Books with Themes of Motherhood
- Briana Azar
- 22 hours ago
- 6 min read
In honor of Mother's Day, I put together a list of books I love that incorporate motherhood in some shape or form. Motherhood is complicated, nuanced, different for everyone, and this list covers many of those narratives.
I've written about my dad a lot in my posts because writing about him helps me move through the grief of losing him, and the power of grief often overwhelms me when I read books about dads. But my mom is and always has been the light of my life.
My mom is the most resilient, intelligent, joyful, warm person I have ever known. So much of who I am is because of her. Her story of being a Polish immigrant, the youngest of four, growing up on a farm in Poland, becoming an adult in the city of Warsaw, getting a chance to come to America, and creating a home and family away from her loved ones --- I could write a whole book on my mom's life and strength. My mom has been through a lot but it's her ability to laugh, find joy, be playful, and share her warmth with others that makes me proud to be her daughter. She loves fiercely and fully, and having her love my entire life makes me incredibly lucky.
So, here's to all the moms out there, biological or not. There's a reason everyone thanks their moms in their awards speeches. To me, motherhood means strength, tenacity, unconditional love, yet it can be nurturing, soft, and warm. It means carrying a family on your back but doing it with pride and joy. It means taking care of people, whether blood or not, and extending empathy far beyond themselves.
Speaking of my mama, she loves Anne of Green Gables. Growing up in a small Polish village, she found parallels between Anne's life in Green Gables and her own --- the simplicity, the hard work, the mark of time passing with seasonal food and activities.
Even more so, she loves the development of Marilla, Anne's adopted mother. While Marilla begins the story stern and cold, she slowly thaws as Anne brings warmth, joy, and imagination into her life. Not only does Marilla grow to love Anne as her own daughter, her sense of humor and wonder grows as well, molding her into an unforgettable parental figure.
I read this young adult classic as an adult, and found myself smiling and even shedding a few tears as I watched the relationship between Anne and Marilla blossom into one of trust, respect, and love.
I've learned to be okay separating the art from the artist, which I've had to do with my favorite books of all time. While I don't want to give attention to this author, I still want to share my love for Harry Potter, because I believe readers can take whatever they want and need from this story, author be damned (it's why I respect and give space for fan fiction).
Although Lily Potter isn't physically present in most of these books, her love for Harry is such a powerful theme throughout the whole series. Her sacrifice is the magic that always keeps Harry safe, and her presence is always felt and is a central theme that comes up time and time again.
My mom read the first book to me when I was four years old, in her cute Polish accent, and it was the match that lit the fire for my reading passion. I remember, even at such a young age, understanding why Lily's love for her son was such a powerful source of magic, and it's a metaphor for motherhood that I've always loved and remembered.
Many know Kristin Hannah as a master of historical fiction centering on women's stories. But before she honed that genre writing, she wrote a lot of contemporary fiction books. I've read quite a few, but Magic Hour is my favorite of hers from her earlier era.
In Magic Hour, a child psychiatrist going through her own grief begins working with a strange and lost six year old girl who refuses to speak. As she uncovers what happened to the girl, she grows to love and care for her as her own, despite the lack of verbal communication. She is able to connect through her warmth, patience, and empathy --- characteristics of so many mothers I know and respect.
Motherhood doesn't just mean connection by blood, and often it's the choice to be a mother that proves to be the most powerful bond.
This memoir, along with Kimball's follow-up Good Husbandry, give insight into what it means to shift one's identity when becoming a mother, and how balancing love, a farm, and family can be difficult but also incredibly rewarding.
While some city dwellers like myself may sometimes glorify what farm life might be like, this story shows the harsh reality, from failed crops to ill animals. Kimball learns to become a farmer when she falls in love with one, and her journey from New York City journalist to farm matriarch is fascinating. I especially love when she talks about the physical demands of both farming and motherhood, and how she had to learn to balance both. But the joy she reaps from both identities show just how capable and strong women are, both physically and emotionally.
At first, I wasn't going to include this novel as it can be a difficult one to recommend, but when I thought about the nuances and intricacies of motherhood, I couldn't help but think about this book.
Same As It Ever Was follows Julie Ames over decades of her life, most notably when she becomes a mother. She struggles to adapt to the demands of motherhood, while keeping parts of herself from disintegrating. She is anxious, overthinks, makes many mistakes, and is constantly haunted by her painful relationship with her own mother. There were pages and pages where I couldn't stand Julie and her lack of appreciation for the life she had chosen for herself. However, Julie does grow and develop as a character, and the ending was very satisfying.
This story sheds light on the more complicated and disquieting aspects of motherhood, which can be rare and controversial, but deserves a voice.
Are y'all sick of me yapping about this book yet? While I have written about how much this book means to me, especially because of the way it portrays the grief of losing a father, I feel it's an interesting look at what that grief can do to a matriarch.
When Macy loses her precious father, she struggles to share her pain with her mom. Her mom can be cold, anxious, and stressed, but as the book goes on, we learn its because her mom is desperately trying to control the things within her power when she loses the love of her life. The character development of Macy's mom and their relationship feels incredibly real and raw, which makes this story all the more authentic. It shows that moms can often carry the burden of a household quietly, not wanting to unload their pain on those they love and take care of --- but how important it is to show and share those difficult emotions.
I absolutely love the relationship between the main character, Theo, and his mother. To see her through his eyes is magical and powerful, which makes it that more painful when Theo loses his mother in a bombing at an art museum when he is 13.
The story follows Theo over the next decade as he navigates grief and life without his mother. The way he describes her --- her light, joy, humor, tenderness --- is beautiful and some of my favorite writing of a mother I've ever read. His mother deals with so much, from his father leaving and her struggling to make ends meet, yet she finds happiness and meaning in the mundane that she shares with her son. Theo seems to constantly be looking for that joy and his mother's presence everywhere he looks, which helps keep him going through dark times. Even in death, her love for Theo is the one thing that permeates his sadness, keeping her memory alive and well.
This novel is one of the best family sagas I've ever read, and I always recommend it to anyone who loves a good, thick, juicy family drama.
But I want to highlight the matriarch of the Sorenson family, Marilyn. She feels so real and raw. She loves her husband and her four ridiculous daughters, yet struggles to carry the emotional weight of the entire family. She is far from perfect, makes mistakes, but her love and hope for each character is a grounding force throughout the entire 600 page novel. I love the nuances of motherhood shown through Marilyn, the good and the bad, the grief and the joy, because isn't that what being a mom is all about?
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Happy reading, y'all.