31/10/2026
A novel inspired by London's first ever female bare-knuckle prize fighter ‘I remember the first time I hit someone.’ In the gritty world of 18th-century London, Elizabeth Wilkinson-Stokes rises from the depths of poverty to become a legend in her own time. When her abusive husband’s execution leaves her alone in the merciless streets of St Giles, Elizabeth is thrust into a London she never knew existed.
Undefeated features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Debuts, Star Books, Historical Fiction, Fiction
Paperback. £10.79, down from the £11.99 cover price. In Stock.
Undefeated was written by Gillie Basson and published by Whitefox Publishing Ltd
£10.79, reduced from £11.99. In Stock.
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