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.

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.

Lots to love about The Pretender by Jo Harkin. Historical fiction set in the drama that is the Yorks vs. the Lancasters, the rise of the Tudors, King Richard III, and the princes in the tower. A period already rich with intrigue and mystery, The Pretender fits in perfectly.

George, the Duke of Clarence, brother to Richard III and Edward IV, may have swapped his son (an heir to the throne) and hidden him out in the country for safekeeping. Harkin takes off running with this premise and introduces us to ten year old John Collan, in fierce battle with his nemesis, a village goat.

We experience the journey through John's eyes as his lineage is revealed and he's prepared for the crown. There's scheming, there's adventure, there's subterfuge, there's revenge. We see John / Lambert Simnal / Edward VI grow into each character as his handlers get him ready. All the while, he's struggling with his identity, falling in love, trying to fit into the role (like any teenager).

It's fun to imagine how this could have happened, with The Pretender's plot intertwined with historical events and figures: Richard III's defeat by Henry Tudor and the subsequent whack-a-mole game the Tudors were forced to play with the myriad of would-be usurpers and pretenders. The last gasps of the Yorks unable to accept Henry VII as their king. The spies in the highest reaches of the court.

This isn't Wolf Hall but it is more accessible!

My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub date 4/22/2025)

This story was fascinating to me. I really enjoyed how the different parts of John's life was broken in to his different "identities." It was such an interesting fictional story about an individual who actually lived and there were so many moments that I stopped to look things up to see how they really happened. Such a fascinating time period. I felt for John throughout the entire book. The humor in this was also very unique, which I appreciated.

"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, 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.

This was a unique take on a topic that is familiar (although not overdone by any means, which is refreshing).

Fans of historical fiction, or those just looking for a good read, should pick this up knowing that it's immersive, complex, challenging, and bawdy. Based on the life of Lambert Simnel, it's the tale of someone caught in the internecine life of England in the 1470s. It helps to have at least a vague knowledge of the Tudor period to fully understand why Simnel's father Clarence chose to send him to be raised by a farmer and why he was then plucked from the farm and educated by a tutor in Oxford before being sent to Ireland and so on. That said, Harkin does explain (even it this part does get a bit confusing at times). Focus on Lambert, whose name is changed as he moves through the way stations of his life. He's got a big heart especially toward the women in his life, who do not always fare well. Harkin makes him a vivid, conflicted, emotional and thoughtful child, then teen, then man who can n0t and should not trust anyone (although he does) and who must make his way though a morass not of his making. The world building is terrific. It's very long and takes a bit of patience in spots but it's also a page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a terrific read that's worthy of your time and attention. Highly recommend.

This is a solid and overall enjoyable historical novel with two major failings, one in marketing and one in the book itself. The first was the Hilary Mantel comp--which, look, I get why it was packaged this way, but unfortunately invoking Mantel is too much like comparing an author to, I don't know, Dostoyevsky or Le Guin or some other all-time or at least generational talent, and if author isn't one (as very few are and Harkin is not), then I'm just going to be annoyed when the book doesn't live up to the expectation it creates. Even if I know that realistically it's just marketing and I shouldn't believe it, the overselling made me hope and then inevitably disappointed me, and that will impact my enjoyment at least half a star's worth.

Second, Joan. I loved her and yet she was just a little too much, like she was too turned up to eleven all the time. It's possible to write compelling geniuses and/or monsters as believably that brilliant and formidable, think of Dunnett's protagonists or for that matter Mantel's again, but there isn't quite enough nuance or vulnerability here to put Joan into that category even though I *so* wish there had had been (although then I would've probably just wanted the entire book to be about her too, but that's a different issue). Admittedly some of this is because we're getting her exclusively through John/Lambert's POV, but some of it is also a skill issue. Also admittedly I'm judging this book by the very highest standards for historical or really any fiction, but see my first point about the publisher inviting me to. 3.5 stars rounded down.

I couldn’t get into the writing style on this one, I hate to admit that I DNF’d not far in. I don’t this this is a bad book, just not for me.

