Prize Women

Based on the scandalous true story of The Great Stork Derby, Prize Women is a gripping and deeply moving novel about desperate choices and the two unforgettable women forced to make them.

'Gorgeous. Prize Women took my breath away. I haven't stopped thinking about it' JENNIFER SAINT

'Wonderfully evocative and intelligent. Sheds light on a scandalous moment in history I knew nothing about, told with great sensitivity and grace. I was entranced' EMMA STONEX

'This heartbreaking story explores friendship, strength and the fight to survive' WOMAN'S WEEKLY
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Toronto, 1926.

You are pregnant, you've left your violent husband and you've fled to a new city.

Your name is Lily ... and you're terrified.

All hope seems lost until you're taken in by a kind and glamourous woman: Mae Thebault. Together, you look out for one another in a cruel world where men hold all the power.

But when a Toronto millionaire dies, his astonishing will threatens to tear your friendship apart. His fortune will go to the winner of 'The Great Stork Derby': the woman who bears the most children in the ten years following his death.

As the Great Depression bites, your desperation sets in. Your friend becomes your rival, and you both have your eyes on the prize.

How far will you go?

More than one life will change forever, but only one woman can win.

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'A profoundly moving and absolutely gripping novel about the choices women face - and the choices they are denied. I cannot recommend it highly enough' ELODIE HARPER

'This tale of two women resonates with what is happening in the world today. I was gripped by Lily and Mae's story, the desperate choices that women still face' LOUISE HARE

'Fascinating historical fiction with a feminist slant' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'A serious, thoughtful and epic journey into the trials of motherhood . . . With her contrasting female characters, Lea interrogates the fight for female agency across class divides, a struggle that continues to this day. A fascinating snapshot of another time, perhaps not as far removed from our own as we might hope' JANICE HALLET

'Wonderfully researched and full of evocative historical detail' CULTUREFLY

'Masterful. Caroline Lea is a superb storyteller, and Prize Women deserves a huge readership. So good, I had to pull myself away' ELIZABETH MACNEAL