Unfortunately I just didn't get into this one the way I had wanted to. I found myself pretty bored, maybe I was just not in the right mindset to be reading it right now?

Thanks to Harper Perennial for the free eARC.
I knew absolutely nothing about the Stork Derby of the 1920s-1930s in Canada, and I love how I learn so much through historical fiction. This is not a happy book though because of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl that happened during this time. This is a book of survival, resilience, and heartbreak. I felt so deeply for these women just trying to survive. I also liked the juxtaposition of the beginning of the women's movement for family planning against the backdrop of a competition of who can have the most babies in 10 years. I thought this book was engaging, well written, and captivating. I'll definitely read more of this author in the future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic copy of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Millionaire Charles Millar will die without heirs and, as a fan of contests and practical jokes, he decides to leave his money to the winner of “The Stork Derby”. The Derby, set in Toronto right before WW2, will see that Millar’s money will go the woman who can have the most children in ten years. Two of the women, close friends Mae and Lily, become fierce competitors when their personal situations leave them desperate and afraid. Lily DeMarco is terrified of her abusive husband but can’t leave him without jeopardizing the health and safety of her children; Mae Thebault’s husband loses everything in the stock market crash and when her eldest son, Robert, falls ill with a brain tumour she is left scrambling to find money to pay for his medical care. Both Lily and Mae could use the money from the Derby, even if it means going up against each other and risking their friendship.
“Prize Women” by Caroline Lea is an evocative novel that not only touches on female friendships and the trials and tribulations of motherhood, but it also serves as a social commentary on a woman’s right to choose.
Both Mae and Lily serve as protagonists, each chapter alternating back and forth, which allows for the readers to fully understand both perspectives. Lea was smart to write in this way, as it challenges the reader to take sides, and as each women tells their story, it gets more and more difficult to decide who to root for. Lily is the obvious choice, as she deals with an abusive husband and comes from a background of poverty. Mae, however, lives the life of luxury, having every whim granted to her. It isn’t until her husband loses his job and her son becomes ill, that the reader starts to sympathize with Mae, making her, suddenly, just as deserving as Lily. The fact that the women are friends, and possibly more, makes their relationship complex and emotionally charged.
The Stork Derby was a real event (although the characters and their situations are completely fictional) and I was completely unaware of it (even though it happened in my home province). There are so many underlying issues with the “Derby” that I don’t need to name them all, but it speaks to the desperation of the era when families were losing everything, and women were forced to use the only power they had just to feed their families. The battle of the Rich vs. poor was strong and although a few things have changed, there are many similarities to the modern era, which is unsettling.
After chapter after chapter of emotional tension, Lea gives “Women” a beautiful ending and I was so glad she chose the conclusion she did. I am a fan of historical fiction because I enjoy learning about the past through engaging plots and powerful characters and Lea checked all the boxes.

Such a well written and thoroughly researched historical fiction book about a little known part of Canadian history! I loved learning about the crazy Stork Derby of the 1920s that saw women competing for a huge prize based on being able to produce an absurdly large number of children. Perfect for fans of authors like Genevieve Graham. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is such a fascinating book with history I knew nothing about. Love when that happens! I kept turning the pages and trying to convince myself that just one more chapter would be enough, but I couldn’t put it down! A must read for historical fiction fans!

[arc review]
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Based on true events, this historical fiction takes us on a multi-layered journey from the 1920s-1930s in Toronto, Canada. Written in dual pov and dual timeline, we experience life as a woman and mother through the voices of Lily and Mae as they endure loss, hardships, fallout from the wall street crash, friendship, survival, and more.

CW: DV, physical abuse, rape, miscarriage, death, racism towards Italian immigrants, homophobia, cancer, suicidal thoughts.

In 1926, the death of millionaire, Charles Millar, left Torontonians with an opportunity to gain thousands of dollars. A clause in his will had most of his fortune allocated to the woman who could bear the greatest number of children in the next 10 years — an event in history known as The Stork Derby.
An eccentric man with no heirs of his own, this can either be viewed as highly insensitive, or a way to spark a discussion on the legalities of contraceptive measures, and the control over women’s bodies.
Regardless of this monetary incentive, many women would have naturally ended up with as many children that they did (upwards of 10 or more), whether by choice or not since it was illegal to prevent such things from happening.

