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
___________ It's the 1920s a time of unparalleled excess.But for the rich to party the poor
must starve . . . Into the city arrives pregnant runaway Lily di Marco. She has nothing - and
expects nothing. But soon she will find herself in a towering mansion just streets away.
Confidante to and best friends with its glamorous owner Mae Thebolt. Until the competition. A
childless millionaire leaves his fortune to the woman who will have the most babies over ten
years. Is it an eccentric contest? Or a horrible joke played by a rich man on the poorest women
of the city? Either way it will tear Lily and Mae's friendship - and their lives - to pieces .
. . ___________ '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
