The Pretender

by Jo Harkin

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

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, British Literature, Book Club

460 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 22, 2025

Reviews

[Teres [on hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slept through high school history class? Allow me to refresh your memory.

Wars of the Roses: a conflict between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, two rival branches of the Plantagenet family, vying for control of the throne in 15th century England.

Ring some bells? Alrighty then…

The Pretender by Jo Harkin tells the story of Lambert Simnel and the Plantagenet uprising against Henry VII in 1487.

Our eponymous protagonist is John Collan, the youngest son of an Oxfordshire farmer.

When John is ten-years-old, a nobleman and a priest from London arrive to the farm and inform John that he’s actually the 17th Earl of Warwick — hidden in the countryside in infancy to keep him safe — and the rightful Edward VI.

The little pretender gets swept off to Oxford, Burgundy, and finally Ireland, where he is trained for his royal destiny.

Filled with bawdy humor, witty dialog, and clandestine political meetings and schemings, The Pretender is an entertaining read. Certainly, much more captivating than high school history class.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pretender has everything I want from historical fiction - it tells a great story, teaches me something and has characters I enjoy. And it does all this with a healthy dose of humor. The story is based on Lambert Simnel, also known as Edward, Earl of Warwick. The son of the Duke of Clarence, with a claim to the throne, he was raised in obscurity by a farmer to prevent Richard III from treating him like the princes in the Tower. But in 1480, at age 10, he’s taken from the only life he’s ever known. He becomes a pawn for the York side in the War of the Roses. Even after Richard’s infamous death, there is a movement to place him on the throne occupied by Henry VII. When that goes awry, Henry forgives him and makes him a spy.
Harkin has done an excellent job placing the reader in the time and place of late 15th Century England, Burgundy and Ireland. The language has just enough of the old style to give you a feel without being incomprehensible. And it’s a hoot - lots of bawdy terms to keep you chuckling.
Lambert/Edward struggles with his identity and learning whom to trust. And with each passing identity, he becomes more and more jaded and bent on revenge. He recognizes that he’s been used by multiple sides.
In Ireland, he encounters Joan, a determined young woman not afraid to do whatever it takes to get her way. In a book filled with great characters, she was my favorite. If this were a movie, she’d be nominated for best supporting character.
The book has a lot to say about political power, about religion, about revenge and justice. It’s a book that gets darker as it goes along.
I do hope that the author adds an Author’s Note before publication. I’m always curious about the research that goes into an historical fiction account.
My thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 stars rounded up

The Pretender is based on the true story of Lambert Simnel, an imposter who claimed to be Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, to gain the English crown.

This historical fiction novel gives a voice and a deeper understanding of a misunderstood historical figure. I loved John as a main character and Joan was truly remarkable! Deeply poignant, humorous, and even a few twists, the book is very well written filled with literary prose. With dimensional characters and vivid settings, this historical fiction novel isn't one I will be forgetting anytime soon!

I'm not sure how historically accurate Jo Harkin’s account is but you can tell she researched the time period extensively. Historical fiction and literary fiction readers are going to love this one!

I truly could not put this one down so I alternated between reading the book myself and listening to the audiobook. The audiobook is read by John Hollingworth who did an amazing job. If you decide to pick this one up, I highly recommend this format!

The Pretender by Jo Harkin will be available on April 22. A massive thanks to AA Knopf for the gifted copy and Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished Jo Harkin's The Pretender last night. I was so, so close to the end and wanted to finish, but kept drifting off and almost dropping my ereader each time I woke up with a judder. The Pretender is one of those books that's wonderful from the start, the kind where one wants to whisper "Please stay this good. Please stay this good." over and over while reading. And it did stay that good. It may even have gotten better.

The Pretender is full of the sorts of elements I love: a pretender to the English throne (no real surprise there); language close enough to modern to make it a comfortable read, but also with some great period vocabulary that I found delightful; lots of humor—some straightforward, some cruel, some heartbreaking; and questions of goodness and goals and power in a time so far from ours that it's completely different and familiar all at once.

The novel begins in the lead-up to the battle between Richard III and Henry VI that ends with Richard's tragic death ("A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!") and Henry's ascent to the throne. Unlike Shakespeare's Richard III, The Pretender isn't a story of one hero and one villain. It's a story of many, many characters, including a few women—some in beyond their depth, others expert in the political machinations of the time.

And then there's the Pretender himself, who goes through a number of name changes during the book, but I'm going to stay with Lambert Simnel, since that's the name most familiar to me. Raised on a farm (and known as John at the time), Simnel finds himself handed over by the man he thought was his father to a minor cleric who is entrusted with educating him in both scholarly and courtly knowledge. Simnel is told he's the real son of George, Duke of Clarence, (brother to Edward IV and Richard III), and he's being prepared to rise to his rightful rank, triumphing over Richard or Henry, whichever one of them is in power when Simnel is ready to be revealed and crowned as Edward VI. (Edward V was one of the two princes who died in the Tower of London.)

There is however another potential Edward VI, the boy who has been raised as Clarence's legitimate son. Simnel has been told the two of them were switched at birth, with the "real" Edward actually being a decoy of sorts. In fact, Simnel never knows who he truly is. Is he royalty? Is he a usurper being manipulated by anti-Henry VI Yorkists? Is he just another expendable decoy in what could be a long line of such boys?

We readers have the pleasure of watching Simnel emerge from unsophistication and innocence to a young man deeply troubled by all he's learning about politics and war to a... and I'll stop here because I don't want to deprive anyone of the pleasure of reading the book in their own sort of lectorish innocence.

I know without a doubt that The Pretender will be on my list of best books of 2025. It's just that good.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

[Constantine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction

When The Pretender was made available for advanced reading on NetGalley, I couldn’t resist requesting it. This historical novel is set at the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and the beginning of the Tudor reign. The story reimagines the life of Lambert Simnel, who was used for the Yorkist rebellion against King Henry VII.

