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 Push

by Ashley Audrain

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Memory, Marriage

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

... Read The Push Summary

The Reckoning

by John Grisham

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, War, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Race, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Femininity, Masculinity, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Death, Coming of Age, The Past, Nation

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Race & Racism, Military & War, World History

... Read The Reckoning Summary

The Red Tent

by Anita Diamant

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Mothers, Love, Grief, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Religion & Spirituality, Jewish Literature, Love & Sexuality, Women`s Studies, World History

The Red Tent (1997) is an adult historical novel by Jewish American author Anita Diamant. It describes the life of Dinah, daughter of Jacob, who appears in the biblical Book of Genesis. While her mention in the Bible only concerns her abduction by a Canaanite man and her brothers’ act of atrocity in response, Diamant imagines a full life for Dinah—including a childhood raised by several mothers, her first marriage, and life in Egypt, where... Read The Red Tent Summary

The Rocking Horse Winner

by D. H. Lawrence

Publication year 1926

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Childhood & Youth

Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Modernism, Finance, Social Class, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, World History, Fantasy

D. H. Lawrence published “The Rocking Horse Winner” in 1926, just four years before his death in 1930. He had written a story, “Glad Ghosts,” for inclusion in Lady Cynthia Asquith’s supernatural fiction anthology Ghost Book. She did not like the story, partly because of the celebration of male sexuality and other erotic undertones. Lawrence wrote “The Rocking Horse Winner” for her instead. Lawrence sets the story in a haunted house, appropriate for a “ghost”... Read The Rocking Horse Winner Summary

The School Story

by Andrew Clements

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Grief, Perseverance, Mothers, Truth & Lies, Fathers, Childhood & Youth

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death

Andrew Clements’s The School Story is a 2001 middle grade fiction novel about two sixth-grade girls who set out to get a book published. The School Story is Andrew Clements’s fourth full-length novel. Prior to writing novels, Clements worked extensively on picture books, and his familiarity with the publishing industry allowed him to create a realistic yet fantastical story about two children trying to navigate it. The School Story explores themes of loss, honesty, and... Read The School Story Summary

These Summer Storms

by Sarah MacLean

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance

... Read These Summer Storms Summary

The Seven Daughters of Dupree

by Nikesha Elise Williams

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Femininity, Race, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Colonialism, Fate, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction

The Seven Daughters of Dupree (2026) is a multi-generational historical novel by Nikesha Elise Williams. The narrative begins in 1995 with 14-year-old Tati Washington, whose quest to learn the identity of her absent father uncovers a long and painful history of matrilineal secrets. Tati’s story is interwoven with the lives of six generations of her ancestors, tracing their lineage back to an enslaved woman on an Alabama plantation in the 1860s. Through the interconnected stories... Read The Seven Daughters of Dupree Summary

The Shawl

by Cynthia Ozick

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers

Tags Historical Fiction, Jewish Literature, World War II, Military & War, American Literature, World History

Cynthia Ozick’s The Shawl is actually two separate (though interrelated) narratives: a short story set during the Holocaust, and a novella set roughly 40 years later in Miami, Florida. In the short story, also titled “The Shawl,” a young Jewish woman named Rosa Lublin is sent with her niece Stella and her infant daughter Magda to a concentration camp. Against all odds, Magda survives much longer than her mother expects, thanks largely to the shawl... Read The Shawl Summary

The Shell Seekers

by Rosamunde Pilcher

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Siblings, Mothers, Nostalgia

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

IntroductionPublished in 1987, The Shell Seekers was written by Rosamunde Pilcher and is her first bestseller. Inspired by Pilcher’s conversation with Tom Dunne at St. Martin’s Press about her children’s desire to see their mother become famous, the novel is the author’s attempt to create a story for women based on the experiences of her generation. Set in 1984, it tells the story of Penelope Stern Keeling and her children (Nancy, Olivia, and Noel) and... Read The Shell Seekers Summary

The Shoemaker's Wife

by Adriana Trigiani

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Joy, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Place, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance

... Read The Shoemaker's Wife Summary