Description

Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition

‘An absolute delight … Funny, moving, filthy and original … A frontrunner for historical fiction book of the year’ The Times
‘A bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue’ Guardian, Book of the day
‘A vivid, transporting feat of imagination’ Maggie Shipstead
‘Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart – I loved it’ Sarah Waters
‘Brilliantly buoyant, clever, funny, original, vivid, witty’ Joanna Quinn
‘The Pretender has everything: history richly drawn, amazing characterisation, humour, wit, vigour and bravery’ Emma Stonex
‘I found myself laughing out loud at the sheer brilliance of Harkin’s sentences’ Victoria MacKenzie

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Kill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.

The year is 1483 and England is in peril. The much-despised Richard III is not long for the throne, and the man who will become Henry VII stands poised to snatch the crown for himself. But for twelve-year-old John Collan, living in a remote village with his widowed father, these matters seem far away.

But history has other plans for John.

Stolen from his family, exiled – first to Oxford, then to Burgundy, and then Ireland – and apprenticed to a series of unscrupulous political operators, he finds himself groomed for power; not as John Collan, but as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – and rightful heir to the throne.

Far from home at the Irish court, preparing for a war that will see him become king or die trying, John has just his wits – and the slippery counsel of his host’s daughter, the unconventional Joan – to navigate the choppy waters ahead.

Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens.

‘Wickedly funny… A work of genius, a wellspring of laughter and sorrow, a feat of time travel, and a feast of language’ Karen Russell
‘Raw, beautiful and true … I loved it’ Leah Redmond Chang
‘An absolute thumper … Funny and filthy and brave and brilliant’ Marianne Levy
‘Superb, exhilarating and heartbreaking’ Linda Porter
‘I couldn’t put it down’ Tracy Borman

Publisher Review

The Pretender is a vivid, transporting feat of imagination and storytelling, so alive I felt Jo Harkin might be a time traveller -- MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD A brilliantly buoyant, funny, clever novel ... Takes us from rural Oxfordshire to the great palaces of Europe, showing us how history is shaped by strong characters and convincing lies, while Jo Harkin's writing is consistently original, vivid, and witty. It's Glorious Exploits meets Wolf Hall - and I completely loved it -- JOANNA QUINN A brilliant piece of historical storytelling that's also gorgeously irreverent, contemporary and fun. Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart - I loved it -- SARAH WATERS I blazed through full of wonder and admiration ... the writing is searingly confident, the sense of time and place dizzyingly good, the dialogue ribald and the description elegant ... I loved every single page ... The Pretender has everything: history richly drawn, amazing characterisation, humour, wit, vigour and bravery. It's magnificent -- EMMA STONEX This tale of power, loyalty and treachery is told with vim and verve - I found myself laughing out loud at the sheer brilliance of Harkin's sentences. A book that's intelligent, bawdy, vivid and profound, I enjoyed it so much. A masterful novel -- VICTORIA MACKENZIE The Pretender is the real deal - nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring. It pulses with life. I loved it -- KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE Harkin brings Lambert to vivid life in her novel, and it's a must read for historical fiction fans * Town & Country, The Best Books to Read This April * For fans of Hilary Mantel: a bawdy work of medieval historical fiction that tells the little-known story of Lambert Simnel, a peasant boy who, at 10 years old, discovers he is the secret heir to Richard III's throne * TIME, Here Are the 15 Books You Should Read in April * Raw, beautiful and true ... I loved it -- LEAH REDMOND CHANG This Tudor-era historical novel is drawing comparisons to Wolf Hall * New York Post * One of those books you read and know you'll get kind of overly passionate about and weird everyone out ... An absolute thumper ... It's fantastic. It's funny and filthy and brave and brilliant. And it feels so very true ... It's just astonishing how immersive this world is, how quickly and deeply I found myself in the past. It's twisty and compelling, with a wickedly subversive streak and a hearo who is so full of heart. I never wanted it to end -- MARIANNE LEVY What Jo Harkin has accomplished in The Pretender left me awestruck on every page. I had no idea that a medieval historical novel could be this wickedly funny, this timely and timeless. A work of genius, a wellspring of laughter and sorrow, a feat of time-travel, and a feast of language -- KAREN RUSSELL With The Pretender, Jo Harkin transports readers all the way back to the 15th century ... This gripping story follows a young man, a puppet for the Tudor detractors, who is thrust into the world of aristocracy-and all the dangers and deceit that come with it * E! News * Jo Harkin is a unique voice. In this superb imagining of the life of the Pretender, Lambert Simnel, she takes us to the heart of early Tudor England. At turns exhilarating and heartbreaking, it is a wonderful historical novel -- LINDA PORTER This captivating novel casts dramatic new light on the turbulent world of the first Tudor king and those who plotted to bring him down. At its heart is a human story that has been waiting to be told for centuries. I couldn't put it down -- TRACY BORMAN Praise for Jo Harkin: Pure pleasure * THE TIMES * Extraordinary, gripping, inventive ... I'll never forget it -- EMMA STONEX Incredibly nicely written ... Jo Harkin writes really well about human beings. I really enjoyed it -- MARIAN KEYES Sharply, beautifully written * NEW YORK TIMES * Intriguing, frightening, witty and humane * WALL STREET JOURNAL * Suspenseful, richly imagined, and brimming with compassion ... A feat of ingenious, intricate world-building -- JESSAMINE CHAN