Top Ten Tuesday: My Top 10 Favorite Book Moms

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Mother’s Day related Freebie: favorite moms in literature, books about motherhood, best mother/daughter or son relationships, books to buy your mom, worst moms in literature, etc.”

My list might come across as a little weird because while yes I love badass moms who are willing to sacrifice everything to keep their children safe and happy like the ladies from Harry Potter, Marmee from Little Women, Lena Younger from A Raisin in the Sun, and Momma Carter from The Hate U Give, I’m also attracted to those problematic moms you love to hate like Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice and Cersei Lannister from A Song of Fire and Ice series.  I think Bernadette Fox from Where’d You Go, Bernadette? probably falls in the middle of the spectrum. She’s kind of a hot mess, but at the same time, she is a refreshingly honest character. Anyway, so I’d say my list of favorite moms is basically a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

My Top Ten Favorite Book Moms

 

1, 2, 3.  MOLLY WEASLEY, NYMPHADORA TONKS, & LILY POTTER from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

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4. MA from Room by Emma Donoghue

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5.  MARMEE MARCH from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

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6. LENA YOUNGER from A Raisin in the Sun

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7. MRS. BENNETT from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

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8. MOMMA CARTER from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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9. BERNADETTE FOX from Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

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10. CERSEI LANNISTER from the A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin

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Question:  Who are some of your favorite moms from books?  Do we share any favorites?

36 replies
    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Right? In some ways Cersei is the absolute worst but she is still one of the most fascinating moms I’ve ever read about.

  1. Lori
    Lori says:

    I love your list! Marmee, Mama Carter, and Molly made my list too. They were such fantastic mothers!

  2. ShootingStarsMag
    ShootingStarsMag says:

    It’s been awhile since I’ve read A Raisin in the Sun, but that’s awesome you included the mom! I am totally in agreement with all the lovely moms in the Harry Potter series. I think Katniss’ mom is pretty great in the Hunger Games too.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yes, Lena is one of the strongest moms I’ve ever read about. Definitely my favorite character in that play.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! I hope you get to read The Hate U Give. It’s fantastic, definitely one of my favorites of the year so far.

  3. Wendy @ Birdie Bookworm
    Wendy @ Birdie Bookworm says:

    I never read past book 2, but I’m current with the show. I’m not sure where the differences are, but it’s hard for me to think of Cersei as a good mom… I mean, I don’t doubt that she loves her kids with her entire being, and I even agree that every motivation is for her children… yet she’s so awful! LMAO

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Oh, Cersei is definitely the mom I love to hate. She’s the bad and the ugly from my list but I still find her utterly fascinating, haha.

  4. Mareli Thalwitzer
    Mareli Thalwitzer says:

    Ma from Room! Wonder if anybody else thought of her? Quite the notable mom yes. You’ve got a nice selection here! I’ve made a list of stepmoms in literature.

  5. Jordan Rose
    Jordan Rose says:

    Mrs. Weasley will always be one of my favorites! I also loved Momma Carter from The Hate U Give, she was incredible. This entire list is fantastic, great list. 🙂

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! Yes, I truly adore everything about Molly Weasley, from the sweaters she crochets for her kids to her badass self when she goes after Bellatrix. She is amazing!

  6. Greg
    Greg says:

    Molly Weasley seems like a great choice and from what I know of her character I can see why. Mrs. Bennett is a great choice as well. and Cersei! Ack. Don’t get on her bad side… 🙂

  7. Brandy
    Brandy says:

    I love that you included Lena Younger from A Raisin in the Sun! She was the epitome of a strong mother character and one of my favorite moms.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! Yeah, Mrs. Bennett is hilarious. Definitely not the best mom in the world, but she sure it an entertaining character to read about.

  8. Resh Susan
    Resh Susan says:

    I love Molly Weaseley. I am sympathetic towards Mrs. Bennett too even though she is so annoyingly nagging. Poor thing, what could she do. Five daughters and very little money. She just wanted the best for them and a roof over their heads. She is a hilarious character though

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I’m so glad to know someone else appreciates the humor of Mrs. Bennett. Sometimes she was the absolute worst, but still she was always so entertaining to read about. 😉

  9. Zoe @ Stories on Stage
    Zoe @ Stories on Stage says:

    All the Harry Potter moms are just the absolute best, aren’t they? <3 And OMG yet another reason I need to read The Hate U Give ASAP. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous choices! <3

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      They really are! Oh, I can’t wait to see what you think of The Hate U Give. As of right now, it definitely stands as one of my top 5 favorite reads of the year.

  10. Di @ Book Reviews by Di
    Di @ Book Reviews by Di says:

    Ooh – the HP moms! They are the best, so many great women in that series.

    I need to read Room so badly.

    I also have to know why you have Mrs Bennet on that list!!!!??? Ha ha.

    I can see why Cersei is there, she’s horribly fascinating and I cannot wait for the next season of the TV series to come out (because let’s face it, I’ve kind of given up waiting for Winds of Winter!!).

    Great post.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Mrs. Bennett and Cersei are there just because my list is favorite moms, not necessarily great moms. They’re both basically moms that I love to hate, haha!

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