Enormous Wings Audiobook Review: A 77-Year-Old’s Surprise Pregnancy and the Questions that Follow
Frankel takes on one woman’s impossible situation with nuance, warmth, and a cast of characters who never feel like mouthpieces.
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars: Great)
- Author: Laurie Frankel
- Category: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
- Published: 2026
- Runtime: 10 hours
When I heard this was about a 77-year-old woman who gets pregnant, I was only willing to give such an outlandish premise a chance because of how much I loved One, Two, Three by the same author.
Here, Laurie Frankel tells a story with the same warmth and humanity, but she focuses on a complex and emotional question: who gets to weigh in on someone else’s body and choices, and why.
It starts small and sympathetic: a minor fender bender gives Pepper’s well-meaning kids the excuse to move her into a nursing home, taking away her driver’s license and her independence in one move. Out of love, right? Then the pregnancy happens, and suddenly everyone — her family, the baby’s father, doctors, strangers with strong opinions — has something to say or a favor to ask.
On one level, this is a warm story of new relationships and reflections on old ones. From the foul-mouthed, Brooklyn-transplant pastor she befriends to the charming yet bumbling British gentleman she falls in love with, Pepper meets a sweet new community at the nursing home. Together, they reflect on lives well-lived, along with a few regrets.
Going deeper, Frankel uses this story to explore where care ends and control begins. Right away, Pepper’s family is terrified of the health risks of a pregnancy at her age. Things get more complex when someone threatens Pepper, saying that her doctor could lose her license based on Pepper’s independent actions. The author weaves more and more perspectives and personal situations into the story until Pepper hardly knows which way is up (or at least, that’s how I felt). In this way, the story gives voice to many different perspectives, including ones you don’t expect, like a woman desperate for a baby who has to terminate for her own health.
To me at least, it didn’t feel like this book had an agenda per se — I appreciated that the author tried to represent a lot of views in some manner — but it raises hard questions and refuses to let the reader stop thinking about them. This is not a light read and doesn’t let you relax even for a page. But if you’re ready for a story that argues with itself in front of you and trusts you to sit with the discomfort, this could be for you. It’s heartfelt, told with humanity and humor, and much more nuanced than I expected going in.
The Audiobook Experience
★★★☆☆ (3/5 stars)
Narrated by Becky Ann Baker, whose voice is well-matched to the book’s tone and Pepper’s personality. My one caveat: I found it a little overdone. The delivery stayed present in a way that made it hard to forget I was listening to a performance rather than a story. Not a dealbreaker, but if you’re sensitive to that, it’s worth knowing.
Audio or print? Either format works, so choose whichever fits your life right now.
Read It or Skip It?
Read it if: you enjoy relationship-driven literary fiction and you’re in the right headspace for a book that keeps a hard moral question front and center.
Skip it if: you prefer faster-paced stories, you’re not ready for a book that makes you sit in discomfort. Or if your views or experiences simply make a book looking at lots of perspectives on this topic not something you’re comfortable with.
Related: One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel: if the warmth and character work here appealed to you, start there if you haven’t already. To the Moon and Back for another novel that puts strong women and social questions directly in conversation with each other (though that one is a lighter tone).
Book Club Guide
Enormous Wings is an excellent book club pick. It’s propulsive enough that everyone will finish it and layered enough that you’ll have plenty to discuss. Best for groups where you’re willing to share personal feelings.
- The book opens with something that feels unambiguously loving: Pepper’s family acting out of care for her safety. At what point did your reading of their actions start to shift? Was there a specific moment?
- The novel presents many different people and institutions who want a say in Pepper’s decision. It also depicts people whose circumstances complicate what might otherwise seem like a clear position. Which of those perspectives surprised you or challenged your assumptions the most?
- How did you feel about the community Pepper builds at the nursing home? Did those relationships change how you read the rest of the story?
- How did the resolution feel to you? Would a different ending have served the story better, or felt more realistic?
Listen Now
I only recommend audiobooks and resources I’ve personally experienced. This post contains affiliate links — if you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
