Prize Women

Based on an incredible true story, Prize Women is a profoundly moving novel that sheds light on a scandalous moment in history.

'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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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 . . .

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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