It starts with Lambert being known as John, the twelve-year-old peasant boy, who one day is taken away by a stranger claiming he is the son of George, the Duke of Clarence (killed by his brother King Edward IV). The stranger says the boy’s identity was hidden to protect him from threats.

Lambert is then sent to Oxford to get the education he needs as a royal heir. Through his eyes, we follow his journey that is filled with danger, obstacles, political intrigue, self-discovery, and hunger for power.

The worldbuilding in this novel is so rich and vivid. The author did a terrific job drawing a clear picture of all the aspects of this world, whether it is the court, social structures, the nobility, or the medieval feel of it. Everything is well explained and described. The book is also beautifully written, like literary fiction.

Being told during a turbulent period of England’s history ensures the story has lots of deception, backstabbing, uncertainty, and twists that complement the political ambitions of the involved characters. The characters are complex and multilayered, making them perfect for the story.

I enjoyed reading the story because I have enough background about many of the characters in this book. Those unfamiliar with the Plantagenet and Tudor eras should read about their conflict and the War of the Roses before reading this story. I don’t know how much I would have liked this book or understood the events if I had no idea about the characters and their historical background. If you are a big fan of historical fiction of that era, you should not skip this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

[Brice Montgomery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC!

Jo Harkin’s The Pretender is a fascinating piece of historical fiction that can’t quite manage its narrative ambitions or tonal swings.

Inspired by the kind of rich, under-explored historical footnote that is perfect for the genre, The Pretender, set in the late 1400s, follows a peasant boy named John Collan who suddenly learns that he is royalty and in line for the crown. Or is he? Throughout his life, he is given different names, held up as an icon, and pulled in countless directions as he double-crosses his way through different factions in order to stay alive.

Thematically, Harkin gets at something interesting here—what does it even mean to be a self when one’s self is constantly redefined for others’ purposes? Who is Simnel outside of a weapon? In a political climate where vulnerable people are constantly used as tokens, it’s resonant to see an author attempt to examine the impact that has on an individual, even if Harkin never quite pulls it off.

A solid chunk of the book is defined by anachronistic bawdiness reminiscent of media like Hulu’s The Great. It might seem odd to mention a TV show here, but Harkin’s writing has a similarly glossy sheen, often seemingly desperate to prove that history can be interesting and worth reading because people were a little naughty back then. If you’ve ever seen a Shakespeare play that tries to make the material accessible by stressing how horny and funny it is, you’ll understand the reductionism at play here. Additionally, many of these scenes linger a little too long on young teenagers, and they feel fetishizing rather than like a natural exploration of clumsy, burgeoning sexuality.

The ultimate problem, however, is that The Pretender isn’t nearly as clever as it thinks it is. Aside from the aforementioned issues, Harkin peppers her writing with so much archaic language that it feels confused rather than authentic—like when someone has learned a new word and wants to fit it into every conversation. Similarly, there are some truly insufferable suggestions of winking self-awareness that mask a goofy self-importance. For example, Simnel reflects on what people will say about him in 1,000 years, and a character encourages him to “write his story.” Maybe it wouldn't feel trite in a better book, but it's embarrassing to read here.

Narratively, the book just can’t sustain its nearly 500-page runtime. After countless, leering sex scenes and penis jokes, it’s more than a little difficult to stick with Harkin when she tries to depict Simnel’s journey from farm boy innocence to bloodthirsty corruption. It reads less like escalating stakes and more like a desperate bid for readers to take the book seriously about halfway through. It’s the kind of change that might work in a series of books, but its execution feels incoherent here.

By trying to be so many things, the book ends up being, well, not much of anything.

Perhaps it's fitting that The Pretender struggles to find an identity, but I’m not sure it’s a struggle that's worth participating in.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of fifteenth century British historical fiction will love this book. This lengthy story is well researched, and the dialog is very authentic to the time and place. It was a time in history when the royal heirs to the throne in England carried the names of Richard, Edward, or Henry. The ruling families were Plantagenets, Lancasters, Yorks, and Tudors. There were arrests, imprisonments, murders, and beheadings around every corner for treason, or threats to unseat the current monarch. Even fake heirs, or pretenders, were brought forward by ambitious and greedy men looking to elevate themselves in the royal hierarchy and replace the king.

As a small boy, John Collan was raised on a farm, when at the age of ten he was taken away from his family and tutored by a priest at Oxford. His name was changed to Lambert Simnel (which would follow him into the history books). Many believed that John/Lambert was the son of George, the Duke of Clarence, who was executed by his brother, King Edward IV. A few years later, Lambert Simnel is sent to Ireland to learn politics, literature, fencing, and the social graces he would need to take his place as Edward, the Earl of Warwick and eventually rule as King Edward VI. But is Lambert the true heir or is he a pretender? Who really knows? What will end up being his destiny?

Even though I devoured all of the Plantagenet and Tudor novels by Philippa Gregory and the Thomas Cromwell series by Hilary Mantel, I continually struggled with reading THIS book and almost gave up on it a number of times. I was intrigued by the route that John/Lambert/Edward/Simnel's life took and the mystery surrounding all of the treachery. However, I found that there were way too many characters, and the weighty dialog was filled with too much "bawdy" humor and risqué language.

I ultimately felt that I was not the right reader for this book. Luckily, many other reviewers saw this book differently and I would encourage prospective readers to definitely check out their reviews, but to be watchful for spoilers.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Knopf publishing for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pretender imagines the story of Lambert Simnel, a pretender to the throne of England and a threat to the newly established reign of Henry VII. He was the figurehead of a Yorkist rebellion against the House of Tudor.

The story begins in 1480s England with John growing up in a village, believing that his father is Will Collan, but everything changes when he is told that a rich man wants to pay for him to study.

