The best books about mothers are emotional! Good books about motherhood are as all-encompassing and immersive as this role is in real life. They span relatable and raw non-fiction books, as well as thematic fiction that explores the maternal bond, generational trauma, self-sacrifice, caregiving, the postpartum experience, grief and loss, and more.
In my curated list from 1,000+ books read, you’ll find something for your unique circumstances or a relaxing gift for her for Mother’s Day or another special celebration. Let’s get literary!
List of the Best Books About Mothers
TOP 3 BOOKS FOR MOMS
Crying in H Mart: One of the most popular memoirs in recent years, this is the moving mother-daughter account of a daughter losing her mom and the cultural impact she leaves behind.
Lessons in Chemistry: One of the most popular novels in recent years, this is a story set in the 1950s and 1960s about a strong single mom who challenges the status quo.
Tom Lake: Another popular pick, this novel offers an exquisitely crafted narrative about that which we don’t know about our mothers and the joy of being a mother.
TAKE THE POLL
Non-Fiction
|
Title |
Genre |
Theme |
Best For |
|
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner |
memoir |
grief, cultural identity |
readers processing loss or exploring Korean-American heritage |
|
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy |
memoir |
toxic relationships, childhood trauma |
those interested in celebrity memoirs and emotional resilience |
|
Wild by Chery Strayed |
memoir |
grief, self-discovery, healing through nature |
readers seeking personal transformation after loss |
Contemporary Fiction
|
Title |
Genre |
Theme |
Best For |
|
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty |
women’s fiction |
friendship, secrets |
readers who enjoy salacious drama among moms |
|
The Mothers by Brit Bennett |
literary fiction |
young motherhood, guilt, secrets, community pressure |
readers seeking diverse, emotional depth and complex characters |
|
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout |
literary fiction |
aging, small town life |
fans of interconnected stories and character-driven fiction |
|
The Push by Ashley Audrain |
thriller |
Maternal instinct, nature vs. nurture |
readers who like dark stories and unreliable narrators |
|
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel |
family saga |
gender identity and acceptance |
readers looking for inclusive, heartwarming stories |
|
Where’d You Go, Bernadette? By Maria Semple |
women’s fiction |
mental health, sense of self, societal expectations |
readers who enjoy quirky, satirical storytelling |
Historical Fiction
|
Title |
Setting |
Theme |
Best For |
|
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson |
1960s Caribbean and London to present-day California |
family secrets, heritage |
fans of multigenerational family mysteries |
|
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah |
1930s Dust Bowl & California |
sacrifice, hardship, resilience |
readers who love epic historical survival stories |
|
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan |
1940s China to 1980s San Francisco |
generational divide, immigrant motherhood |
readers interested in Asian-American stories and mother-daughter bonds |
|
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus |
1960s California |
single motherhood, sexism |
fans of witty feminist fiction with heart |
|
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng |
1990s Ohio |
race, class, identity |
readers interested in diverse neighborhood drama |
|
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett |
1980s |
decisions, family love, storytelling |
readers who enjoy quiet reflections and family themes |
My Reviews of the Best Books About Motherhood
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Plot: Big Little Lies is a juicy story about modern mothers who wear facades and keep very big and devastating secrets. The consequences impact an entire school community when someone ends up dead.
Review: This is my favorite book by this popular author, and it’s great for a guilty pleasure. Knowing early on that someone is dead and teasing out what happened keeps the story so propulsive.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Plot: In Black Cake, two estranged siblings must come together to deal with their mother’s death. In the process, they learn secrets about her past.
Review: What makes this popular story remarkable is how it spans from California to London to the Caribbean while weaving throughout it the story of a Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe and the mystery of a young swimmer who escaped her island home under suspicion of murder. Sound intriguing? It is!
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Plot: Crying in H Mart is an extremely popular Asian American-themed book about an indie rockstar growing up Korean American, grieving her mother’s death, and forging her own identity.
While coping with her mother’s illness and death, she faced her Korean identity with a new appreciation for the culture her mother gave her.
Review: It’s an unforgettable portrait of both grief and self-reflection that leaves nothing off the table, keeping the author’s mother’s memory alive. It’s great for anyone who has had misunderstandings as a mom or with their mother.
Reading Tip: This audiobook memoir, read by the author, works especially well in this format.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Plot: In The Four Winds, Elsa Wolcott was considered too old to marry, and her future seemed bleak. Then, she met and quickly decided to marry a man.
But when the Great Depression hit, Elsa was left alone to either fight for the land she loved or head west to California with her children, in search of a better life.
Review: It’s a gripping tale of motherhood and the struggle to survive and thrive when everything is working against you. It’s one of Kristin Hannah’s best books for fans of her novels.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Plot: I’m Glad My Mom Died is the wildly successful memoir of a Nickelodeon child star whose “stage mom” mother had a profoundly negative impact on her life. Her childhood included such shocking events as calorie restriction and eyelash tinting, which led to eating disorders, addiction, and toxic relationships. Her mother’s death allows her to recover and find independence.
Review: The blend of child stardom and toxic parenting makes this book jaw-dropping and impossible to put down. It’s a tough read, but not every mother-daughter relationship is peachy keen, and this popular book proves that.
