The Longest Fight, by Emily Bullock

I have a confession to make. Please don't hate me. I really, really dislike sport. All sport.

I don't watch Wimbledon and I have no idea about football, rugby or golf. And yet...I do quite often watch boxing. Not those tiny teeny lightweight boxers, but the great big heavyweights who dance around the ring landing heavy blows that make me wince. (I was also quite addicted to Thai boxing in Bangkok, going twice a week to Lumpini stadium getting caught up in the betting frenzy).

You can imagine how thrilled I was to get this book. Jack Munday has been fighting all his life. His earliest memories are shaped by the thrill of the boxing ring, but he's grown numb.

He's now a grafting boxing manager. His hopes and ambitions seem realised when he meets a talented young fighter, Frank, and a new girl, Georgie, who inspires him.

Jack is hungry for change and we follow his path with bated breath. The fights, the smells, and the thrills of boxing are very real in this book and the gritty, punchy prose is in keeping with post-war London.

I found myself desperately hoping that Frank wins every fight. And I could feel every bruise and sprain that he endured. There is a ring of truth to this book and I wasn't at all surprised to discover that the author's grandfather was, in fact, a boxer. Great stuff.

Emily Bullock will be appearing at Bookish Supper Society on Wednesday, May 20. For tickets, visit: www.Tabl.com