When the rich man arrives, he’s accompanied by a younger man and introduced as Maister Richard Simons, a scholar and priest, who is to take over John’s education. Not only that, Maister Richard informs John that he was John Collan, and now, he is Lambert Simnel – something that, of course, makes no sense to John. It is then explained that he is actually the son of George, the Duke of Clarence. By title, he is the earl of Warwick, meaning next in line to the throne. Nothing makes sense to the boy who thinks of himself as a peasant.

Oxford becomes his new home, but it’s far from feeling like the house he knew and misses. In exchange for this new life, he is told that he has a larger purpose.

Maister Richard is responsible for teaching the boy about history and courtly manners. Alongside his studies, he learns about the current situation involving the Tudor pretender to the throne, Breton Henry, as the unpopular King Richard faces pressure from those who wish to replace him. The boy may not understand all the scheming, but he does understand that he doesn’t want to be the next in line to be struck down from the throne. So he prays for Richard to stay long on the throne.

As power shifts like the wind amid political machinations, Lambert struggles with his identity and destiny. Is he a peasant boy or son of a duke? The changes in his name to protect him only create further confusion.

Written poignantly with literary prose, The Pretender explores the struggle of a young man whose identity becomes a pawn in the hands of ambitious men. These men, driven by political intrigues, tensions, constant scheming, and chaos, make it even harder for Lambert to find his footing. When he finally finds love, giving him a sense of stability, it, too, is shaken. Thus, The Pretender portrays a man who constantly questions his own identity.

The Pretender masterfully captures the mysterious figure of a peasant boy who claimed to be an heir to the throne, weaving a narrative filled with heartache, humor, conflicting loyalties, and the struggle of self-identity.

The story is written with such style that it takes a moment to get into it. There is crass humor and sexual escapades. The story has some slow moments and some highly engaging.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jsiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweeping saga that always moves along just when you think it's not going to. John/Edward has such a rich character arc... his pain over not knowing who he is follows him throughout...his narrative slowly making him more jaded, manipulative and calculating then the poor conflicted boy that was trying to belong and wondering where he could belong. I liked how complex and cunning Joan was... it made for strong intrigue. There were many layered characters... all of which you feel sorry for at one point at least.... even though they were not the most kind ones.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

But what then?" Lambert asks.' If I can't be a king, why bring me here?
"You really don't know anything, do you?' Maister Richard marvels. 'Nobody loves Richard. His reign is wrackful and shaky.
Henry will probably kill him. Then he'll have to kill firstly Richards son, secondly the Earl of Lincoln, and thirdly the Earl of Warwick He can't have stray York heirs around; no one would accept him over them, little Breton nobody that he is. Anyway, the people will make a great mourn for the dead supposed-Earl of Warwick, as they do the two princes. And that's when we bring you out: the true boy. Kill the wretch Henry. Make you king?

Shortlisted for the 2026 Winston Graham Prize for historical fiction with a sense of place
Shortlisted for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction

 
Hollow Crown meets Philippa Gregory meets The Winter King with distinct shades of A Little Trickerie and Ayra Stark.
 
The War of The Roses is one of my favourite periods of history – equalled only by the late Republic/early Imperial phase of Roman History with which it interestingly shares the same rather bewildering changes of power underpinned by shifting alliances of powerful figures and by rulers who range from near dictatorial to mere puppets.  My favourite ever Board game - Kingmaker (named of course after the Earl of Warwick and his dynastic manipulations) captured the sense of nobel houses using those with claims on the crown of England as – quite literally – playing pieces brilliantly.
 
My love of that period was reignited by Philippa Gregory’s “Wars of the Cousins” series – a series of books which retold the story of the wars through some of the astonishingly influential, but typically in her view under-looked by traditional male historians, women (such as Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret of Beaufort).  Often Gregory based her work on either deconstructing long standing slanders to the likely truth behind them or by digging out historical documents/out of print biographies which give more clues to their motivations and influence (so much so that she eventually wrote a respected non-fiction volume based on her research).  The best non-fiction book on the period though is in my view Dan Jones “The Hollow Crown” which brilliantly places the Wars of the Roses in the middle of a wider century long period.

And all that is a prelude to this novel – which in some ways takes Gregory’s technique but applies it to a marginalised male player – “Lambert Simnel”, who was claimed to be the real 17th Earl of Warwick smuggled away by his notorious father George, Duke of Clarence (legendarily infamously executed by drowning in a butt of wine) at birth – with the young Earl of Warwick imprisoned by Henry VII in the Tower an imposter. 
 
Dan Jones – like most historians – dismisses Simnel as a clear imposter, a peasant boy with a clear family resemblance identified and educated, spirited to Ireland and turned into an unwitting figurehead for a Yorkist uprising which ended with a failed invasion and comprehensive military defeat.  Harkin though – and as an aside I am not convinced her historical research is anything like the level of Gregory’s and the book lacks any contextual historical afterword an no list of sources) – does borrow on part of Clarence’s attainder in which he is accused of a failed plot to spirit his son away and substitute him with a peasant and in essence poses the question of whether he actually succeeded.
 
And cleverly she tells the story of Simnel – who is never sure and never discovers if he is an imposter or genuine royalty and who as a result ends up neither one nor the other (for example unable to freely marry women as he is either too low or too high born for them).
 

Yes, it grieves me sore to say, your true father was a marvellous knave and then he lost his wits. Obviously, we all pray that you'll he different. Though that's an interesting question, isn't it? What's in the blood, and what's in the mud. Your inheritance is madness, your learning is peasantry. But once we've scrubbed all the dung off well see what you really are?

