F. X. Toole Libri

'Ring Magic Is Different From The Magic Of The Theatre, Because The Curtain Never Comes Down - Because The Blood In The Ring Is Real Blood, And The Broken Noses And The Broken Hearts Are Real, And Sometimes They Are Broken Forever. Boxing Is The Magic Of Men In Combat, The Magic Of Will, And Skill, And Pain, And The Risking Of Everything So You Can Respect Yourself For The Rest Of Your Life.'The Hermetic World Of Boxing Is Notoriously Difficult For Outsiders To Understand, Though It Has Provided A Source Of Fascination To Numerous Writers, Including Norman Mailer, A. J. Liebling, Joyce Carol Oates And Ernest Hemingway. F. X. Toole Is A Dazzling New Writer With A Fresh And Original Voice, Who Has Been A Boxing Professional For Over Twenty-Five Years. Rope Burns, A Collection Of Short Stories And A Novella, Is Written From This Unique Perspective.

Dan Cooley has buried his beloved wife of 40 years and all of his children. The responsibility of single-handedly raising Tim Pat, his only grandson, is the one thing strong enough to rescue him from loneliness and despair. When Dan, a legendary boxing trainer, schools his eight-year-old grandson in 'the sweet science', he sees a natural athlete emerge, the possibility of an Olympic medal and the validation of a sport to which Dan has given his greatest gifts. When a cruel twist of fate intrudes on his plans, Dan is plunged into the blackest of depressions. Meanwhile, Eloy Garza, a has-been fighter battling his own demons in the shape of a morphine bottle, struggles to prevent his grandson, Chicky, from being taken in by the crime, drugs and corrupt trainers of San Antonio's boxing circuit. Without admitting that he once met Dan Cooley in the ring - in a fight that ended both men's careers and left them haunted by their shortcomings - Eloy sends Chicky in search of the gifted trainer and cut man, knowing that Chicky's only chance at greatness lies far beyond Eloy's meagre reach.Set in towns where violence is the norm and success stories take on an almost mythic importance, POUND FOR POUND is an old-fashioned novel with a heart, peopled with unforgettable characters - bloody but unbowed - who ultimately find solace in one another.

'Ring magic is different from the magic of the theatre, because the curtain never comes down - because the blood in the ring is real blood, and the broken noses and the broken hearts are real, and sometimes they are broken forever.