The Pretender is an absolute blast. In a similar vein to writers such as Maggie O’Farrell or Hilary Mantel, Jo Harkin has taken a footnote from the history books – in this case Lambert Simnel, a 15th-century pretender to the English throne – and from it created a character and story that just leaps off the page. It’s bawdy, earthy, irreverent and witty, and I absolutely loved it.
The Pretender by Jo Harkin, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593803301, April 2025)
Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi