{"product_id":"9781039056718","title":"The Pretender","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eA sweeping historical novel in the vein of Hilary Mantel and Maggie O’Farrell set during the time of the Tudors’ ascent,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Pretender\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a rollicking portrait of British monarchy and life within the court.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] transporting feat of imagination and storytelling.”—Maggie Shipstead,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ebestselling-author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eGreat Circle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Original, vivid, and witty. [The Pretender is]\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eGlorious Exploits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003emeets\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWolf Hall\u003c\/i\u003e—and I completely loved it.”\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003eJoanna Quinn,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ebestselling-author of\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe Whalebone Theatre\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn 1480 John Collan’s greatest anxiety is how to circumvent the village’s devil goat on the way to collect water. But the arrival of a well-dressed stranger from London upends his life forever: John is not John Collan, not the son of Will Collan, but the son of the long-deceased Duke of Clarence, hidden in the countryside after a brotherly rift over the crown, and because Richard III has a habit of disappearing his nephews.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRemoved from his humble origins, sent to Oxford to be educated in a manner befitting the throne’s rightful heir, John is put into play by his masters, learning the rules of etiquette in Burgundy and the machinations of the court in Ireland, where he encounters the intractable Joan, the delightfully strong-willed and manipulative daughter of his Irish patrons, a girl imbued with both extraordinary political savvy and occasional murderous tendencies. Joan has two paths available to her—marry, or become a nun. John’s choices are similarly stark: he will either become King, or die in battle. Together they form an alliance that will change the fate of the English monarchy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eInspired by a footnote to history—the true story of the little known Lambert Simnel, who was a figurehead of the 1487 Yorkist rebellion and ended up working as a spy in the court of King Henry VII—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Pretender\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is historical fiction at its finest, a gripping, exuberant, rollicking portrait of British monarchy and life within the court, with a cast of unforgettable heroes and villains drawn from fifteenth century England. A masterful new work from a major new author.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jo Harkin","offers":[{"title":"Knopf | Paperback | 2026-03-03","offer_id":47340785893631,"sku":"9781039056718","price":23.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/9781039056718.jpg?v=1771355682","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9781039056718","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}