8 Books, 8 Memorable Moms

What makes a fictional mother memorable to me? It may be a woman who has survived a great tragedy, or one who’s made great sacrifice. It may be a mother who has faced unspeakable choices, struggled with a decision, and then lived with the consequences. It may be a mother who has made mistakes, or one who longs for things she can never have, or one who overcomes great obstacles to achieve the things she's always dreamed of. 

What all of these “mother characters” have in common—the one thing they exhibit besides loving their children—is they are women first. They came to parenthood with secrets or yearnings and then made their way in a world where their futures may or may not have been within their control.

With Mother’s Day upon us, I’ve scanned my bookcases for the spines that instantly evoke characters who are memorable mothers. There are many from which to pick (!), but I’ve boiled this year’s list down to the eight books below. What books have you read that feature memorable mothers?

The Far End of Happy by Kathryn Craft

The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert

Evening by Susan Minot

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

To receive notifications of my blog posts, visit any page in the blog while you're not on a mobile device. Enter your email address in the Subscribe box.