More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen
Fiction
2026
Finished on August 21, 2026
Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
A woman finds herself asking surprising questions about her family and friends in this wise, wonderful novel of life, loss, and moving on—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of After Annie.
High school English teacher Polly Goodman can talk about everything and anything with the women in her book club, which is why they’ve become her closest friends and, along with the support of her veterinarian husband, the bedrock of her life. Her private school students, her fraught relationship with mother, her struggles with IVF—Polly’s book club friends have heard it all.
But when they give Polly an ancestry test kit as a joke, the results match her with a stranger. Despite it seeming clear that this match is a mistake, Polly cannot help combing through her own family history for answers. Then, when it seems that the book club circle of four will become three, Polly learns how friendships can change your life in the most profound ways.
Written with Quindlen’s trademark warmth, humor, and insight into the power of love and hope, More Than Enough explores how we find ourselves again and again through the relationships that define us.
Another winner by Anna Quindlen! I very much enjoyed this novel, which feels like an old, favorite sweater, wrapping me up in tender moments between friends and family. Quindlen addresses difficult life situations such as infertility, dementia, and cancer with great sensitivity. While some of the secondary characters aren't fully realized, Polly, Sarah, Garrison, and Mark are as familiar to me as friends in my own social circle. I remember reading a lot of books about women's friendships back in the 1990s, but Quindlen refrains from cliches and overly saccharine scenes between her characters. This one's a keeper to read again at a later date.
Highly recommend!
Ah, I read this recently and didn't love it as much as you did. I'm glad it worked for you!
ReplyDeleteHelen, I was in the mood for something like this one, and happily it worked for me. I need to go back and re-read your review, which I probably skimmed since I like to go into my reads cold.
DeleteI agree! This was my first by Quindlen and I know i want to read more. Loved the brother...more than enough.
ReplyDeleteOh, Tina. You have a lot of great books ahead of you by Quindlen. Her nonfiction is also very good.
DeleteHappy to hear that. I need a good list and some planning fir Fall and winter
DeleteI'm going to put together my fall/winter list soon. Of course, I'll have my Nonfiction choices for November in the mix, too.
DeleteI like stories about women's friendships. In the past I have found that I love Quindlen's nonfiction, and I like her fiction.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I like those stories, too. Lately, I like the ones that focus on women in their retirement years, but this one still worked for me. Yes, her nonfiction is also wonderful.
DeleteI've enjoyed so many of Anna Quindlen's books over the years and look forward to reading this one, too. Her nonfiction especially resonates and my favorite is Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I think you'll enjoy this one! Oooh, I liked Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, too. Might be a good one to re-read in November.
DeleteI think I’d like this too. I’ve read this author but a long time ago
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, both her fiction and nonfiction are very satisfying. I'd like to go back and re-read a few.
DeleteI like Quindlen but haven't read her in a while. Definitely going on the list! Books that feel like putting on an old favorite sweater is balm for the soul, and one of the reasons I love to read. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteJane, I need to put together a list of the books I've read by Quindlen and which ones are left on my TBR list. I tend to get her mixed up with Anne Tyler. She is a favorite, that's for certain.
DeleteI have read this one ... gave it 3.5 stars. It didn't land as much for me as some of her others, but it is somewhat lighter in tone than her dark novels. Perhaps I found it a bit predictable and uneven in parts ... though I said it was sweet about life's turns ... Glad you enjoyed it. DNA tests seem to be points of contention in novels these days eh?
ReplyDeleteI wonder why I enjoyed this one so much better than most readers... Just perfect timing, I suppose. Yes, DNA tests seem to be popping up in a few books these days!
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