Anna Quindlen was born the same year as me, 1952. She’s been publishing books for decades—and I’ve been reading her books.
I don’t believe there’s a stuffy bone in her body. For many of us readers, she’s our’ Anna!
I’ve often felt a connection with her on a personal level. (perhaps being the same age has a little something to do with it?/!). Or maybe it’s that Anna cares about things I care about: relationships and human experiences.
Many of her books are centered around family, friendships, love, loss, and belonging. (I have read ten of her fiction books and four of her non-fiction book).
Anna Quindlen writes with an authentic voice….with intimacy,
“More Than Enough” is no different …. [the basic compassionate exploration in her characters are there — bonds and conflicts between them are there - resilience, hope, love, loss, contemplative life situations and female friendships > check! All there]….
…..However….(forgive me for being a little naughty with this next sentence.) > “More Than Enough” was definitely more than enough.
There were too many trivia scenarios that didn’t add meaningful or enthusiastic depth or complexity to the overall story. The writing was all over the place.
But my goodness … not every book written can be expected to be of equal measure.
Quindlen has written REALLY POWERFUL and EXCEPTIONAL books in the past.
I could name many of them:
…..”One True Thing”…. kinda a masterpiece!!!
I also thought the movie with Meryl Streep, William Hurt, and Renee’ Zellweger was wonderful.
…..”Every Last One” was another powerful-shocker-of a novel that any mother with daughters at home should read.
“Black and Blue” deals with domestic violence. It left me sad and angry. Oh, but how wonderfully written.
“Loud and Clear” - non fiction - collection of essays - felt like being with a friend - sharing together about modern life issues.
“Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake” - non-fiction memoir. I listened to this one in the audiobook format - which Anna read herself. I loved learning all the things she shared about her life. It only made me fall in love with her more.

So… back to “More Than Enough” …
Polly Goodman [Penelope Isabelle Goodman], almost six years married to Mark, is our main character.
Just Polly Goodman’s name alone hints at the type of person she is - doesn’t it?/! Yes! Polly is a good person!
Her family and friends are good. All characters are genuinely good people.

Polly and her book club friends: Helen, Sarah, and Jamie, meet once a month.
We women love women-bonding-life-bitching-friendships! Don’t we?
And these four gals had it going on! Relatable friendships 101!

SO POINT IS….
“More Than Enough” has ‘more-than-enough’ strengths and ‘more-than-enough’ weaknesses.

A little more book reviewing chatter from me:
….Polly ‘GOODman’ and her GOOD husband, Mark, had been trying to have a baby with no luck. (don’t worry- things have a way of working out) ….
… Polly was married once before-(he wasn’t so-GOOD).
….Garrison, Polly’s older brother is a very GOOD person too.
….Polly’s closest book club friends are GOOD people too.
….Polly is an English teacher who authentically cares for her students, her
family and close friends. I’m telling you, Polly earned her name as ‘Goodman’.
….Add challenges with her parents. (but not because they, too, weren’t basically good people)
….Add Alzheimer’s disease and terminal illness and death… (okay, so that’s not so good) …
But….
….Add happy predictable surprises.
….Add well written character details about each of Polly’s friends (careers, family, and more love and loss).
….Add a DNA birthday joke gift from the book-club-girls that lead Polly to the discovery of an unknown family member, which leads Polly down a path of curiosity to know more!
….All soooo good!
But ….
….”More Than Enough” was good … just not great!
….Not to worry ….it is ‘good’ ( about a 3.5 rating good book) …
I still have faith in ‘our’ Anna Quindlen. As long as she keeps publishing books, I’ll read them.

For fun … a few excerpts:
“Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think”. (Ha!…is it?)

“Twelve years we’ve been meeting. These three have been with me through a career pivot, a divorce, two years of mostly celibacy and a total misanthropy, a succession of terrible dates, and then Mark”.

“There’s a kind of equipoise to our group, so that we’ll veer here and there
and somehow, I always come back to the center, and peace”.

“I had stopped believing in happiness, and in men, and then happiness was apparently in this man right in front of me. I tried to hold on
to that every time I looked at Mark, the idea that happiness was still right in front of me even when the sadness sunk, it’s talons into my chest”.

“Sometimes I think the human brain is a house, and the lights only come on in mine one room at a time”.

This contemporary literary - fiction-family-friendship novel….set in New York City….was good enough!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. What a wonderful book! I’m a big Anna Quindlen fan anyway and she just scored another hit with me. Polly is a teacher at a Toney NYC private girls school. She married to Mark, who a zoo vet at the Bronx Zoo and just a great guy. They’ve reached the end of trying for a family after years of medical intervention. Polly’s life takes a turn when she gets a surprising letter after sending in a DNA test sample. Quindlen creates marvelous characters and her books cause me to examine parts of my own life. Due to be published in February of 2026, it’s highly recommended by me.