Reading Tip: This audiobook memoir, read by the author, works especially well in this format.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Plot: The Joy Luck Club tells the stories of four Asian American mothers and their daughters, exploring their lives and experiences.
It began in 1949, when four Chinese women, each recently immigrated to San Francisco, started meeting and sharing their collective tragedies and hopes. Their backstories intertwine in the present in the lives of their four daughters
Review: These mother-daughter intersections are both heartfelt and heartbreaking. This haunting book on the Rory Gilmore reading list is a tour de force that packs a lot of power, and you won’t soon forget it. I learned so much about the American immigrant experience from reading this novel.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Plot: Set in the 1950s and 1960s, Lessons in Chemistry tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a strong, self-assured, self-educated woman who becomes a chemist at a male-dominated research institute. There, she meets and falls in love with another chemist, but life soon leaves her a single, jobless mother.
She reluctantly and unexpectedly becomes the star of a hit cooking show on TV, where she combines her love of science with challenges to women to change the status quo.
Review: This is one of the most popular books in recent years, and Elizabeth Zott is a quirky, unforgettable character you’ll root for. You simply can’t go wrong with this one.
Related Post: Lessons in Chemistry Book Club Guide
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Plot: Little Fires Everywhere by author Celeste Ng is full of a cast of women who are all experiencing motherhood in different ways and making different decisions for their children. This occurs as their lives interconnect in a suburban American neighborhood in the 1990s.
Review: This is one of the most powerful books about motherhood I’ve read. The themes of class and race are portrayed so thoughtfully in each mother’s story. It makes you think about what it means to be a mother.
Related Post: Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Questions
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Plot: The Mothers is a poignant story set in a Black community in California. It focuses on Nadia’s struggle with her mother’s death and a consequential secret pregnancy. Their decisions have a ripple effect that extends through their lives and those around them.
This plot is simultaneously underscored by commentary from the church’s elder women, known as “The Mothers.”
Review: This novel exquisitely explores the lasting impact of choices. It’s an excellent choice for fans of Bennett’s other novel, The Vanishing Half.
Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
Plot: Olive Kitteridge and the sequel Olive, Again highlight one mother’s grumpy everyday moments from a coastal Maine town. Olive teaches the reader about life, particularly the many ways in which she didn’t know how to be a mother. She sometimes got it right and, oftentimes, got it wrong.
Review: Olive is one of America’s greatest curmudgeons, and her stories read like snippets of still life, rich with words craving to be savored and analyzed. Every word choice leaves you breathless. They’re great for moms with a very realistic worldview.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
Plot: The Push is one of author Ashley Audrain’s books about mothers. Blythe descends from a long line of “bad mothers,” so she’s determined to be a good one to Violet. The problem? Something about Violet feels “off.”
But her husband dismisses her concerns, leading her to grapple alone with her confusing thoughts and emotions.
When their son, Sam, is born, however, Blythe’s connection with him is immediate and undeniable — that is, until one pivotal moment changes everything in their family.
Review: The Push is a provocative novel about society’s push for women to give birth, and how the physical act of pushing a child into the world forever changes a person’s life. It’s also about generational family trauma, leaving you with so many thoughts and questions. It’s a must-read for those interested in exploring the heavy themes of motherhood.
Related Post: Book Review of The Push
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Plot: This Is How It Always Is is about the process of parenting a very young transgender child. The reader goes along for the journey and gets to step into the family’s shoes as they try to figure it all out as they live it.
Review: This universally beloved novel is intimate and tender, written from the author’s personal experience. It evokes the deepest emotions of another mother.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Plot: In Tom Lake, it’s Spring 2020, and Lara’s three daughters visit the family’s Northern Michigan orchard, where they ask her to retell the story of the famous actor with whom she once shared both the stage (in Our Town) and a love affair.
Review: It’s both a family drama and a story of love and its various forms, including a mother’s love. It’s both immersive and captivating, methodically revealing parts of a mother’s life that her children didn’t experience with her. I highly recommend this exquisitely written bestseller to any reader.
Reading Tip: The audiobook is narrated by actress Meryl Streep and works especially well in this format.
Related Posts: Tom Lake Summary and Characters | Book Review of Tom Lake | Tom Lake Book Club Questions | Best Ann Patchett Books
Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
Plot: In Where’d You Go Bernadette, artistic Bernadette has lost her mojo after years of prioritizing motherhood over personal development. So, she escapes to Antarctica. Through a series of comedic events, she finds personal meaning.
Review: Bernadette has quirky traits and a voice all her own, which will make you laugh out loud. It’s a great escape book or feel good book for the creative mom in your life. This book like Gilmore Girls also reminded me of Lorelai Gilmore’s humor.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Plot: Wild is a powerful memoir about a woman who hikes over 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone after losing her mother and spiraling into grief and self-destruction. As she battles the physical demands of the trail, she also faces her emotional wounds.
Review: This book has become a pop culture phenomenon —a personal challenge for women to face in coping with parental grief. All the credit goes to Strayed and her craft of writing, honed into literary perfection. She masterfully connects the human expiernce with words.
Recap
The best books about mothers range from true stories to fictional accounts, and they span a variety of genres, from family dramas to mysteries, for a spring reading challenge for adults and beyond. As such, you should take special care to choose a popular book and/or one that suits your reading mood.
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