 
He starts as a young boy – John Collan – growing up as a farmer’s son although always sensing a distance from his father, taken away by a mysterious Noble (who much later turns out to be the Earl of Lovell – the real life leader of the plot whose fate post defeat was never known) to Oxford (still while Richard is king and before his defeat by Henry) where he is given the name Lambert as a code to be educated, and from there after Henry’s post-Bosworth ascension to Ireland to the court of Lord Kildaire where he is crowned and proclaimed King, then to the brief and disastrous Landing and from there to Henry VII court where she uses and combines the story of him both as a spit turner and falconer (rather cleverly no ending the story there but instead continuing it by coming up with the idea of Henry adding Simnel to his group of informers/agents/spies which Thomas Penn’s non-fictional “The Winter King” captured so well).
 
The book has a relatively quiet and almost melancholic start before in Ireland turning into an entertaining and rather bawdy tale – enlivened above all else by Kildaire’s rather feral and foul mouthed (think Tibb of the Women’s Prize longlisted “A Little Trickerie” but with a higher social status making) daughter with who Lambert falls in love, and then in Henry’s court to a sometimes complex but engrossing and historically embedded tale of agents/double agents/double crossing albeit with Simnel now indulging in a slightly too Ayra Stark reminiscent recitation of those who have wronged those close to him and on who he is seeking to (and does) gain violent revenge.
 
But overall this was an enjoyable, well paced and engaging novel – albeit one I think more likely to appear on the Walter Scott and Women’s Prize (perhaps especially the latter) than the Booker.
 

You misunderstand. Only threats to the throne are killed. This is your public confession. Which will be about how you were born to low people, before a greedy priest of no significance trained you as a pretender, and a few easily fooled nobles were tricked - but now they are dead, and nobody of importance betrayed their sovereign king, and the affair is entirely over?' They've written it already.
He only has to copy it out in his own writing and sign it. As he holds the quill he remembers his dream of being another Julius Caesar, a king who writes history.
He signs.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would kill for him.

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this, but I have been wanting to branch out of my typical genres. I'm glad I did! This was such an intriguing novel. I'm not a history guru, so I can't expand on the historical accuracy of this book. However, I loved it from the start. It truly gripped me, and I loved the writing style. I was entranced by it from the start, and the twists just kept reeling me in. Such a wonderful historic fiction novel!

I won this from a Goodreads giveaway. All if the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting historical fiction. The book is based on a figure in history for whom not much is known, however he did play an important role during King Henry VII’s reign.

The book begins in 1483 in the country with a small lad, John Collan. Soon enough his days of serenity and certainty of knowing who he is are over. At the age of ten, John discovers that the man who was raising him was not his father and he is Edward, the earl of Warwick. He is removed from the farm and all he knows and loves to be educated to be the future king, the hope of England.

Through the book, at each stage his name changes and who he has to become. He is not safe, the King spies could be anywhere, so he is moved about from time to time while he grows before all is ready for him to challenge the throne.

I really enjoyed the book. The way the story was told, the language and words used, I mostly enjoyed. The one, well two, caveats, it was fairly crude at times and a lot of cussing. The cursing may have been okay, but at times it was so jarring and modern it felt anachronistic. Yet there were often words such as distroubled, annon, and astonied, which made the book feel like it took place centuries ago.

It was a fairly sad book, for what happened to John, turned Edward, turned Simnel. The later part of the book I did not enjoy as much, how things went, but it seemed inevitable.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job. He managed the various accents and characters in such a way that I was impressed by the ability and quality. I may just have to look for another book by the narrator.


Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have all have heard the story of the Prince’s in the tower but have you heard about Lambert Simnel, who was believed to be heir to the throne of HenryVII.
In 1483 young John Collan lives on his father’s farm when a stranger comes to visit his father. John is taken from the only family he knows and learns that he is not the son of Will Collan but the son of the deceased Duke of Clarence.
He has been hidden for his own protection. He is taken to Harvard to be educated. His name is changed to Lambert Simnel . He becomes a pawn of the York’s
Little is known of the true story of Lambert Simnel., who was a figurehead of the 1487 Yorkist rebellion.
King Henry VII brings him to court where he becomes a spy
This is a beautifully written book told from the point of view of Lambert. It was very interesting reading about his life as this was not the life he wanted.
Joe Harkin did a wonderful job of capturing the 15 century England. The medieval language was astounding and funny at times. It was amazing how Lambert grew and who the person he became.
It is a compelling story I loved reading this hardcover copy which I won in a goodreads promotion.
Historical fiction at it’s finest

[Darcia Helle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m an outlier with my thoughts on THE PRETENDER.

What I enjoyed:

- The historical period
- The author’s take on this often overlooked piece of history
- The historical accuracy

What I didn’t enjoy:

- I felt removed from the emotions. The writing is very much the telling of a story, rather than an immersive experience.
- Pacing dragged, with lots of unnecessary detail, especially throughout the middle.
- Lots of focus on sex; wanting it, wondering about it, asking about it. I get that our MC is an adolescent throughout much of the book, but I do not want to spend hours in an adolescent boy’s wet dream.
- It seemed like every single character had a p*nis fixation. Characters, male and female, were constantly remarking on or joking about p*nises. Seriously, you could cut 100 pages if you removed all the p*nis references. There’s a fine line between occasional bawdy humor and the creepy uncle telling the same dirty jokes at a family party. We were in creepy uncle territory.

I wound up borrowing the audiobook because this book is chunky, and honestly, I was kind of bored. John Hollingworth does a fantastic job with the narration. There are tons of characters in this book, and he managed to give them all distinctive voices without sounding cartoonish.

*Thanks to Knopf for the free hardcover copy!*

[Tim O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the disadvantages of knowing a reasonable amount about a historical period is that this makes you want to read fiction set then, but it also makes you very aware of historical errors in that fiction. It's like the old joke about a history professor talking to a prospective student. "Do you enjoy historical novels and dramas?" he asks."Yes" she says. "Well, would you like not to?" he asks.

