Mothers

With classics like J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and contemporary hits like Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, this collection gathers texts that grapple with the complex and archetypal role of the mother.

The Libation Bearers

by Aeschylus

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Family, Mothers, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Libation Bearers is an ancient Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Aeschylus, first produced in 458 BCE at the City Dionysia in Athens. Libation Bearers is the second part of the Oresteia, a trilogy exploring the themes of justice, retribution, and the cyclical pattern of bloodshed within the family of the mythical king Agamemnon. Following the events of Agamemnon, the first tragedy of Aeschylus’s Oresteia, the play depicts the murder of Clytaemestra, the queen of... Read The Libation Bearers Summary

The Life She Was Given

by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Disability, Coming of Age, Animals, Place, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Beauty, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Drama, Animals, World History, Dramatic Literature

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The Lost Heir

by Tui T. Sutherland

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Memory, Regret, Language, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, War, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Animals, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

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The Mad Wife

by Meagan Church

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Guilt, Loneliness, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Midlife, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Community, Equality, Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Domestic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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The Men of Brewster Place

by Gloria Naylor

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Race, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Social Class, Community

Tags Symbolic Narrative, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Published in 1998, The Men of Brewster Place is a companion to Gloria Naylor’s acclaimed 1982 novel, The Women of Brewster Place. Written as a series of vignettes, the novel tells the intertwining stories of seven Black men living in Brewster Place, a degrading apartment block in an unnamed American city. Each must fight to define his identity as a man while existing within the confines of a racist, sexist society. With themes of pain... Read The Men of Brewster Place Summary

The Mighty Red

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Fear, Grief, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Climate, Environment, Plants, Marriage, Mothers, Colonialism, Community, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Modern Classic Fiction

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The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness

by Arundhati Roy

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Love

Tags Asian Literature, Indian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Historical Fiction

Spanning the 1950s to the 2010s, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, a 2017 novel by Arundhati Roy, follows the interconnected lives of several characters against the backdrop of contemporary India. The novel skips backwards and forwards in time freely, often pauses for detours into the stories of minor characters and includes several texts within the main text (e.g., Bhartiya’s manifesto, or Tilo’s Kashmiri-English Alphabet). At heart, however, the novel consists of two main narrative threads... Read The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness Summary

The Mistake

by Elle Kennedy

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Love, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Appearance & Reality, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Beauty, Fame, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags New Adult, Romance

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The Mother-in-Law

by Sally Hepworth

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Modern Classic Fiction

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth chronicles the turbulent family dynamics of the wealthy Goodwin family. Published in 2019, the crime thriller explores the complexities of motherhood as Lucy Goodwin struggles to uncover the truth behind the tragic death of her mother-in-law, Diana Goodwin. Hepworth’s sixth novel, the book features multiple narrators and flashbacks that offer a suspenseful examination of Lucy’s self-discovery while grappling with the violent death of her family’s complicated matriarch.Content Warning: The Mother-in-Law... Read The Mother-in-Law Summary

The Mothers

by Brit Bennett

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Shame & Pride, Religion & Spirituality, Mothers, Community, Friendship, Forgiveness, Guilt, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Race, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Social Class, Truth & Lies

Tags Coming of Age, African American Literature

The Mothers (2016) is the debut literary fiction novel by American author Brit Bennett. Set within a contemporary Black church community in Southern California, the story follows Nadia Turner, a grieving teenager whose decision to terminate a pregnancy creates ripples effects for her, the baby’s father, and her best friend for years to come. The narrative, framed by the collective voice of the church’s elderly women, explores themes including The Corrosive Power of Secrets, Motherhood... Read The Mothers Summary