We first meet Lily in Chatsworth. Already with a handful of miscarriages, a nonverbal son, and a pregnancy on the way, she is in constant fear for the safety of her and her son as she lives with an abusive husband. It’s not until an earthquake that shakes up her town and pins her husband under a beam that she has the opportunity to flee west for a better life.

By way of a good Samaritan, Lily finds shelter and employ within Mae’s household immediately upon arriving in Toronto. Not only do they find a friendship, but also a forbidden love. Together, they each end up saving each other (quite literally).
Something I enjoyed throughout this story was seeing the honest portrayals of how life isn’t always perfect. There are ups and downs, private struggles, and friendships may not always be at their peak strength at all times, but we manage to see the ebbs and flows and reconnections throughout the years.

This was much more than just a competition between mothers and families for a monetary prize.
It was about survival, companionship, strength; loneliness and enduring tough moments as a woman while keeping a brave face as the back bone for the household, nurturing generations of children; boundaries, individuality, empathy, freedom and control over your own body.


“At home, she is always a wife and a mother. Only with Lily is she something else. Only with Lily does she sometimes catch a glimpse of who she might be.”

“Lily doesn’t need someone to understand her pain, to know it as their own: she needs someone to be angry on her behalf, because she is too tired to feel rage.”

“The dream of freedom is like the ice sculptures she has sometimes seen men making in winter: delicate, filigreed pieces, too fragile to survive. This dream of freedom can’t last, but she lets him hold on to it. Just for a moment.”

4.5 stars

Synopsis: In 1926, Canadian millionaire Charles Millar leaves behind a controversial will: the woman who bears the most children in the ten years after his death will receive his fortune. This event (true, by the way) becomes known as the Great Stork Derby. Told from the perspectives of two women, Lily and Mae, Prize Women is a story about friendship and how this competition ultimately strains their relationship. Lily is a young, pregnant mother who flees to Toronto to escape her abusive husband. In Toronto, she meets Mae, an elegant, confident woman who secretly has her own struggles. The realities of the Great Depression and this contest weigh on their friendship, and each woman is faced with difficult decisions in order to protect who they love the most.

Thoughts: This book really took me by surprise. Firstly, I was absolutely horrified by the concept of the Great Stork Derby-- the fact that this actually happened is disgusting. I thought Lea did a great job depicting the complexities surrounding Mae and Lily's relationship. This was certainly a unique read, and I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction books that feature strong female leads.

🔹 My take: 4.5/5

💖 This has been such an awesome read.. I loved the flow of the events. The emotions portrayed in different scenes like longing, disgust, fright, love, friendship, despair felt so real that I had goosebumps while reading major part of the book. The helplessness of the main characters Mae and Lily, at times was tear jerking and I thought so many times, what a grit and mettle they had to survive such times. I also learnt about The Great Stork Derby Contest which is a real event that happened in past and which is the main premise of this book.

💫 I would absolutely recommend this gem to lovers of historical fiction and also readers who like reading about strong female leads.

Thanks to @harperperennial and @Netgalley for sharing eARC in exchange for honest review.

Thanks @carolineleawriter for writing this amazing book.

Pub date: 2/14/23 (out now)
Genre: historical fiction
Quick summary: In 1926, Charles Millar died without an heir, and his will created the Great Stork Derby, a contest to find the woman who would have the most children in the decade after his death to receive his estate. Lily and Mae found themselves drawn together in friendship - until they were torn apart by the challenge.

The Great Stork Derby has convinced me that truth is really stranger than fiction. I had not heard about the Derby, which took place in Toronto and picked up additional steam when the Great Depression hit. Lea explored the story effectively in two timelines - one past, which covered Lily and Mae's friendship and falling out, and the later including the courtroom battle to win the derby. There were plenty of twists in both timelines to keep me interested.