Luckily Jo Harkin has done her homework on the later fifteenth century and I could find no clanging anachronisms, snide presentism, chronological snobbery or silly myths that often find their way into books set in the Middle Ages. In her fiuctionalised telling of the story of Lambert Simnel, she captures the age nicely, with both the smells and roughness of lower class existence and the relative splendour and richesse of the upper echelons. Medieval religion is evoked without condescension. The main character is irreligous, but in a medieval way, avoiding having a modern-style atheist in a period where that kind of thinking simply didn't exist. I'd guess Harkin has never worn medieval plate armour, judging from a couple of description of how it feels, sounds and works that are not quite right. But she has bothered to read some fifteenth century "Fechtbücher" swordwork manuals.

The story is of a bookish young man who is forced to make sense of his highly confusing and often dangerous world by means of books. So anyone who has studied medieval literature will appreciate the use of various well-known works to frame the protagonist's understanding. Boethius, Chaucer, Christine de Pizan, Hoccleve, Augustine and Marco Polo are all given as his ways of sorting out what is happening, and in a way that shows the author has immersed herself in the mindset of this period.

This is in most respects a historical political thriller which becomes a spy story. But it's mostly a rather moving study of characters and how they react to danger and deception. John/Edward/Simnel is a nicely drawn character who moves from innocent child to bewildered boy to decent young man and eventually to someone and something rather darker. But the people he meets along the way of his strange life are a large part of the novels' appeal, particularly the wicked and delightful young Irish noble Joan, who becomes the variously-named protagonist's great love in the very real, slightly odd and genuinely touching romance that forms the heart of the story.

Overall this book is often funny and genuinely fun. Even its grimmer sections have a wry humour and artistry. Hopefully the author will find other medieval stories to tell, because it's rare to find someone who really gets this misunderstood and usually misrepresented period.

[jocelyn • coolgalreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a lot funnier than i expected! this is a historical novel that i feel didn't take itself too seriously and that made it so much more enjoyable

[Tini · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

If you think you know the story of Lambert Simnel, known as a pretender to the English throne and yet just a footnote in history, think again. And if you've never heard that name before... be prepared to be immersed in an exhilarating tale of betrayal, the struggle for power, and a young man's role in the Yorkist rebellion against King Henry VII. Deftly mixing bawdy language and royal splendor, witty humor and a melancholy search for self, love story and revenge plot, author Jo Harkin excels at her first foray into historical fiction.

Following Lambert from his humble beginnings as a twelve-year-old farm boy named John Collan who is shocked to be informed that he is, in fact, the Earl of Warwick, hidden son of the deceased Duke of Clarence and rightful heir to the throne, to his time in Oxford where he is educated using the pseudonym Lambert, to his life and training with extended York family in Burgundy as Edward and eventually his coronation in Ireland as King Edward V, to the fateful battle of Stoke Field in 1487 and beyond, all the while raising the question of how much we can ever fully trust historical accounts, "The Pretender" is intriguing, thrilling, and unforgettable. Vivid worldbuilding, complex characters, and enough context to familiarize even those without foreknowledge of this part of British history with the goings-on, combined with a truly fascinating plot and told in superb writing, make this one of the most delightful releases in historical fiction in a long time.

The truly stunning cover is just the cherry on top, but should be noted just the same.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The Pretender" is slated to be released on April 22, 2025.

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was very interesting, as the main character changes and hardens over the years. As an American reader, I found the number of characters confusing as there were many pretenders to the throne of England. Also, the death rate by being near the center of power has always been rather astonishing. Glad I read this one!

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the bones of a true story, this book is historical fiction about a time in British history when Lambert Simnel became a pawn in a power struggle for the crown of England. The story opens in 1483, when Richard III had just taken the throne, and his nephews, the two young princes (Edward V and his brother), were being held in the Tower. There are only a few known facts about the real Lambert Simnel, so it is fertile ground for historical fiction.

In this account, Lambert had formerly been called John and grew up as a peasant. One day a high-ranking man appears at his family’s farm and takes him to Oxford, then Burgundy, then Ireland to be educated and groomed for his new role. The storyline follows young Lambert as he tries to sort out his identity. Is he the son of peasants? An orphan? Or Edward, earl of Warwick, son of the Duke of Clarence (Richard III’s deceased brother), as he is told by his new caretakers? Is he the rightful heir to the throne?

The narrative closely follows Lambert’s thoughts as he tries to make sense of what is happening around him. At the same time, he is coming of age, experiences his first love, and gets involved in intrigue, deceit, political machinations on both sides of the power struggle. The prose contains just enough period language to feel authentic without becoming an obstacle. It is a book that transports the reader to a different time and place. It may be helpful to have at least a cursory familiarity with the Wars of the Roses. I found it a little slow to get engaged, but once I got into the flow, I enjoyed it immensely.

[Anna Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I was provided a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.]

Oh, what a book! I am only sorry that it is not being published until April 2025, although I am nothing but glad that I got to read it so early.

The Pretender by Jo Harkin is a sweeping historical fiction novel that tells a highly fictionalized version of the youth and young adulthood of Lambert Simnel, who was claimed to really be Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, and a challenger to the throne of the newly crowned Henry VII.

Very little is known about the real Lambert Simnel, including his actual name. Some contemporary records apparently call him John, which is presumably where Jo Harkin got the boy's “first” name--John Collan--from.

It is known that the real Simnel was captured and pardoned by Henry VII, who made him spit-boy in the kitchens and later a falconer. It is believed he may have had at least one child, but his adulthood and ultimate fate, like the boy himself, is generally shrouded in mystery.

This makes it ripe for fiction, of course. Thankfully, Harkin plucked this ripeness in just the right season.

While most of the novel is quite fictionalized, it feels plausible enough unless you are an incredible stickler for historical accuracy. While some eras of history are harder for me to accept deviations from the record in, this isn’t one of them, so I didn’t mind any inaccuracies (and there are some, of course) because of the book’s well thought-out conceit.