The Pretender tells the story of a young man known, at various times, as John Collan, Lambert Simons, Lambert Simnel, and Edward, the Duke of Warwick. Raised by a farmer, he is taken from what he thought was his home to be educated as a gentleman in preparation for his role as the secret son of the Duke of Clarence, the dead Plantagenet heir to the throne of England. He travels from a small rural village to Oxford, to the court of Burgandy, to Dublin, and then to Westminster, as a servant in the court of King Henry Tudor. The story is based on a footnote to the Wars of the Roses. It presents the father of Henry the Eighth as a paranoid usurper desperate to keep the throne he appears to have stolen from Richard III.
The Pretender is a remarkably rich novel, loaded with life and death. It is both tragic and funny. Tied together by the fictional adventures of a young man whose existence may have been apocryphal, it opens up an important part of the history of the British monarchy.
Although I do think the book's momentum faltered a bit in the last quarter, it does offer a satisfying ending.
This is an extraordinary work of historical fiction that is not to be missed.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read a free advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story telling is beautiful! I was also surprised at how much this book made me giggle, Edward's internal monolog is gold. That being said I felt like there were moments where the plot slowed almost to a stop before we were moving again. All in all, a pleasant but slow read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This historical story is set in the 1400s at the rise of the Tudors. John Collan is taken from his life on the family farm by a mysterious stranger who claims that John is Edward, Earl of Warwick, who was switched at birth with a peasant to protect him from Richard III, as he has a propensity for killing his nephews. Needing to keep his existence quiet until it is time to overthrow Henry, John is moved to Oxford, assumes the name Lambert Simons, and begins his tutelage. He eventually lands in Ireland, where the Earl of Kildare is heading the rebellion against Henry. Here, Edward, as he is now known, falls in love with the Earl's daughter Joan, a relationship that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Does fate now control Edward's destiny?

This is such a well written and captivating story that is well researched and packed with historical facts. The characters are realistic, the pacing is solid and I found myself completely immersed in the 1400's. Highly recommend.

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.

This was an intriguing historical novel is based on the real life of little known Lambert Simnel. We know historically that he was raised in secrecy as a peasant boy to protect his safety, crowned briefly, pardoned, became a kitchen helper and then a falconer before falling into obscurity. He was "believed" to be the true heir to the throne occupied by Richard III, but was he really. or was he a pawn for other's ambition's?
The author fills the gaps with a rich prose that creates a vivid picture of English life, culture and politics in the 15th century with the last attempt of the Plantagenet/York to reign vs the Tudor's.
The book opens with 10 year old John, innocently living on a farm where he is told he is a royal and taken to Oxford to learn how to become the royal heir that he is. His naivety and bewilderment is depicted so well, as he is tries to understand who really he is, the expectations he now feels to not only be king, but lead a war. He is confused, feels betrayed, learns some hard lessons, as he is moved around England, Scotland and Ireland. Jo Harkins paints an authentic and captivating picture of him evolving from an innocent to disillusioned, lost. and finally determining to name himself and become who he really wants to be.
The book is over 500 pages and does drag a bit in some places and the list of characters is very long and can be hard to track. The book is written in an old English consistent with the period and may be hard for some, especially with the "slang" and with humor that was sometimes very tongue in cheek, bawdy, very "English".
There women characters include some that are strong, savvy and intelligent with others being more traditional. Sex is part of the storyline but seems to escalate in the last 3rd of the book, and includes a non-graphic same sex relationship. The violence was never gratuitous, but aligned with the period in history and the story.
This was a solid 3.5-4 stars for me. I've read many books regarding the York/Tudor period and this was an engaging historical fiction, with a very uniquely written viewpoint full of political intrigue, murder, plots and subplots, religion, betrayal and love with a coming of age in self determination and identity.
A huge thank you to Knof publishers and NetGalley for the privilege of the arc, I enjoyed it! All opinions expressed are my own.

I really wanted to like this as I love historical fiction, particularly around Medieval Britain. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish this. I just couldn’t handle the writing style and the disjointed narrative.
I do admire the research and commitment to using language from that time. For that reason I give this book 2 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The problem is that even if Lambert Simnel was the son of George of Clarence, he had a legitimate brother living in the Tower and a legitimate sister in Lady Margaret Pole who would come before him in the succession. And he didn’t disappear into the English countryside, he was well watched by Henry Tudor.

