{"product_id":"9781526678355","title":"The Pretender","description":"\u003cp\u003eAuthor: Harkin, Jo\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781526678355\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Bloomsbury\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 29 Apr 2025\u003cbr\u003ePages: 464 \u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWolf Hall \u003c\/i\u003emeets \u003ci\u003eDemon Copperhead\u003c\/i\u003e in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**NAMED AS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES**\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e**PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BY THE \u003ci\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDAILY MAIL\u003c\/i\u003e, AND THE \u003ci\u003eI\u003c\/i\u003e**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE**\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Wickedly funny ... the filthy, clever, immersive picaresque you didn't know you needed'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, The best fiction of 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time' \u003c\/b\u003eYael van der Wouden\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Funny, moving, filthy and original' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller' \u003c\/b\u003eMaggie Shipstead \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The most enjoyable historical novel I've read in years' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpectator \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e________________________________________\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eKill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eThe 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut history has other plans for John.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStolen 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFar 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, \u003ci\u003eThe Pretender \u003c\/i\u003eis the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**Praise for \u003ci\u003eThe Pretender\u003c\/i\u003e**\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A brainy, heartfelt delight'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, 50 hottest books to read now\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart' \u003c\/b\u003eSarah Waters \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Touching and hilarious' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e, 80 best books to take on holiday \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Like a Plantagenet \u003ci\u003eAdrian Mole\u003c\/i\u003e' \u003c\/b\u003eJenny Colgan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A rollicking account of a befuddled boy's pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The real deal nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring' \u003c\/b\u003eKiran Millwood Hargrave\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'I blazed through full of wonder and admiration\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e' \u003c\/b\u003eEmma Stonex\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46643232309406,"sku":"UBD-9781526678355","price":32.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781526678355.jpg?v=1774484820","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781526678355","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}