My Favorite Fictional Mothers
ten more books featuring mothers I love
A few weeks ago a colleague emailed me asking if I had any recommendations for her book club of books with positive mother-daughter relationships, since they “kept picking books with terrible mothers”. The caveat is they wanted classics or historical fiction, neither of which are my go-to genres, so I didn’t have a lot to offer!
Along with my lack of recommendations, I offered my unhelpful opinion that the mother-daughter relationship is so often written as complex and fraught because, well, that’s often what happens in real life. And also, sometimes tricky relationships are just a lot more entertaining to read about!
On a more helpful note, as we head into Mother’s Day weekend I have some of my favorite books about mothers to share with you ~ titles focusing more on mother characters in general than strictly a mother-daughter relationship.
Last year, I shared a download with my premium subscribers featuring eight of my favorite fictional mothers. It’s an eclectic mix, but one that really demonstrates just how much I appreciate stories about complex mothers who aren’t martyrs, have rich lives, and have a sense of humor. Please do check it out!
This year I am sharing ten more titles that I read over the past year that perfectly fit this category as well. I hope you have a chance to read one of these in the nearish future!
Read Sandwich by Catherine Newman if you can relate viscerally to middle age + long-time marriage + young adult children + aging parents … all at once.
Read Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray if same as above, but written 20 years earlier.
Read We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes if unconventional family structures are your reality and you’re just trying to hold it all together from minute to minute.
Read Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo if you can understand that sometimes mothers don’t always make perfect decisions, but things can still work out over time.
Read Hum by Helen Phillips if you need a little shot of science fiction in your motherhood stories.
Read Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe if you can relate to trying to raise an infant with no childcare, no money, and an absolute drive to make things work.
Read Skin & Bones by Renee Watson if lyrical and raw are what you’re looking for.
Read All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman if you’re sick of all the moms who do the right thing all the damn time.
Read This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood if you want short stories about the absolute realities of early motherhood.
Read We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons if you prefer a bit more grit and psychedelics in your stories about early motherhood.
So, which one do you want to read first!? Do you have a recommendation for me? I would love to hear about it!
Thanks for stopping by!