I enjoyed the social commentary in the story - motherhood and women's rights are themes I loved to read about in fiction. Lily and Mae were forced to make impossible choices to support their families - trading newspaper coverage for food, all the while being ridiculed for having multiple children even though birth control was illegal. I also loved THE METAL HEART, Lea's last novel, and I look forward to reading more from her!

Readers who enjoy historical fiction with a feminist slant might enjoy this one! I was glad to read about this lesser-known story and take a break from WWII historical fiction.

Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Harper Perennial for a copy of Prize Women by Caroline Lea.

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I was intrigued by the time period and topic 1920-1930s Canada and the Great Stork Derby, which I had no idea about until I read this, but unfortunately I was bored reading this book.

𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦!

I had high hopes for this novel and it didn’t disappoint.
A beautifuly writen, emotive and powerful story. With strong female characters, with a bit of suspense, this story took my breath away!

Prize Women is an engrossing novel by Caroline Lea. The story begins in Toronto in 1926 and is based on the actual Great Stork Derby. Charles Millar, an eccentric, childless millionaire, left part of his large estate to the Toronto woman who could produce the most children in ten years. Lea uses this strange contests the catalyst for for the friction between her characters Lily and Mae. Lily is a poor, abused woman with a young son when she meets glamorous and wealthy Mae. Mae has three children that she doesn't know how to relate to and Lily steps in as a pseudo nanny. A deep connection between the women grows as their lives and fortunes change. Both Lily and Mae find themselves competing in the Stork Derby for the money each desperately needs. This thought provoking novel beautifully explores the bounds of friendship and the strength we possess in desperate situations.

Prize Women by Caroline Lea was my first book by this author and I obviously have to check out her backlist! I loved that this story was based on fact. I had never heart of the Greek Stork Derby- and if I had, I would have though it was a fake story. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when Charles Vance Millar laid out the terms of his will to his lawyer! The two main (fictional) characters of Prize Women were incredibly well crafted and their story was absolutely fascinating. Highly recommend!

I’m not sure what I expected going into this book, but a genuinely true “baby race” in the years leading up and through the Great Depression was not it. Add in honest conversations about class and an exploration of what 1930s queerness might have looked like and damn, this book was a good but hard read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Made grew up poor but married rich. Lily and her son escaped from a abusive relationship. They meet each other by chance and friendship changes their world

As a new mom- this book really tugged at my heart strings. This story is moving and heartwarming and despite the sadness this book brings, I loved Lily and Mae.

this is a very good book, sad but good, The Great Stork Derby, is what the contest is called, women are in this contest to see how many babies they can have in a 10-year period, I found the book very interesting especially because it really happened, the Autor did a great job at keeping me interested through the book, it is a long book, but It's a good book, I will keep looking for books from this Autor, Caroline Lea

I was not familiar with the Great Stork Derby prior to reading this book. It is a contest with a huge prize for the woman who has the most children in a ten-year period. The characters are all fictional but based on tales of poor women in Toronto in the 1920s and 1930s. Millionaire Charles Millar leaves behind a controversial will: the recipient of his fortune will be decided in a contest called the Great Stork Derby. When Italian immigrant Lily escapes her abusive husband she fears poverty in Toronto but she is employed by wealthy Mae to look after Mae's children. Lily marries Paolo and both their families grow. However when the Wall Street Crash occurs and Great Depression hits in 1929, Mae loses her wealth and both women are struggling to survive. The story goes well beyond engaging in a competition for survival. I found the story complex and engaging - it didn't lag for me at all. The author did a fabulous job bringing the characters to life and setting the reader down in a horrible time in history.

PRIZE WOMEN is very well-written and evocative. I especially admired how Caroline Lea is able to set the scene for the reader in a way that makes us feel we are right there with the characters.

The plot moves pretty well, but this is a long story that perhaps could have been tightened somewhat.

Readers should be aware that the time period and subject matter are quite intense. Fans of light or heartwarming historical fiction should probably look elsewhere. PRIZE WOMEN, with its atmosphere of doom and gloom, should appeal to fans of meaty, serious works. It reminds me somewhat of THE LIFEBOAT by Charlotte Rogan, particularly with the courtroom drama aspect. With respect to the time period, there are also shades of MARY COIN by Marissa Silver.