Jo Harkin does a brilliant job in creating this engaging and evocative fictional biography of an historical personage who's been veiled in intriguing shadows for more than 450 years. Harkin takes up the tale of Lambert Simnel in his youth as a peasant farm boy of questionable heritage, following him through his 'elevation' as a pretender to the throne of England's King Henry VII, who has just seized the top spot in the realm from Richard III. Harkin's tale follows Lambert to his ultimate defeat by the first Tudor monarch.

Harkin tells--or, more accurately--reinvents the boy's story with verve, skill, creativity, and much ingenuity. She crafts a memorable tale which, for this reviewer, ranks among the two or three best books, fiction or non, that I've read this year. Brilliant, touching, and admirable for its craftsmanship. Brava!

As a lover of the war of the roses and tudor history, this book was always going to be one that I gravitated toward, but what I found inside was something completely different than I expected. I've read a lot about this period, and after a time you can get the same stories over and over again, told from different perspectives, but largely the same narrative because of what we know of history. This story, however, was told from a completely new source, to me, and it was refreshing and in some strange way, moving.

The story is told by the titular pretender, but through the lens of his various selves. Harkin breaks up each part of the story with a different version of the pretender, or who he is made to be by those he is in service to, indebted to, or otherwise in charge of him. This is how Harkin takes us from peasant boy to king-in-waiting to royal spy. Its a brilliant way to tell this story, because at every stage, people want or expect something different from the pretender, and by separating it out by a different self, each part has a distinct feel.

There is a lot to be said about identity, as for basically all of the story, the pretender does not for certain know who he is. Is he the son of a farmer? Is he the "changeling" son of an earl? Is he worthy of any of this plotting? And what does he become if he learns the truth? What does he become if he never knows? Its an interesting question, in a time when all one could rely on was the word of those who were known to lie or sculpt the truth to their whims.

This book starts off rough, because Harkin wrote this in what I imagine to be an imitation of how people spoke in the 1480s, so there are words and phrases that grow to have meaning but they are not words we see or use everyday. But this is only a bump in the road for this book as it is done so well that you quickly fall into the language and word use and it becomes almost lyrical.

This wasn’t my favorite I felt it couldn’t decide what it was a modern story or historical fiction thriller and because of that it just was hard to read
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

I had really loved Harkin’s Tell Me an Ending, a near future speculative fiction. With The Pretender being such a different genre, it didn’t even register at first that it was by the same author. But I was very eager to dig into her speculation of a historical footnote once I realized she was the author, even though I have a non-existent interest in historical fiction set in the era. Having finished this and gone through some deep dives I now know a lot more about the Tudors vs. the Yorks and that a pretender is a claimant to a throne, often used in the context of a monarchy that has been overthrown or where the legitimacy of the current ruler is disputed.

At 490-some pages this one definitely wasn’t a read at one sitting story but I still found it to flow well and never feel heavy. It’s not only rich in characters, but also in vocabulary. I found myself looking up words like orgulous (adj. haughty), laughing at the phrase “He couldn’t tell a quoniam from a quail”, japing and thinking of some people as shitpates by the end. Harkin’s writing feels rooted in fact and it’s clearly a very well researched book and the themes in it aren’t exactly light with all the politics. She did however strike a wonderful balance with all the humor and at no point did this one feel stiff.

The novel is split into multiple parts for different stages of Simnel’s life, some were more interesting to read about for me. Really loved the name changes here, and amid all the changes and chaos around him, Simnel’s search for figuring out who he was. Harkin built an endearing portrait and even as he grew and some of his actions got questionable, I couldn’t help but root for him.

I gave The Pretender three ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Jo Harkin, Knopf Publishing and Net Galley for this ARC. These are my honest opinions.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. Once I got used to the writing style, I enjoyed the first 1/3 or so and the last 1/3 or so. The middle seemed to drag on too much. At 500 pages, some of it could have been trimmed down.

Writing style: I admire Jo Harkin’s research on the period and location correct writing style. With that said, it is hard to keep up with. There seemed to be a lot of sentences and paragraphs that just stopped, so this is not a smooth read.

Characters: there are a LOT. Our MC (the Pretender) is easy enough to like, but hard to understand. He didn’t have any real reaction to what was happening to him until he was older. So, it was hard to empathize with him because he just seemed to mostly go with the flow - and he started at zero knowledge of who he was.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and will recommend it.