{"product_id":"9781526678348","title":"The Pretender : `A frontrunner for historical fiction book of the year' - THE TIMES by Jo Harkin","description":"Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition`A bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue' Guardian`Funny, moving, filthy and original' The Times`So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller' Maggie Shipstead `I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time' Yael van der Wouden`The most enjoyable historical novel I've read in years' Spectator                  ________________________________________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. **Praise for The Pretender**`A brainy, heartfelt delight' Guardian, 50 hottest books to read now`Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart' Sarah Waters `Touching and hilarious' The Times, 80 best books to take on holiday `Like a Plantagenet Adrian Mole' Jenny Colgan`A rollicking account of a befuddled boy's pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn' New York Times`The real deal - nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring' Kiran Millwood Hargrave`Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written' Daily Mail`I blazed through full of wonder and admiration' Emma Stonex\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303239233909,"sku":"9781577154785","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526678348.jpg?v=1762793964","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9781526678348","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}