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The Pretender

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The Pretender

By: Jo Harkin
Narrated by: John Hollingworth
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Bloomsbury presents The Pretender by Jo Harkin, read by John Hollingworth.

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

‘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©2025 Jo Harkin (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Historical Fiction Renaissance Funny Inspiring Witty Heartfelt Thought-Provoking England War Royalty
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Critic reviews

The Pretender is a vivid, transporting feat of imagination and storytelling, so alive I felt Jo Harkin might be a time traveller (MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD)
Wickedly funny ... The filthy, clever, immersive picaresque about a pretender to Henry VII’s throne that you didn’t know you needed
Clever and wildly entertaining
A gripping study of power steeped in both atmosphere and playful wit
There’s much fun to be had in Harkin’s riotous, mischievous take on a thorny patch in English history ... Funny and furiously imaginative, this is a brilliant debut
The Pretender had me under its spell from the very first page. I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time - the magic of it, the way it transports you, the way you don’t want to say goodbye to the pages as you turn them. I took it with me everywhere for months, I read it on trains and buses and laughed and cried in public many times. A genuinely brilliant voice. I will recommend this to everyone for years to come: to hear what they think, to enrich their lives, and so that they in turn can understand something about me that can only be communicated through the passing on of a good book (YAEL VAN DER WOUDEN)
Billed as “Demon Copperhead meets Wolf Hall”, this historical rollercoaster has a charm all of its own ... A brainy, heartfelt delight
Funny and it’s devastating. I’m having a fantastic time reading it. (YAEL VAN DER WOUDEN)
The Pretender is an absolute delight, at turns funny, moving, filthy and original. Simnel might not win the English crown, but this is a frontrunner for historical fiction book of the year
Fantastically accomplished ... A bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue ... There’s a deep love for literature here which elevates The Pretender above other novels about this period (IMOGEN HERMES GOWER)
Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written, her boldly drawn characters and their reckless, ruthless aspirations make for a hugely entertaining read
Touching and hilarious ... Harkin has immense sympathy for John as he tries to figure out who he really is
Ambitious, mischievous and well-written, Harkin's stand-out second novel's boldly drawn characters and their ruthless aspirations make for an entertaining read
Harkin has loosely based this sparklingly original historical novel on the real life of Lambert Simnel, a pretender to the throne during the early years of the reign of Henry VII, and it’s funny, moving, and filthy in equal measure
An ordinary boy becomes a royal pawn in this gripping 15th-century political drama. The Pretender is smart historical fiction with the emotional pull of Demon Copperhead and the scale of Wolf Hall
Like a Plantagenet Adrian Mole ... Funny, touching, brilliant, unputdownable (JENNY COLGAN)
All stars
Most relevant
Loved this book. The language is powerful and made me laugh out loud. I was fully absorbed in the story from the beginning. I haven’t enjoyed a book so much for ages. Marvellous!!

Brilliant story

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Really different, funny, bawdy and sad. Loved the language and the quality of the narrator. Very well researched.

Original, excellent story

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This is an astonishing piece of art. The narrator absolutely brings every character to life individually but is also the lonely, confused , charming voice of John,Lambert,Edward, and Simnel throughout. It combines humanity, history (as a vehicle of basic fact), philosophy and human loss into a very moving story that haunts the reader for a long time after finishing it. I didn’t want to leave John or the narrator!,

The story of a lost boy and his soul.

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I loved this book, such a great central character and lively writing. Amazing narrator who is so skilled in characterisation but also expresses the wonderful mix of joy, sadness, action and reflection.

Compelling listen

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Engaging storyline, great pacing, interesting use of language. I rationed this book I was enjoying it so much.

Best book this year

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