Simnel, who begins the book as John Collan, transforms throughout the novel–and not only in the outward sense, from farm boy to supposed-heir-to-the-throne. But we are thrust into his internal transformations, which are often half-complete and conflicting, playing with the novel’s themes about identity, belonging, happiness, love, morality, greed and ultimately, the seeming need for revenge.

Who is John, Simnel, Edward? Is he a peasant, a pretender, an earl? Does it matter? Can he love someone else, if he doesn’t know who he is? How is he supposed to live, when he’s been so many people, and none of them, perhaps, were the real him?

There is heartache in this book. Tragedy, abuse, lies that come to fester and rot. There is also humor. There were quite a few passages (including one very well placed “What. The. Fuck.) that had me chuckling. There is beauty and grossness and everything one needs to explore the essence of being human.

The only element of the book that fell very flat for me was a strange detour near the end that focused heavily on sex. Yes, people have sex, including people in the past. I’m not pretending people were prudes. But it was just a bit strange for the book to suddenly hone in on sex as a narrative device for so long; maybe it’s something I will better understand with a re-read, or maybe it’s something that just didn’t gel with me.

But this theme doesn’t last for too long, all things considered. And it does take place in the context of Simnel experiencing yet another changing-of-the-guards in his identity, so there is an element of franticness about the whole thing that keeps it from being too over the top.

The storyline takes place over several years, and Harkin does well to show us the development of Simnel as he ages and is tutored in more complex subjects.

As Simnel goes from a young boy learning basic latin to a young man being presented with moral quandaries as tests for his potential kingship, we see how his moral character develops–even as he is faced with an increasing number of horrific events that test his understanding of the world. And most importantly of all, his understanding of himself.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a sweeping historical fiction that combines humor with witness, stark humanity, and overarching themes about identity, love, honor and revenge.

[Eliza Pillsbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Wolf Hall If It Was Actually Good

Okay so. Wolf Hall. I tried, I really did. I can't speak about it too loudly at the bookstore because to dislike the book would be blasphemy in some circles. (But our buyer does agree with me. I'm outing Sam right here, right now.) I could not tell you a single thing that went on in that book except that it was about Thomas Cromwell and some heads ended up on spikes. The rest was so boring that it immediately exited my brain to make room for more interesting stuff like, I don't know, the stock market. NASDAQ is more interesting than Wolf Hall was to me.

The Pretender, however, is bawdy, vulgar, and full of heart. The boy at the center of the story stole my heart from his first face-off with Gaspard the goat. As doomed as his arc is, I tracked with his evolving understanding of human nature. His actions and motivations all felt true, if tragic. It made me think more deeply about tHe HuMaN cOnDiTiOn, challenging me to consider my own fallibility before I judged or condemned these characters, which is what I can only hope a novel will do.

The book is LONG. I struggled to get into the first 10 or 15 percent, but then I read the rest of it in a single day. I will also echo other reviewers that I would have appreciated some sort of author's note at the end of the book about the historical accuracy. The story is based on a seed of truth, and I was curious about the author's process of extrapolating from so little. (Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait did a good job of bringing the reader in on this point.)

The comparisons to both Mantel and O'Farrell are apt, but this grabbed me in a way neither have. I'm grateful that I stuck this one out and to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC. I can't wait to hear what some of my medieval-minded friends think of it on April 22, 2025.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pretender is set during the latter years of the Wars of the Roses, the conflict between two rival branches of the House of Plantagenet – York and Lanaster – over succession to the English throne. The Pretender is a book for those who like their historical fiction full of authentic detail about events, people and places, but not so much so that it feels like a history lesson.

What the author does exceptionally well is to marry historical authenticity with storytelling that is full of wit and humanity. This is chiefly because we view events through the eyes of a young man, John Collan, who finds himself unexpectedly at the centre of things in this chaotic period. Suddenly he’s told he’s not the person he thought he was, the son of a farmer, but the son of the Duke of Clarence exchanged at birth for his own safety, with a claim to the throne. Having said that some things now make sense to him, such as the fact he looks completely different from his two brothers, or rather the boys he thought were his brothers. Understandable then he should wonder, ‘Wouldn’t I know who I was, if I was. . . wouldn’t I feel it? Like an Earl?’

John – sorry Lambert, sorry Edward, Duke of Warwick – is someone the reader will find it easy to empathise with as he comes to terms with how his life has been completely upended. His new persona means facing challenges much more perilous than his previous battles with the farmyard goat. And it means a new life, a new family, new surroundings and, for a lot of the time, perpetual bewilderment.

After a brief period in Oxford, which ends in the most dramatic way, John finds himself crossing the Channel to the sumptuous palace of his aunt Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. Suddenly he’s expected to act like an Earl but he hasn’t the first idea how to do that, and there aren’t even any books in the library to help him. If you’ve ever gone to a formal dinner and felt intimidated by all the cutlery and glasses, you’ll completely sympathise with John’s confusion about dining etiquette. Or that he’s now expected to do nothing for himself, is never alone but constantly waited on by attendants. It’s perhaps not surprising then that the garderobe becomes his sanctuary. Because his existence must be kept secret, he is confined to the interior of the palace, the layout of which he never really masters.

Then he’s off once again, this time to Ireland to the home of Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare. Kildare is a brilliantly imagined character – loud, lusty, hot-tempered, able to go from the rough and tumble of play with his children one minute to ordering the death of a man the next. Then there’s his daughter Joan. John is dazzled by her beauty but constantly awed by her ruthlessness and ability to manipulate people to achieve her own ends. Often it results in their ends.

If the book does have a fault it’s that it gets bogged down, especially in the middle third of the book. Perhaps that’s understandable given the frequency with which allegiances change, revolts arise and are quashed, all of which must be explained. And sometimes information is relayed by characters to other characters, rather than witnessed directly although this does provide the opportunity to introduce humour, with official announcements often greeted with suspicion or ridicule by those listening.

