I would describe this as literary domestic fiction, in that it has a high quality of writing, serious themes, and a domestic setting and plot which will most likely be more appealing to women rather than men.

The plot follows Polly, a 42-year-old teacher of English at a prestigious high school for girls. She is happily married to a fantastic guy who is the veterinarian for the Bronx Zoo. Her chief character flaw (if you can call it that) is her fractious relationship with her mother, an important judge. Her fondest desire is to become pregnant, and her bio clock has almost run out.

Polly’s girlfriends, namely the members of her book club, give her a DNA test as a gag gift. It comes back with very puzzling results, especially after a half-Black teen contacts her, saying that she is her niece. Since Polly has only one brother, who is gay, this seems impossible. This sets off the plot.

My main problem with this novel is that there were so many characters that it was hard to keep track of them all. Polly has 3 friends in her book club, one of whom, her best friend, is dying of cancer. She has many in-laws, who she loves. She has a favorite student, currently in a mental hospital, whom she visits often. Then there’s the niece, the girl’s grandmother (an alpaca farmer), Polly’s father in an old folks’ home, her nearly estranged mother, her beloved brother, and more. It’s very difficult to remember who all of these people are, and to keep them straight.

The interwoven plots of (a) trying to figure out how Polly is related to her “niece,” (b) Polly dealing with the medical processes of trying to conceive; (c) watching her father’s decline from dementia; (d) dealing with the complications of a teaching job; and (e) resolving her lifelong conflicts with her mother are interesting, well-described and also confusing. There’s so much going on. And yet isn’t that how life is?

Polly is a very relatable heroine, and her story is a compelling one. However, I didn’t find an awful lot in this novel that was surprising or inspirational. That’s why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Nevertheless, it will surely be popular with women in book clubs.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy of this book.

This new book by Anna Quindlen was fine but not earth-shattering. Polly belongs to a small book club, and the members are close. They gift her with an ancestry kit, partly as a joke, and when the results come back she's hesitant to share them with her friends. Someone has contacted her, claiming they are related somehow, and she eventually concludes there was some error in the processing of the kit. There are also a number of side plots, but I felt most of them distracted from the story. I'll keep reading Quindlen's books, because most of them have been more interesting to me, and while I won't rush to recommend this one to others, I won't discourage anyone from reading it. Thank-you to NetGalley, Ms. Quindlen, and Random House for the ARC of this title.

“More Than Enough” is a tender and poignant story by Anna Quindlen.

Polly Goodman is an English teacher who is trying to have a child with her second husband, a vet at Brooklyn zoo. Her relationship with her mother is fraught with challenges while her father is suffering from Alzheimer's and slowly fading away. Polly’s best friends surprise her with a DNA test, which leads her to discover a possible relative. This relatives sends her on a journey, which forces Polly to question what she knows about her mother.

Anna Quindlen is a master at exploring familial relationships and “More Than Enough” is a great example. Polly’s relationship with both of her parents and her brother, Garrison, are well developed as is that of her in laws (her mother-in-law and sister-in-law are utterly delightful). Quindlen also explores Polly’s friendships, especially with that of Sarah who is in remission for breast cancer as well as her correction to her (according to DNA testing) niece. In fact there are so many subplots in this novel, it can be difficult to know where to focus one’s attention. But while the novel is heavy with angst (and some tearful moments) she balances it with moments of humor and hope.

Thank you the Anna Quindlen, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

