Prize Women By Caroline Lea – A Review

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Publication Date: 27th April 2023

If there’s a new Caroline Lea book out you best believe I’m going to get myself a proof by hook or by crook (or by the lovely Caroline arranging for one to be sent! Thanks Caroline!).

Prize Women is set in 1930’s Toronto, Canada and opens with the crazy details of childless millionaire Charles Millar’s last will and testament. Charles is somewhat of a joker and stipulates in his will that he wants to offer a huge sum of money to the woman who has the most babies spanning the ten year period from 1926 to 1936. This is known thereafter as The Great Stork Derby.

Two women who find themselves in the running for the money are Lily and Mae. These women are both very different yet find themselves unlikely friends. Lily is an Italian immigrant who escapes her violent, drunk husband Tony when an earthquake hits Chatsworth. Lily is forced to flee with her young son Matteo in tow, leaving Tony behind for dead. Lily ends up in Toronto and is taken on as Mae’s nanny of sorts. Mae is married to an affluent man and has five children she can barely cope with looking after. She is downtrodden and anxious and despite loving her children can’t bear the thought of always being pregnant.

At the time contraception was not readily available and women basically had to deal with the posibility of getting pregnant and just deal with it. Lily rescues Mae from her life of struggling with the children and they form a very close bond.

We then follow the women through the years, with their various pregnancies and births. Both women not having an easy ride. But when they both come up against tragedy and extremely tough issues at a time that Wall Street has crashed and the Great Depression has hit, both find themselves entering into The Great Stork Derby. But just how much will their strong and seemingly unshakable bond be tested by their desperate circumstances….

What I love about Caroline is that she writes women at certain points in history with such perception and empathy. In all her novels she perfectly depicts how women are treated and the various struggles they face in their lives. I always find I learn so much reading Caroline’s fiction and can become so immersed in her storytelling. Her novels are thoroughly researched and are written so beautifully that you just get swept away.

Prize women talks about a time when women didn’t have agency over their own bodies. A time when contraception just wasn’t considered regardless of women’s wants and needs. It also deals beautifully with a topic that is close to my heart, the struggles of motherhood. There are so many layers and subjects covered in this book, not least poverty, prejudice, violence, baby loss, marriage and friendship. It would make such a great Bookclub read with its potential to spark some interesting conversations.

I am always thrilled to get to the end of a book and find out that it was based on real events which Prize Women is. Charles Millar did indeed offer up his fortune to the woman who bore the most children…..now you’ll have to get on Wikipedia and find out what actually happened!

Another stunning and triumphant book from Caroline. Loved it! 5 easy stars!

Thank you to Michael Joseph for my proof copy.

See you all soon.

Amanda xx Bookishchat