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The best moms in fiction
No one’s as fierce, loyal, or supportive as a mom, as seen in these novels.
Published on October 19, 2023
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi: A Novel
Shannon ChakrabortyAmina al-Sirafi, who left a daring life of piracy after becoming a mother, is pulled into a new adventure when a former crew member’s daughter is kidnapped. This trilogy-starter by Chakraborty (“The City of Brass”) is an action-packed historical fantasy with a multi-layered mom-heroine we’ve all been waiting for.
The Orchard
Peter HellerAward-winning author Heller’s evocative observations of motherhood and nature are on full display in “The Orchard.” Hayley leaves a prestigious career to raise her daughter in a more stress-free environment: Vermont’s Green Mountains. One day, their idyllic lives are interrupted by an unexpected visitor.
One Italian Summer: A Novel
Rebecca SerleKaty Silver’s mom Carol is more than just a parent: She’s Katy’s closet friend and confidant. So when Carol dies, Katy is left reeling, and she takes a solo trip to dreamy Positano, Italy, where the duo always planned to travel together. But then Katy inexplicably encounters her mother’s 30-year-old self. Searle (“In Five Years”) delivers a heartfelt and time-bending mother-daughter saga about deep love and the meaning of life.
This Is How It Always Is: A Novel
Laurie FrankelAfter her own child transitioned, author Frankel drew on her personal family experience to write this big-hearted novel about a transgender child. It follows Rosie and Penn, whose son Claude knows from a young age that he wants to be a girl. Claude’s transformation into daughter Poppy is not without its challenges, including bigoted reactions at school, but Rosie’s support (and fierce protectiveness) is steadfast throughout the novel.
The House of the Spirits: A Novel
Isabel Allende“The House of the Spirits” established Allende as one of the top Latin American talents. And while it’s a sprawling family tale, the core keeping the clan together (who happens to be a clairvoyant) is loving mother and wife Clara del Valle Trueba.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty SmithKatie Nolan isn’t perfect — she’s dealing with sub-optimal circumstances trying to raise three kids while living in poverty, after all. But her complicated character and her dedication to her family make her a stand-out literary mom in this coming-of-age tale.
The Hate U Give
Angie ThomasStarr Carter is, well, a star — an inspiring and nuanced heroine who must remain strong in the face of injustice. Her strength and moral resolve are largely inspired by her mother, Lisa, who overcame her own difficult past to become a caring mother and supportive wife, even when the odds are against her. This stunning take on race relations and police brutality (one of the greatest YA novels of our time) is all the more moving thanks to Lisa’s strength of character.
The Joy Luck Club
Amy TanOn the surface, “The Joy Luck Club” is about four women meeting weekly to play mahjong. Dive deeper to discover a powerful, emotional story of immigrants finding community in a new country and bonding over shared aspirations for their children. This story of mothers and daughters — inspired by the author’s mother — is relatable and heartfelt, examining the fraught but unbreakable bond that links generations.
The Daughter's Tale: A Novel
Armando Lucas CorreaBerliner Amanda struggles to protect her young daughters from violence in war-torn Germany and France. Years later, her daughter Elise (now an elderly woman living in New York City) receives letters written by her mother while she was in a Nazi internment camp. As Elise relives her own past trauma, the enormity of her mother’s sacrifices become evident. “The Daughter’s Tale” reveals the devastating lengths a mother will go to protect her children from the unthinkable.
Terms of Endearment: A Novel
Larry McMurtryRead the novel that inspired the 1980s film starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson. Aurora is a vivacious, attractive woman with plenty of opinions, which she eagerly bestows upon her adult daughter, Emma. But their relationship takes a new, more vulnerable turn when Emma is diagnosed with cancer. “Terms of Endearment” is a mother-daughter story that’s at once moving and funny, featuring a mother who exemplifies the complexity most of us have seen in our own maternal figures.
Laura & Emma
Kate GreatheadLaura (the mother) and Emma (the daughter) have a strange, often strained, bond as they struggle with expectations of social elites in New York City. Following their troubles — made all the more complicated by their clashing personalities — is a delight. Greathead’s debut is subtly funny and endlessly touching.
French Exit: A Novel
Patrick deWittWidow Frances isn’t exactly the best mother in the world, but her quirks are plenty endearing. Follow along as she spends every penny relocating from the Upper East Side of NYC to Paris, with her adult son and cat (who may be her late husband reincarnate) in tow. Hilarity ensues, largely led by Frances.
Boneshaker: A Novel of the Clockwork Century
Cherie PriestWhat’s more badass than a mom? A mom who overcomes the worst of circumstances to protect her child. In the years after her late husband’s experiment goes terribly awry, Briar and her son, Ezekiel, live as outcasts. Ezekiel is determined to clear his father’s name, so he ventures into dangerous territory — with Briar hot on his heels. This alternative, steampunk-style history of the Civil War (the first in the “Clockwork Century” saga) offers moms a heroine they can relate to and aspire to be.
The Perfect Mother: A Novel
Aimee MolloyThe “May Mothers” — a friend group of moms with May-born babies — leave the kids with a sitter for a night out, but the party comes to a halt when Winnie’s son, Midas, is stolen from his crib. Together, and in opposition of the media and law enforcement, they’ll do whatever it takes to bring Midas home. “The Perfect Mother” shines a light on how society holds mothers to near-impossible standards, and how mothers rise to the challenge nonetheless.
Little Women
Louisa May AlcottThis list would be incomplete if it didn’t include “Little Women” to highlight the tender-yet-formidable Mrs. March. Marmee embraces her role as caregiver and moral compass for her four daughters during the American Civil War and remains a mainstay for inspiring maternal figures.
Anne of Green Gables
Lucy Maud MontgomeryAnne’s adoptive mother, Marilla Cuthbert, is one of those literary moms who shaped us as kids and continues to hold a warm place in our hearts. Marilla’s strict ways are no match for Anne’s shenanigans — nor is her reserved heart a match for Anne’s disarming, unabashed love. Their evolving bond reveals the beauty in found families.
A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle“A Wrinkle in Time” is a strange delight that contains everything from thorough explorations of time travel to strong, vulnerable characters. One such character is Kate Murry, a microbiologist who’s been left to care for her children on her own after her physicist husband goes missing.
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Beverly ClearyRamona’s long-suffering, patient mother Mrs. Quimby deserves a mention simply for being the mom of such hilarious, rambunctious kids. In this title, she goes back to work so that Mr. Quimby can go back to school, giving this story a subtly feminist undertone that is always welcome in children’s literature.