Readers who already love Anna Quindlen's novels are likely to jump at the chance to acquire and read MORE THAN ENOUGH, and I expect it will do well. I do not feel that this is her strongest work; I found it rather scattered and unfocused, simply taking on too much. The protagonist, Polly, is an secondary level English teacher in an all girls private school, where she seems to be generally admired and respected by her students. One of them turns to Polly post-graduation when she is too upset to continue in college. In the beginning, Polly and her very fine 2nd husband, a vet, are dealing with the pain of long-term infertility treatment, which is exhausting them. We also are learning about Polly's close friends in her book club (they buy but by agreement don't read the books) and her closest friendship with one of them, Sarah, as well as her close relationship and visits to her father, who has Alzheimer's disease and is in a facility. We also have scenes showing her distant, somewhat angry relationship to her mother, and ...a DNA test her book club gives Polly as sort of a joke. She takes the DNA test eventually, gets surprising results, and ends up entangled with yet another set of characters that she isn't...oh but maybe she is...related to. During all this, however she and Sarah (close book club friend) are grappling with Sarah's impending cancer death while Polly's beloved inlaws live in Sarah's country house while theirs in being repaired following extensive and devastating storm damage. But her mother in law ends up serving as a compassionate death doula. So the focus is? The takeaway theme is? Finally, we return to the initial concern of the novel and have a nearly cliche ending.
All of this being said, the characters are warmly drawn and credibly fleshed-out, fully human. They are, in their own way, quite sympathetic, and when they're not, they're understandable. Quindlen's writing is always readily accessible and easy to follow.. I think many readers will really like this book and their takeaway may be that we find and/or create our families where we find or create them; there's a lot of loss and letting go along the way, but be patient and hang in there. Something like that? Or, better yet, they'll make up a takeaway from one of the threads and weave it into a blanket they need.







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Thank you for this advance reader's kindle copy of More than Enough. Initially I was not impressed with the book or the character development.

About half-way through the characters became much more vivid - especially that of Polly, Sarah, and Mark.

Overall I enjoyed the book and stayed up quite late to finish it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for advancing me a copy of this novel.
Although I enjoyed it, I did find the pace a little slow. And for me, there were too many stories - the main character’s struggle to conceive, the distance between her and her mother, her best friend’s illness, her father’s decline and two young women struggling with parental expectations and parental absence. These stories were not satisfactorily resolved; the ending seemed contrived.

I was surprised when I received an invitation to read this ARC, but am so glad I did.

Polly is in her early 40's with plenty of emotional baggage in the way of past relationships and family. It was eerie to me reading this, as Polly's story mirrored my own in many, many ways, to the point that my husband kept asking me what the latest similarities were in my daily reading!

My story didn't turn out like Polly's did, and although I greatly enjoyed it I found the last bit of the book to be completely predictable.

Regardless, I enjoyed the read, enjoyed thinking back of meeting and marrying my years-younger husband (go us!) around that same age, and appreciated how Polly handled her biggest struggles in the end.

This is definitely a solid read that I'll be recommending to friends.

Anna Quindlen's newest release is a comfortable, cozy read centered on a nearly middle-aged woman and her book club friends. I enjoyed the ups and downs of the friendship group, and found their book club, which doesn't read books, kind of fun. Polly is a relatable character, and her struggles with infertility (trigger warning) were well depicted. I most enjoyed Polly's husband, a veterinarian, as it was well-written with no overt errors (I'm a veterinarian and am very critical of poorly portrayed veterinarians). Overall, the plotlines were predictable.

If you are looking for a gentle read with contemporary, relatable female characters and enjoy NY and Connecticut settings, this novel is a good choice.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic copy of the book in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the privilege of reading and ARC of More Than Enough. The premise of the book is an interesting one with a lot of focus in today's world on finding one's ancestry. But what happens if you find out things that are unexpected? The premise is weaved into the story of Polly, her bookclub friends, her job as a teacher, her students, her husband and their families. I enjoyed the character development throughout and found the characters to be believable. The book had a good pace that kept me interested in continuing to read and the plot was well laid out into a story with all the good, the bad, and the ugly that happens in one's life. It is ultimately a story of actions and consequences as well as the unknown influence one can have on another's life. A very enjoyable read!

Anna Quindlen’s latest is a tender family drama about secrets, loss, and the ties that hold us together. Polly Goodman is a relatable lead, navigating the shock of unexpected DNA results alongside the everyday challenges of grief, resentment, and love. At times, the story meanders, and the ending is predictable, but Quindlen’s gift for capturing the texture of ordinary lives kept me reading. I especially loved Polly’s chaotic book club, no books, just honesty and laughter. A solid, thoughtful read that lingers.

