Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly social blog hop between book bloggers. There are two regular hosts: Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read, and two special guest hosts every week. If you want to join in, click on either of their blogs to get the details. The FF question of the day is:
Q: This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother's Day. In celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?
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1. Little Women
2. The Goddess Test
3. Beloved
I can think of several novels where there's a strong bond between mother and child, but it's not a positive one. These relationships are characterized by the intensity of the bond. They're bad mothers, but more importantly, they're over involved:
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2. The Haunting of Hill House
3. White Oleander
My favorite depiction of mother/child relationships is in novels where the mother's fulfillment of her role is in question. Is she a good mother or a bad mother? Is there an in-between?
1. A Map of the World
2. The Good Mother
2. The Good Mother
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As for my favorite mother in literature, it's a tie. My first favorite is Dr. Kate Murray in the A Wrinkle in Time series, a bad ass scientist who makes innovative sandwiches and loves each of her very different children for themselves.
But the rabbit mother in A Country Bunny and Her Little Gold Shoes is pretty awesome too. She has scores of children and aspires to be an Easter bunny. She finds a way to happily occupy all her children and still be the best Easter bunny ever. See, sometimes a mother really can have it all!
But the rabbit mother in A Country Bunny and Her Little Gold Shoes is pretty awesome too. She has scores of children and aspires to be an Easter bunny. She finds a way to happily occupy all her children and still be the best Easter bunny ever. See, sometimes a mother really can have it all!
I used Little Women as one of mine too! And I forgot about Kate Murray. Another great example.
ReplyDeleteI thought of the mom in Pride & Prejudice, but I agree - overbearing and unhealthy!
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Here's my FF!
I think in YA it's like.. if there ARE parents then they MUST be crappy or else nothing happens OR the protagonists are labeled bad rolemodels etc. :/
ReplyDeletePatricia // My Hop
Yeah, the parents have to get out of the way to let the protagonist take center stage!
DeleteGreat job! I had a hard time choosing! It's true that YA books I read don't focus on family relationships!
ReplyDeleteBy the way I love love Jane Austeen
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Following ^.^
my FF post
Valery • The Book Of Owl's
I love Jane Austen too! I'm think the absent parent thing is even bigger in the sub-genres of YA that I gravitate toward. It seems like in contemporary YA, parents are more present, or a bigger part of the story much of the time.
DeleteLove this post! Made me think about the different kinds of mother. haha! Happy Friday, Tarah!
ReplyDeleteOld follower,
Stop by my FF post? :)
I had a tough time since I'm mostly YA these days, and you're very right about 'absent parent syndrome' -- seems most books need to have family issues there to add to the plot. But anyway, yay Little Women! That is the best family and family values novel, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
My FF
Not familiar with those. But it is rare for me to see any kind of parent in a book. Whether it is YA or adult. YA is almost 50/50, parents won't be there and the teens run around getting in danger and they are just gone or being just neglectful. Or sometimes they are there and are pretty decent parents at that too!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Friday Hops
Have a GREAT weekend!
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Mine is also Little Women, great choices.
ReplyDeletehttp://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/05/feature.html
Marmee is the best!
DeleteI always thought the mother in Pride and Prejudice was a little...crazy. Old follower! My Follow
ReplyDeleteTotally! I always find it frustrating that the father is so passive, too.
DeleteI can think of a lot more bad mothers in literature than good ones! And now I want to go reread A Wrinkle In Time. Old follower!
ReplyDeleteI think bad ones are more fun to write and read about! I haven't reread the series in a long time either.
DeleteI couldn't get myself to finish Pride and Prejudice. I know quite a few people who adore that book but I just could not get into it. Character development alone just isn't enough for me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's definitely a lull in the middle of the book. I'm still not sure what I think about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth!
DeleteI would never have thought of Mrs Bennett as a bad mother, but I definitely agree with you on the over involved part. It's strange, I wonder, do novelists have mom issues or something? Great picks. New follower, come return the favor? Would mean the world if you did:)
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bennett is right on the border, because her intentions are good. And Mr. Bennett gets off too easy in my opinion, because he "knows better" but doesn't act until it's too late to help his daughter(s). But I think Mrs. Bennett ultimately tilts into the negative for me because all her mothering seems ultimately ego-driven.
DeleteSpeaking as a writer and a reader, I think novelists have issues in every flavor of the rainbow ;)
This is an impressive and well thought-out post and I agree with your assessment. I've read almost all of the books you mention (exception: The Haunting of Hill House and sadly, your favorite, A Wrinkle in TIme series). Will consider this a recommendation. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNew follower:
http://michelecozzens.blogspot.com
Cheers
Thanks Michele! One thing I love about these blog hops is all the recommendations. It feels good to know that there's always another great book I haven't read and/or heard about on the horizon!
DeleteHappy Mother's Day!! You are one of the top moms operating today, way above Penelope Trunk.
ReplyDeletep.s. I like your new profile picture
Aw, thank you on all three counts! Very sweet. It's been a good day :)
DeleteI like how you split up our list. Really interesting analysis!
ReplyDeleteTHanks for the add! FOllowing back!
Have a happy week!
It's the kind of subject where if you start thinking about it, you could be splitting sub-categories of literary examples forever! And that's right up my alley :) I hope you have a good week as well.
DeleteI love your answer it never occurred to me to look at the flip side of a mother's love. Click on my name to see my answer.
ReplyDeletewhite oleander was SO haunting when I read it! new follower http://susansoares.wordpress.com/
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