The best novels about motherhood

This book resonated with me because it explores relationships between women and reminds us that family can be found in the most unlikely of places. It’s one of those books that made me laugh and cry and stayed with me long after I’d finished it.

All My Mothers follows the story of a young girl who grows up wondering why her emotionally absent mother avoids her and why no one will answer any of her questions about her beginnings. Her journey of discovery spans decades and centres around the different women who shape her life.

There are many women who have played an important part in my own journey and made me who I am today. 

From one extreme to another!

The Push is a fast-paced suspense that had me on tenterhooks from start to finish and I couldn’t stop reading it. It’s about a woman, Blythe, who is determined to be a loving and kind mother to her new baby. But as the stress and relentlessness of early motherhood takes its toll, Blythe becomes increasingly convinced there’s something wrong with her daughter. The problem is that no one believes her.

This book reminded me of my early days of parenting, when I was sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and paranoid that I was a terrible mother. Looking back now, it really does feel like a distant memory and if you’re a new mother reading this, I promise you that this too shall pass. (Unless you’re Blythe perhaps…!) 

The school-mum politics and school-yard scandals in Big Little Lies are so entertaining! It’s fiction, of course, but there is some truth to it.

As mothers, we should be allies, but sometimes the school gates can be intimidating places, especially if we are already doubting our abilities and questioning our identities. This novel is about three very different mothers who are juggling their lives and families, while living in fear of losing the women they were before motherhood. I think we all experience this fear at some point and it can be terrifying.

It’s our default setting to put our families first but we have to remember that just because we are mothers, it does not mean that we are any less important, relevant, unique, and special. 

I’ve been a huge fan of Marian Keyes for years and I’ve read all her books.

She has a wonderful talent for character development and describing the intricacies of family life and relationships and she seamlessly combines chick-lit humour with meatier, serious themes. In The Break, a story about midlife crisis, Amy’s husband Hugh decides to take a break from their marriage and family, and go travelling to find himself, leaving her at home, a single mum, wondering what the heck has just happened. But will he return, and if he does, will Amy still be the same woman?

I was actually reading this book when I got the idea for my debut novel! 

This book had me in stitches!

It’s a comedy about a woman who gives up her job as an undercover spy to raise her family. But beneath the school runs and bake sales, she’s never quite said goodbye to the past and when the opportunity to work for MI5 again presents itself, she can’t say no. But does she still have what it takes?

If you’re terrified of your child’s class Whatsapp group, shudder when you see anyone from the school’s PTA, and are juggling being a mum with a career, then I think you’ll enjoy this one.