Faded Glory: A powerful, gritty saga from bestseller David Essex

by David Essex

From a life on the streets to the glory of the boxing ring. London's East End, 1953: Albert Kemp is a lonely widower, whose only son was killed in the war. Now he works in a pub by the railway arches. Downstairs is a traditional bar, upstairs is a famous boxing gym. It is here that Albert brings Danny, a fatherless boy who he rescues from gang life on the streets. But as Danny begins to grow into a champion, the predators start to circle, luring him with glittering promises back into a life of crime. Will Danny listen to his wise old mentor? Or will the prospect of fame and money be too tempting? What readers are saying about FADED 'A powerful yet poignant story.' 'I was gripped from start to finish.' 'This is fiction at it's best.' 'Excellent, couldn't put the book down.' 'I did not want it to end.'

Genres: Fiction

353 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2016

Reviews

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Albert Kemp's son was killed in the war. He is also a widower. It's now 1953 and Albert gets himself a job in a traditional pub. Upstairs there is a famous boxing gym. Albert rescues Danny from gang life and takes him to the boxing gym where Danny shows promise of becoming a champion boxer.

The corrupt world of boxing and match fixing. Will Danny be persuaded back to a life of crime or will his mentor Albert make him listen to reason.

What a good book this turned out to be. Good characters and plot.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Head of Zeus and the author David Essex for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ruth Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story it had a slow start but warmed up in the end

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started well easy read but did lack punch towards the end.

[Victoria Sigsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started off as a very easy read, which it continued to be,but initially I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it or not. The subject wasn't really one I was usually interested in but because it was written by David Essex I wanted to give it a go. There are plenty of plot synopses available. This book is probably suitable for both the male and female audience because of its subject matter and also because it has a family saga type plot. It is also set in the 50s and 60s so another reason why it may have wide audience appeal.
It is always said that authors should write about what they know and clearly David knows about this subject and time period and this certainly comes across well.
I only gave the book 4 however because ,for me, it took a while for it to gather pace, which it did in the last half and also because, even though the characters can easily be distinguished and formed in your head, I felt they were very stereotyped which is fine if that is what you want.
All in all an enjoyable read but not one to necessarily rave over. However, it is certainly a good attempt as a first novel.

[Blair · Rating 1 out of 5]

After chapter one I could already guess the arc this thing was going to take. I borrowed the book to do some research on boxing fiction, not realizing the author was "the" David Essex. Great 70's rock star, not a great writer. Sorry, just not worth your time

[Linda O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Essex is a good writer. This novel was given very good recommendations, so that made me want to read it. Although I wouldn't normally read a book about boxing, I read it because of who wrote it. I'm so glad I did. I suppose that it's more of a mans' book given the subject matter, but I really enjoyed the storyline. It would make a good film or drama. Looking forward to David Essex next book. I know it took him over his deadline to write this, but it was so worth him taking his time over it. Well worth reading.

[Lyndsey Gollogly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting! This came to me in a blind subscription box and it’s not something I would usually pick up. I think I’d have liked to give 3.5 stars so I went with 4 as it deserved a little more than 3. This is a heartwarming story of a grieving father helping a young tear away stay out of trouble with help of boxing. It was an easy read and really enjoyable. Got a bit emotional towards the end I’m not a fan of David Essex but you forget who’s writing. Also I had it finished within 12 hours so that’s always a good sign.

[Rikke's Reading Nook · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not a literary masterpiece but it was a really enjoyable book. It kept the story going with well placed time skips and to-the-point events, no big flourishes with descriptions that lasts pages on end or unnecessary things happening. Everything that was written served a purpose and it was a nice change of pace to most books that tend to go a bit overboard. This book was like a nice cuppa with a biscuit.

[Alexandra Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read - the story of Danny, a boy with seemingly no specific future, drawn into boxing training by Albert, a former boxer, who nurtures him into his first fights. Albert then loses Danny to two sheisters who want to 'manage' him but only manage to introduce him to drink and drugs, dragging him down.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only bought the book because David Essex wrote it and I was worried it would be all about boxing but I actually enjoyed the story which was very touching. I imagined Danny as a young David and Albert as he is now, older but still with a twinkle in his eyes.

[Linda Fallows · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Well written tale about a young boxer’s rise from anonymity to glory. The writing is good and keeps the story going at a good pace, keeping your interest in what will happen next.
David Essex deserves to be a household name for his writing as well as his music.

[Karen Dunmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a truly brilliant, and well written book. I was very excited to receive this book in my 6th box from A Box of Stories as I’d seen others receive it and hoped I would too. Am so pleased I did as I’ve really enjoyed reading Danny’s story.

[Jackie corrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab

I must admit I did just buy this book because it was David Essex but it was actually a good story

[Elaine Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. A tale of the underworld of boxing and a young fighters dream for success. Well worth a read.

[Emily Yates · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seemed like the author was in just as much of a rush to write this book as I was to finish it. Would not recommend.

[Tracey Terrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story with definitely bittersweet moments

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it

Don't be put off if you don't like boxing. I loved this story . Danny's dreams all come true. An easy enjoyable read for both men and women.

[Julie Boon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every day, Albert goes to the park and feeds the ducks, but when he gets knocked into the pond by some local thugs, he doesn’t go down without a fight. When he goes back to his flat wet, cold and feeling a bit sorry for himself, with only his pet bird for company, he feels anger towards the yobbos and wished he could have taught them a lesson!

Danny was one of those teenagers in the park that day, but wanted no part of the brawl with Albert. Instead he meets Albert when he is on his own and Albert tells him he should use his anger in another direction, boxing.

Albert works in the local pub “The Live and Let Live” which has it’s own boxing gym upstairs. He and his friend Patsy train locals and are always on the lookout for the next big thing in boxing and when Danny turns up one day to spar, they are pleasantly surprised by his agility.

Soon Danny is being entered into competitions and dreams of one day turning professional. With a couple of fights under his belt with the help of Albert and Patsy, Danny encounters the likes of two wide boys called Costa and Cohen who entice him into their palms and want him to sign with them to turn professional, much to Albert and Patsy’s disapproval.

Now everyone knows what money, greed and naivety can bring and when Danny wins his first professional fight he loves everything that comes with it including the fame and fortune! But it soon starts falling around his ears and he is in grave danger of losing everything he has ever fought for, including his lovely wife Wendy, his daughter Ruby and also his dear friend Albert.

There is a great twist near the end of this story and to be honest, I didn’t see it coming and had to read the page again as I wasn’t sure I had read it right!!

A lovely story which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I do hope David Essex writes more novels as I loved this one and didn't want it to end!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

good first novel from David Essex. have read his autobiographies and his poetry books and this is just as good. the story is a little like one of his films. he did say in a tv interview that this started out as an idea for a screenplay and then he was approached to write a novel.
would recommend this even if you're not a DE fan like me

[Lynn evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Fantastic read .didn't want to put book down.
Really down to earth read
True to the timeline of book story