This was a really good book. It was sad and it was sweet. It really showed the love of family and friends who were family. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I have loved Anna Quintin for many years and enjoyed most of her books. I was very excited to get this ARC. I finished the book and found it very endearing. I liked all the characters and loved the friendship angle the most. I was a little disappointed in the story concerning the genetic test. I thought that would be the main storyline but it ended up as kind of a subplot. I think it could have been explored more deeply.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am a fan of Anna Quindlen. She has a quiet, steady way of writing that reminds me of Anne Tyler. Ms Quindlen's stories and characters unspool slowly, the tale gently weaving along. At times there are humorous interludes, and moments that bring the prick of a tear to my eye.

In "More Than Enough" I felt a bit off track at times. "What is the point here, again?' I would wonder to myself. This happened most often when I would need to put the book down for a while and pick it up again quite a bit later- it would take me a bit to "get back in" to what was happening, precisely because 'what is happening' happens quite slowly!

While not my favorite of Anna Quindlen's books, it was a sweet, thoughtful book and I am glad to have had the opportunity to have read it!
3.75, rounded up to 4 stars.

This was a touching novel that explored friendship, family, infertility, loss and more. The writing was very nuanced, and Polly was an endearing character. I enjoyed seeing how she navigated her relationships and life's difficulties.

Polly Goodman is an English teacher in a private girls high school in New York City. She is happily married to her second husband Mark, and they live in an apartment. Polly and three of her friends have ‘no book’ book club- they choose and acquire books every month, and then never read them. Instead, they discuss their jobs, husbands, and their personal lives. Polly, as the main protagonist, is struggling to conceive a child, and has a love/hate relationship with her mother. The novel deftly takes us through Polly’s daily interactions with family, friends and fellow New Yorkers. The stunning results of a DNA test throw her life into detective mode, ending with her finding many personal discoveries of her own about herself and her loved ones.

“More Than Enough” by Anna Quindlen is a book about family dynamics, friendship and loss. The premise and concept intrigued me immediately. A woman receives an ancestry kit from her bookclub girlfriends as a birthday gift and the test comes back positive with shockingly results. As she investigates, we learn that her father has Alzheimer’s, her connection to her mother is very strained, and one of her book club girlfriends has life threatening breast cancer.
Her journey to find the truth around the DNA match is authentic but getting to the reveal was a bit slow and somewhat repetitive. However, the authors perspective on aging and loss was thoughtful, honest and filled with wise and sympathetic reflections on navigating life and difficult family relationships.
This is a great book for book clubs as there are so many real life topics to discuss!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve read most of Quindlen’s books, and while this one is short, it’s layered with themes of family, relationships, and loss.

We follow Polly Goodman, a teacher whose life is upended by an ancestry test gift from her book club. As she uncovers surprising family secrets, she also faces her father’s dementia, a complicated bond with her mother, and the struggles of infertility. There's not a lot happening in this book, a lot of emotions, and if it's your thing, you will enjoy it. It does get very slow at parts and I had to skim to get through it.
The first half pulled me in, though the pacing slowed midway. Still, the heartfelt ending tied it all together beautifully. A thoughtful read about the ties that shape us and the truths we carry.

Thank you Net Galley for the ability to read and review this book. I've read other works by Anna Quindlen that I've loved.

It took me a bit to really know what this book was about. I really liked all the characters. If I were to describe it, I would say it was a book about relationships around the central character Polly. Polly is a high school English teacher who really loves her students. One relationship is with a graduating student that finds it difficult to transition into college. Polly has a close circle of friends from her non-reading Book Club, one in particular, Sarah, who is dying of cancer. Polly leans on Sarah as she struggles with issues of infertility. Then there is the relationships with her father who has dementia and her strong career driven mother, whom she never really had a strong bond with. Woven throughout the book is a 'new' relation that Polly learns about after taking a chromosome test.

It was enjoyable with a happy ending. A good read, not her best.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I had a great time reading this and how it uses the ancestry test as a way to tell the storyline, I was invested in what was going on and enjoyed the overall feel of this storyline. I thought Polly was a so well written characters and I cared about what was happening with her in this book. Anna Quindlen was able to weave a strong storyline and was glad I got to read this