Polly is an English teacher at an NYC private girls’ school. Her husband Mark is a large animal veterinarian at the Bronx Zoo. Their desire to have a family has suffered many setbacks along with extensive medical costs from failed IVF procedures.

Polly’s childhood was one of busy parents and an older brother who was her biggest supporter.

Polly belongs to a book club where they NEVER read the book – EVER!

There is a steady flow of life situations that reflect a host of emotions.

An HEA full of animal humour.

This book was awesome. Real life drama. Loved every page. Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Polly has recently taken an ancestry test, a gift from her book club friends -- a longtime group who never read the book on principle. She finds out about a connection she didn't know about which she thinks is a mistake. Her book club friends, especially her best friend Sarah, help her through her journey to find out about her ancestry. This is a book about friendships old and new. A hopeful yet sad journey.

I love, love, love Anna Quindlen but this wasn't one of my favorites of hers. Still, a great book!

Polly's book club friends give her a DNA test kit. the results are not what she expected. she is matched with a stranger and wants to learn more about her family history.

Polly Goodman is a teacher for an elite all girls high school in Manhattan. Her husband is a large animal vet for the Bronx Zoo. Their love is incredibly sweet. But is it more than enough when they desperately want a child?

Polly’s mother is a judge. Her father has Alzheimer’s. Her brother Garrison is handsome, successful and gay. Their family dynamics are interesting: some warm, some difficult, some relatable.

And then there are Polly’s friends, particularly Sarah, a wealthy widow and a member of their close friend book club that never reads the book.

And if you’re wondering how this review all comes together? That’s a little how this book felt to me. Slightly disjointed, not quite sure where things were going, and at times not entirely cohesive (although I think some of that might be resolved in the final edit).

Overall, I enjoyed More Than Enough to keep reading; but didn’t exactly love it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite quote:
“‘Everyone says, Let’s have a baby. No one says, Let’s spend the rest of our lives creating a fully functioning human being.’”

What a fabulous book!! Anna Quindlen outdid herself in, More Than Enough. There were so many stories within the one story. Polly, the main character, is the center of it all and she is likable and relatable. I am not a crier, but my eyes welled up at the end. Please read this book. I will be recommending it.

Another multilayered gem from Anne Quindlen. It is thought provoking, tear provoking, laughter provoking novel about mothers, daughters, best friends, marriage, divorce, careers, and the things we say and the things we do not say.

I am a huge Anna Quindlen fan, and always move her new books to the top of my TBR, but this one was a disappointment. I cannot believe I"m giving Anna Quindlen only 3 stars.

In her newest novel, to be published in Feb of 2026, Quindlen introduces Polly, who is facing a whole slew of problems. She receives the results to a DNA test, to find that there are close blood relatives out there who she doesn't know and can't figure out how they are her family. Polly's relationship with her mother is distant, her beloved father is in a nursing home for his progressive dementia, and she cannot conceive a baby. Her best friend's cancer returns and this time, there is no treatment that will save her.

With all of this trauma and potential triggers for the reader, I found it a hard book to get through. There are moments that are humorous, especially those that deal with her kindly husband, who is a large animal vet at the Bronx zoo and an eccentric woman with an alpaca farm who turns out to be a member of the estranged family, Her in-laws are amazing people, and through her search for her blood relatives, there are some interesting moments. However, I found that the story dragged in places,. Quindlen's writing is on point, as always, and the characters are endearing and real, but I found the novel to be lacking in places - too much unrelated dialogue between the women in Polly's friend group, for instance.

I think that this book is potentially a trigger for many readers, given all of the trauma that is present, despite a hopeful ending.

Not my favorite Anna Quindlen book. I loved the literary references. and the overall story was nice but really disjointed. Too many story lines and not enough time spent on any of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the storytelling in this book and as with her other books, the depth of her characters. While I found it to be a little slow paced I felt the interwoven stories really beautifully done.

There are three stories that make up this book: one of the question of family, one of infertility, and one of dementia. And while they are all different plot points they all somehow come together to create a story about how the family we have is not always the one we need and sometimes the family you make is more important.

This is definitely a heavy book with a lot of emotion, particularly centered on grief, and the feeling of not knowing where you belong.

As a kindle reader I always highlight quotes and text that touches me in some way. This book has given me a new and very welcomed phrase to my life: “do you want ears or mouth”, a succinct way to ask if someone wants you to simply listen, or offer advice. Thank you, Anna!

