{"product_id":"9781526678355-the-pretender-a-sunday-times-best-book-of-the-year","title":"The Pretender: A Sunday Times Best Book of the Year","description":"\u003cp\u003eWolf Hall  meets  Demon Copperhead  in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition **NAMED AS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE  SUNDAY TIMES** **PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BY THE  GUARDIAN ,  SUNDAY TIMES ,  DAILY MAIL , AND THE  I ** **SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE** 'Wickedly funny ...  the filthy, clever, immersive picaresque you didn't know you needed'   Guardian , The best fiction of 2025 'I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time'  Yael van der Wouden 'Funny, moving, filthy and original'  The Times 'So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller'  Maggie Shipstead  '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\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Book Grocer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49273105678555,"sku":"9781526678355","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/645886ae-cc9a-4464-8941-ced026c7a3c5_4da61aa4-cdf6-4e50-abc0-baf35cc5db81.jpg?v=1789033828","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/9781526678355-the-pretender-a-sunday-times-best-book-of-the-year","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}