Adora Hazzard has life figured out. Or at least, she believes she does. A philosopher and devoted follower of Stoicism, Adora has built her entire worldview around the idea that happiness comes from wanting only what you already possess. And so she finds fulfillment in the life she’s carefully constructed, raising her teenage daughter, avoiding the complications of romance, and working as a moral tutor for the twin sons of an old-money Manhattan family.
She’s even devised a practical—if slightly eccentric—plan for aging comfortably in her Upper West Side apartment. Together with a group of like-minded women, she’s formed a sort of communal “coven,” built on the idea of sharing resources and looking after one another. After all, who really needs an entire loaf of bread to themselves?
But as Adora is about to learn, life rarely respects our carefully curated philosophies.
A chance encounter with a handsome stranger at the ballet sends her carefully ordered existence spiraling in an entirely new direction. For the first time in decades, Adora allows herself to feel something she’s long kept at arm’s length: desire. And once that door opens, there’s no closing it. Soon, she finds herself swept into black-market art deals, secret rendezvous, and international intrigue—all while reckoning with the traumas of her past and confronting the possibility that happiness might require wanting more after all.
It’s been a decade since Maria Semple last released a novel. While I loved her 2012 novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette, her follow-up, Today Will Be Different, left me wanting something more. So when I heard she had a new novel, Go Gentle, coming out, I decided to wait and see how readers responded before diving in myself. Thankfully, it seems the time away served Semple well. Heck, the book was even selected for Oprah's Book Club—high praise if there ever was any.
In the hands of almost any other author, Go Gentle would feel completely absurd. But Semple has a gift for grounding her madcap plots in characters who feel emotionally authentic and deeply human. At first, the novel seems poised to be a fairly straightforward, unexpected romance story. But a pivotal flashback in Part III reframes everything we think we know about Adora and the life she lived before becoming the woman we meet at the novel’s opening.
It’s a dark section of the story, and content warnings for emotional and sexual abuse are absolutely warranted, but it also provides crucial context for why Stoicism became such a central pillar of Adora’s identity. From there, the novel becomes something more powerful. It's a story about reclaiming your voice and pursuing happiness after years of denying it.
Yes, the road to get there is chaotic and often delightfully over-the-top, but that’s part of the charm. Semple asks us to grapple with whether a life spent avoiding desire is really a life fully lived at all. In the end, Go Gentle is a celebration of second chances and the courage it takes to finally choose yourself.
For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2026, 37)
Glad to hear this is a good one, and not disappointing.
ReplyDeleteIt was a welcome return to form for her.
DeleteSounds like parts are hard to read but overall a good story.
ReplyDeleteHer past is DARK!
DeleteThis sounds peculiar, with its philosophical premise.
ReplyDeleteVery much so.
DeleteI love stories of second chances. I'll check this one out.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy!
DeleteI need to find a communal “coven". Also, I was excited about this book, so I am glad to hear it was better than Semple's last outing, and I LOVE when something is revealed in the story that changes everything I already read. Beth O'Leary does that in her books.
ReplyDeleteLoved the coven part too!
DeleteBernadette! That is why I knew the name. I am really bad with names
ReplyDeleteIt was hard to miss that novel when it released. That's the same year I started blogging, and that book was everywhere!
DeleteWonderful review. I used to read every one of Oprah's Book club picks.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good one!
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