The Pretender

I do love historical fiction done well, and Jo Harkin's novel The Pretender (#1,329) falls into that category.  She's taken a little-known historical footnote - Lambert Simnel - and turned him into a living, breathing person.  Not that this novel is a re-creation of his life, but rather of what his life might have been like in the turbulent transition period between the Plantagenet and the Tudor dynasties.

John Collan grows up believing he is the son of a well-off farmer buried deep in the English countryside.  The day a stranger appears at the farm on an expensive horse his life changes.  He is told that he is the son of the Duke of Clarence, brother to Edward the IV and Richard III.  In fear of his life, his father had him hidden away.  He is, in fact, Edward, Earl of Warwick, and the rightful heir to the throne of England.  He is only ten years old, and must be educated to step into his anointed role when the time is judged right by his supporters.  John assumes many names as he is moved around on a chessboard not of his own devising. The uprising backing him ultimately fails and John finds himself in Henry Tudor's household working as his servant. 

This bawdy and thoroughly entertaining story puts the reader into John's mind as he grapples with the constant changes and danger lurking around every corner.  What does John believe about himself and his circumstances? Can he trust any of the friendships offered him?  And what does happen to him in the end?  You will have to read The Pretender to find out!

And just a note: I loved the cover art used for this novel!  It's just how I pictured the boy John (or Lambert, or Edward!) in my mind's eye as I was reading.