‘Oyez, oyez, oyez! Regard, townsfolk, this letter from the king! Be warned, you divers seditious and evil persons in London and elsewhere within our realm, who enforce themselves daily to sow seeds of noise and dislander against our person, to abuse the multitude of our subjects and avert their minds from us, some by setting up bills, some by spreading false rumours, some by messages and sending forth of lies, some by bold and presumptuous open speech and communication. The king did not kill his wife!

Townsfolk: Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?

Apart from a few reservations, I really enjoyed The Pretender. I loved the humour, the colourful characters, the idiosyncratic mix of archaic and modern day language. And, of course, I loved John. I’d be ‘astonied’ if you don’t too.

‘What is he: a peasant, an earl, a bastard?’ Inspired by the true story of Lambert Simnel, The Pretender immerses the reader in the life of a young man who finds himself a pawn in a game that he never wanted to play a part in.

[Ruben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pure pleasure. A smart historical novel about a little known 'footnote in history', namely the attempt to depose Henry Tudor (Henry VII) and put a Yorkist pretender on the throne instead.

The year is 1487 and the pretender in question is young Lambert Simnel, taken away from his family at his Oxfordshire farm and groomed and educated to be able to pass for Edward the son of Gregory Plantagenet Duke of Clarence and brother of the dethroned Richard III.

This is the best type of historical fiction because it has: lots of humour, is very accessible, has a great plot (especially if you like spy novels) and a lot of underlying research has gone in - without showing off.

And there is a fantastic character, Joan, who merits a book of her own.

[Angie Miale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue in this book, I laughed out loud several times. I couldn’t follow the story or characters at all. I tried reading the physical book, listening to audio, and also simultaneously listening to audio and reading. I just couldn’t understand what was happening beyond chapter 10. But that said, I think this is a great book but that I am not smart enough or I am too ADHD to follow it completely. I can tell it’s a good book but maybe it’s just beyond me.

[Chrissie Whitley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Between the reported murder of the young princes in the tower in 1483 and the remains of Richard III being discovered under a parking lot in the middle of Leicester in 2012, this time in history has only cemented itself in Western culture as one of the most chaotic and tumultuous periods of English history. Of the now lesser known conspiracies and plots of the time is that of a rise of purported heirs to the throne, supplied by a wide variety of supporters of seemingly any possibility to usurp whoever was currently on the throne.

Harkin delves into creating a life for Lambert Simnel, a well-known pretender claiming to be Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, and a claimant of the English throne. The production of holding a figurehead for a rebellion in hiding for much of his life wreaks havoc on the young boy who is never sure of his own identity.

From humble beginnings surrounded by family and love, Harkin's Simnel is soon turned inside out when he is told that he is an heir to the throne. Removed from his family that raised him, Simnel grapples with what he's meant to learn, how he's instructed to behave, and with the most uncertain future spread out before him.

I've been a fan of Harkin's since her debut, Tell Me an Ending — which I described as if you gave Emily St. John Mandel a plot from a John Marrs book. Her stellar writing and incredible grasp of storytelling, from pacing to full and knowable characters, is just as evident in her newer book. What is truly stunning is how she went so smoothly and delightfully from speculative fiction and sci-fi to historical fiction and a character study. The depth of feeling from Simnel is breathtaking and put me in mind throughout the book of The Song of Achilles. The ache of being a human being caught in the web of others' manipulations makes me describe this gem as if Madeline Miller wrote a Hilary Mantel story. I loved every moment of this one.

(Also, not for nothing, THIS is how you write in present tense. Masterfully and with intention.)

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real person, Lambert Simnel was. A pretender to a throne, back the days when being royal meant one could be easily offed and another put up in your place as long as the resemblance was close enough to eye, ear and community in support.

The author tells a long and twisty tale, filled with many characters and IDs applied and reapplied to Lambert who was given so many other aliases as he grew into a sad master spy one needed to keep notes. Only his love for a very few people kept him going (the body count is high in this book). Simnel's story interested me enough to start digging for more. As with so many Named-Non-Royals-in-History with only a few snippets in the official record, it leaves the door wide open for a storyteller to come up with something new. Jo Harkin has done exactly that in this tale of a man desperately looking to find himself in a world he must leave to do it.

I became very invested in John Collan / Lambert Simnel / all the others, and felt all his faces drove him a little more mad (in the insane sense) as time goes by, he's harder and less the wonder-filled boy whose biggest goal is to ride his family goat (which is not the best ultimate goal, I'll grant you). Harkin's story makes one consider that real life human and how was it to engage in such risky plays foisted on him by others - he's a pawn that has to grow up into his maturity and reconcile all that others gave up to make a chance for him to climb a pedestal, but he didn't get there. How was it for him? That's the best part of this read. . .it becomes very clear that in 1480 life was a different battle entire.

*A sincere thank you to Jo Harkin, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #ThePretender #NetGalley 25|52:24c

[Zea · Rating 4 out of 5]

very almost 5 stars -- only slightly infected with modern cultural revisionism virus (not the kindly best friend lesbian!) and sentimental epiloguitis

my netgalley review:

Loved this so much. It's really more of a 4.5 than a 5, because I had a few minor critiques (more in a bit), but I would absolutely recommend this to any students of historical fiction and probably to most other readers as well. The Hilary Mantel comparisons are apt, though I have to say that I enjoyed this much more than Wolf Hall -- John/Lambert/Edward/Simnel is to me a more compelling character than Mantel's Cromwell, and I found Harkin's prose more dynamic and more pleasurable.

The Simnel tale is a great story and a wise choice for a historical novel -- there's enough structure in the historical record to give this book a sense of solidity and significance, but not so much as to hinder invention and flexibility with character. We meet many interesting people, only some of whom were familiar to me from Shakespeare and my knowledge of this period, and nearly all of which interested me and sparked my sympathies. Speaking of which, I would really have loved this book to have a historical afterward or a set of author's notes about who was invented and who appears in the historical record. Characters like Joan Fitzgerald, who did exist but is, historically speaking, a footnote, were distracting to me -- I constantly felt the urge to look her up and figure out what was true about her and what was invented (when did she really die?). Maybe this won't be a problem for other readers, and honestly it was hardly one for me -- but I would have very happily read a page or two about her, what is known and what was embroidered, and why Harkin chose her to be the focus of so much of the book. (This goes for lots of other figures too!)

A few little things I didn't like so much. I found the naming confusing at times. Of the characters I'm familiar with from history, some are referred to with their first names -- typically women, children, and kings -- others with their titles, and still others with their last names. That's fine -- that accords with historical convention, and has to do with status and rank. Where it seemed unusual was with characters who were supposedly intimate or closely related to each other. Should Margaret Beaufort really call the Duke of Clarence by his title rather than his name, George? Should J/L/E/S, his purported son, think of him that way? Should Lincoln still be Lincoln, even once he becomes J/L/E/S's most beloved cousin? Doesn't anyone think of themselves as a Plantagenet, or use that name? Not that any of that really matters! Overall, Harkin does a remarkably good job of helping us remember who is who, and giving people their titles instead of their names often helps with that -- Lincoln is otherwise just another John de la Pole, after all. But I was frequently distracted by these choices and wondered why they had been made.

Secondly, this book is too long. Personally, I would cut some of the epilogue, which goes on for a while and doesn't give us much except more time to doubt the somewhat too good to be true friendly lesbian found family setup (is that in any way based in the historical record? I'd love to know). But the problem is more entrenched than that. The book is primarily composed of habitual time. The rare scenes, when we do get them, are always exciting and smartly paced. But they're often lodged in quite a lot of generality, telling us how J/L/E/S is feeling at any given point, what he's worried about, how he's changed from some point in the past, what the castle he's living in is like, etc. There's some pleasure in these passages, of course -- as I've said, I really like Harkin's prose. But there's just no reason this book should be nearly 500 pages instead of, say, 350.

And thirdly, at times, the humor feels too modern, and there's too much of it (classic peasant!). There are a lot of funny people in The Pretender, and without exception I enjoyed them -- especially Kildare (who I was loath to turn against), Jennott, and Joan. But many of them are funny in the same way, and put together they posed a challenge to my immersion and otherwise pretty solid sense of historicity. I could really feel the book working to keep itself from falling into a The Great style bawdiness -- and a few times it slipped.

Similarly (and maybe I'm totally wrong about this -- again, a problem an afterword could solve), I was suspicious of J/L/E/S's organically discovered feminist thinking and of his convenient and friendly and quite evolved lesbian BFF. Those features felt like little 2024 intrusions, tiny anxious efforts to keep us caring about and liking a protagonist who is, at worst, a creature of his time -- efforts I felt were unnecessary and, say it with me, distracting.

Despite all that, I want to reiterate that I really really liked this book. It's one of the best new historical novels I've read in years, and maybe the best of the past decade period. I'm mentioning all these critiques because they're really the only things I didn't like about The Pretender, and they're minor. Can't wait for this to come out -- I definitely want a copy for my shelf.

arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does one live when nothing is certain, no firm ground?

History, Edward realized, is not what happened, but what some historians lied or guessed about, “and now nobody knows what’s true.” Edward has the same questions about the truth of his own identity and history. Is he a farmer’s son? Or heir to the throne?

He was ten years old when several splendid men came to the farm and took him away to be educated. His name went from John Collan to Lambert Simons. Then, he became Edward, Duke of Clarence, rightful heir to the throne. After the failed Yorkist takeover, he became Simnel, a servant in King Henry’s court. And finally, be was John Crossley, hopefully a world traveler.

It was a hard and lonely life, constantly losing his identity and family. He learned to live in high society by error and imitation. He enjoyed books and a Classical education, but learning who to trust was harder than Latin. He had no control over his own life, and when he fell in love, it brought only separation and loss.

When the Yorkist plot to put him on the throne failed, he was forgiven by the king who knew he was a helpless pawn, and put to work in the kitchen. He rose in favor and was elevated–to be a spy for the king, reporting those who plotted against him.

In the end, the young man had lost everything but his desire for revenge, determined to punish those who had lied to him, used him, took away his identity, and separated him from those he loved.

What a fantastic novel! The transformation of the boy into a young man meting out justice is expertly handled. There is humor and darkness, history and fiction, a splendid innocent encountering the treacherous world of politics and court intrigue. And eternal love, even if built on an uncertain foundation.

This is a must-read for readers of the highest order of historical fiction.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

[Twanette Bester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this one really excited—the concept of a boy being pulled into a royal conspiracy during the Wars of the Roses had so much promise. And to be fair, the first half of the book really worked for me. I was hooked by John’s story as this innocent, quiet boy caught in something much bigger than himself. Watching him be molded and used by powerful people was fascinating.

But somewhere around the halfway point, it lost its grip on me. The pacing slowed down, and the emotional pull started to fade. John changes a lot over the course of the book—he goes from being unsure and passive to someone who’s cold, calculating, and only looking out for himself. I get that it’s part of the point, but it left me feeling a bit detached from him.

His relationship with Joan also felt strange. I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be romantic, maternal, manipulative… or all three? It added to the unsettling vibe, but it never quite landed for me.

That said, I loved the writing style and how the story made me think about identity, power, and who gets to shape history. I just wish the second half kept the same intensity as the beginning. A solid read, but not a new favorite.

🌷Thank you to Tandemcollectiveglobal and Bloomsbury_export for the gifted copy!