3.5/5 stars

I have read every one of Anna Quindlen's books and I am a fan! So it is quite something when I find a new novel by her that is up there with her very best; that is a 9/5 rather than a 5/5. My most loved of all her novels, 'One True Thing' is still, for me, that 10/5, but this new novel is, I think, one of Anna's best. It may be that it is very much a story for readers who love novels that are simply about life in times and situations when there is nothing much going on outside the lives of the characters. A story for readers who love novels that bring them to tears and those tears are because they recognise themselves and their family and friends in the characters on the page. This is an amazingly complex story where multiple strands twirl and twist through Polly, the main character's life in ways that as the story unfolds seem chaotic (like life itself) but arrive at a right ending.

To write a story as emotionally and structurally as complex as this is masterful and Anna Quindlen is the master of masters. Like so many stories of families and friends, at its heart this is a love story; the love between Polly and her closest friend, Sarah, between Polly and her husband, and between Polly and the schoolgirls she teaches and cares about. One of the loveliest things about stories like this is that there are no really horrible people in it; these are all good people trying to do their best, and in the end finding that their best leads to a life that is 'more than enough'. Highly recommend! Thank you to the author (please keep writing), the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC. This is my honest review.

Polly Goodman is the central character in a story about her family and friends. Polly is a 43-year-old schoolteacher, married for the second time, but without children. much to her dismay. much of the book is devoted to her efforts and her emotional response to being unable to conceive.

Polly is also part of a group of four lady friends, who have kept a book club together for 13 years, never having read any of the assigned books. One of the friends has a major health issue, which is another major plot element.

Polly also spends a great deal of time trying to figure out some surprising results of a DNA test. She investigates a possible surprising connection, ultimately leading to a shocking revelation.

This book is better suited for a female audience, but I enjoyed it. It was slow at times and meandered quite a bit, but this is a good writer and tells an interesting tale.

This is a beautifully written book about friendship, marriage, and family - all the good and bad that goes with each. There is so much emotion in this book that had me both smiling and tearing up. Polly's world is full of people and even though there are a lot of characters around her Quindlen does an excellent job of helping us understand who everyone is and how they fit in Polly's world so I did not find myself confused.

There are emotional topics in this book: aging parents, infertility, cancer, death to name a few, yet it did not feel like an avalanche of sorrow in Quindlen's hands. I liked the people in the book and the struggles they were dealing with felt real and familiar.

'The idea that you're letting that guy shit on your life by remote control is unacceptable.'

'Do you want ears or mouth?' (A great way to ask what someone venting needs from you!)

'The thing about family: Lots of times someone was doing something behind your back, for your own good, even when it didn't feel that way.'

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

More than Enough, by the talented Anna Quindlen, is a novel about family and friendship. Polly’s book club - they never read the book, they just meet to talk - gave her a DNA kit as a joke. Polly’s life has never been simple. Her relationship with her mother has always been fraught and she has just ended years of fertility treatments, even though she and her husband have desperately wanted to have a child. The DNA results are not simple either. She is related to a teenage girl in Vermont. She has a niece. Or not. Then one of her best friends has a life threatening illness. Her father has dementia. There is a happy ending here but the road to it is confusing, sad and thought provoking.

More than Enough is character driven. The members of the book club, especially Sarah, are so well described that you feel you could recognize them on the street. I loved Polly’s husband Mark, the zoo veterinarian, and her brother Garrison. Quindlen’s writing is beautiful and the plot is well constructed with many surprises. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Anna Quindlen for this ARC.

DNF-25% done but just not for me. She is a beloved author so I am sure it will do well. Since I did not finish I will not post a review to social media or any retail sites.

This book, on the whole, worked for me. The story was intriguing, but I found the writing somewhat disjointed in certain parts. When the author abruptly introduced a flashback or a minor disruption from the current plot, I occasionally struggled to regain my focus on the main storyline.

If you’re seeking a short and cozy novel to enjoy this winter, I recommend checking it out!

A story that’s been told many times before,:infertility issues, privileged people, death, dementia, dna test. It has a little bit of everything and while I liked the characters, although the main protagonist was a bit “too much” at times it seemed that there too many themes in this book for it to be anything other than ordinary.

I was so sorry not to have loved this book as I'm an admirer of Anna Quindlen and appreciate her choices. Somewhat reminiscent of Jodi Picoult, she gathers themes from contemporary life, in this case a surprising result from a DNA test which was given to the central character more or less as a joke. We've seen this set-up before in fiction and non-, so the answers to the puzzle are not very difficult to suss out. The reason for the rather low rating is I don't feel this was as focussed as Quindlan's previous works, that there was a lot of repetition and the characters were almost too goody two-shoes. Several could attain sainthood. I'll keep reading her though based on what I know she's capable of.