In clear and vivacious prose, Louise Walsh has created a tale of one woman's courage, struggle and triumph in a male-dominated sport and in her own life.

Stori fywiog am ddewrder, ymdrech a buddugoliaeth un wraig ym myd bocsio - camp sy'n cael ei rheoli i raddau helaeth gan ddynion.

Louise Walsh’s debut novel, Fighting Pretty, offers a unique insight into the world of women’s amateur boxing in Wales through the eyes of its feisty protagonist, Lizzie.

Lizzie has had a tough time of it. As a child, she was ‘a plain, shy loner with tombstone teeth and tumbleweed hair’, trying to navigate the tempestuous seas of a family ‘shredded by discord’. Her father is a withdrawn depressive given to bouts of rage, who is constantly placated by her timid, self-effacing mother. Her younger sister, rather than being a sibling ally, is deeply jealous of Lizzie and vies with her for any positive attention that might be going. Lizzie understandably escapes into an early marriage that is a predictable failure, further undermining her low self-esteem.

It sounds bleak but Lizzie is both a fighter and a wise woman who refuses to allow herself to slip into the self-destruct mode of imploding anger. Instead, she gets herself both a life and a surrogate family in the world of amateur boxing. Her grandfather had worn the red shirt of Wales as a member of the national boxing team; Lizzie’s goal is to do the same.

Although occasionally lacking in pace, Walsh’s story paints a convincing and sympathetic picture of a young woman determined to overcome her inner demons and prove herself against the prejudices of a society in which so many men still believe in the ‘abject weakness of women’. You just can’t help rooting for her!

Suzy Ceulan Hughes

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.