With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, I thought it would be a great time to recognize some of the amazing dads we encounter in books. I recently did this for Mother’s Day, and found that it was significantly more challenging to find good moms than it is to find good dads. What’s that about?!
1. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Goodness I just loved Noah and Jude’s father. He was flawed, but he loved those kids and really redeemed himself in the end. (See my review of this book here!)
2. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
While Sara does have a father in this novel, I think I’m really giving a nod to the father figures in this book that help Miss Sara. They were wonderful.
3. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Ummm he basically went through hell trying to get back to his wife and son. He definitely gets recognition for being a devoted dad (and husband)! (See my review here.)
4. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
OMG Matthew Cuthbert (Anne’s adopted father) is 100% perfection, and his relationship with Anne could not be cuter. (See my review of this fantastic book here!)
5. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Bee’s father in this book is not your typical “amazing father,” but I loved the role he played in this book and the way he showed how much he loved his family.
6. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Almost as much as I adored Ove, I adored his father. Definitely another one who isn’t your stereotypically good dad, but I loved the few times we got to see their relationship. (See my review here.)
7. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Don’t you dare even roll your eyes that I put a Twilight book in my list. I LOVED Bella’s dad. He was awkward, out-of-practice, and unsentimental at first, but he really developed wonderfully as a father.
Who are some of your favorite dads in literature?
This prompt was used from “Top Ten Tuesday,” a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.
Annie
Oh yes, In Black Matter he was perfect <3
matxi_books
hahaha I kind of rolled my eyes, but not really!! I think the father figures in that series were spot on! Charlie was a sweetie, I really liked his awkwarness… made him genuine! And the rest of the father figures were pretty great, even in the vampire and werewolf families I think! 😉
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Ali
Hahaha, yes they were all very good father figures – even if that gets an eye-roll, it’s still worth mentioning 😀
Maraia
Omg, I don’t remember Ove’s dad at ALL. That is really embarrassing. xD
I definitely agree with Noah and Jude’s father and with Dark Matter.
I would add Simon’s dad from Simon vs. the Homo Sapien’s Agenda and Starr’s dad from The Hate U Give.
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Ali
I didn’t read the other two books (but I’ve heard great things!). Good father figures are always fun to read about… especially because I feel like there aren’t as many of them in real life! XD
Chrystal
I loved Bella’s dad too!
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Ali (@thebandarblog)
He wasn’t perfect, but it made me love him more (:
momknu
I agree with you 100% on these best fathers or father figures. Haven’t read “Ove” yet and not Dark Matters, but I’m sure I’ll agree. You’ve never lead my reading astray yet. Yea, Dr. Al!
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Resh
Glad you put Dark Matter in there. I had almost forgotten how desperate the hero was to get back to his own family
Ali
Yeah! It gets lost in all the other things that went on, but that was ultimately the point in the end! He wanted to be with them 🙂
colleenamareena
I love Pa in the Little House series. He’s so hardworking and down-to-earth and funny and expects the best of his kids while giving the best of himself. Thanks for this great list!
Ali
I haven’t read that series, but I REALLY want to! I love great dads in literature ( :
Maggie
Matthew Cuthbert for sure 🙂 There are a few great dads in that series… Mr. Irving, Mr. Meredith… they both fail their children a bit in the wake of their wives deaths, but really come through in the end.
I also adored Pa in the Little House series.
And, maybe he needed to hide away less and enforce a bit more sense… but the father in Pride & Prejudice gets on my list just for the moment he tells Elizabeth he will never speak to her again if she accepts Mr Collins <3
Ali
I forgot about the father in P&P! He’s got some good qualities, too!