Go Gentle is the story of one woman’s cheerful determination to live a life of the mind only to have the heart force its way in.
Okay, LitStack book lovers, gather ’round! LitStack’s got the scoop on Go Gentle by Maria Semple, in presale now. Let’s just say, the whispers are getting LOUD. This book is a must read. G.P. Putnam’s Sons is keeping things very close to the vest with this one, teasing us with a glimpse of the cover and a few hints about what’s inside. We’re showing every detail available, from the intriguing cover art and the publisher’s carefully crafted introduction to advance reader praise that will help you pre-order today. Let’s do this.
In This Spotlight On Go Gentle
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About Go Gentle
Adora Hazzard has it all figured out. A Stoic philosopher and divorcée, she lives a contented life on New York City’s Upper West Side. Having discovered that the secret to happiness is to desire only what you have, she’s applied this insight to blissful effect: relishing her teenage daughter, the freedom of being solo, and her job as a moral tutor for the twin boys of an old-money family.
She’s even assembled a “coven”—like-minded women who live on the same floor in the legendary Ansonia—and is making active efforts to grow its membership. Adora’s carefully curated life is humming along brilliantly until a chance meeting with a handsome stranger.
Soon, her ordered world is upended by black-market art deals, secret rendezvous, and international intrigue . . . and her past—which she has worked so hard to bury—lands like a bomb in her present. Inflamed by unquenchable desire, Adora finds herself a woman wanting more: and she’ll risk everything to get it.
Adora Hazzard’s journey of self-discovery will grip you from the start. Romantic, hilarious, intelligent, and bursting with the stuff of life, Go Gentle is a thrilling story of one woman’s mid-life transformation, cementing Maria Semple in the pantheon of our most exciting and important contemporary writers.
Praise for Go Gentle
“In her new novel, her fourth, a divorced woman named Adora Hazzard is enjoying life with her teenage daughter and a ‘coven’ of friends on the same floor of her building on New York’s Upper West Side. She is not looking for love, and so Semple gives it to her, sparking events that show off the author’s trademark hilarious chaos.”—The Washington Post
“Semple has created something rare in Go Gentle: a story that’s both deeply intellectual and still accessible. This novel is what happens when someone who understands trauma writes about healing. Smart, funny, and devastating in a great way. Read this book.” —Jennette McCurdy, New York Times bestselling author of I’m Glad My Mom Died and Half His Age
“Highly original and loaded with Maria Semple’s signature wit, Go Gentle takes us on a fast, wild ride through the days and nights of a philosopher for whom the meaning of life—and how to get through it—is completely upended by the one thing she never saw coming. Love.”—Bonnie Garmus, New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry
“Manic and frank, playful and wise, Go Gentle rampages through reality, giving us glimpses into Hollywood writer’s rooms, the lives of the fabulously wealthy New York elite, art heists and philosophical debates, but perhaps most preciously it allows us to glimpse a vision of cronehood as empowering and sexy and fun. Adora Hazzard is a heroine for the ages.”—Rufi Thorpe, author of Margo’s Got Money Troubles
“This is the kind of book I dream of. Hilarious, urbane, touching but never sentimental and just brilliantly plotted. It’s about so many things—art world shenanigans, toxic Hollywood writer rooms, stoic philosophers, and above all, love, love, love. Maria Semple graces her readers with the intrigue, wisdom and belly laughs we deserve.”—Gary Shteyngart, author of Vera, or Faith and Our Country Friends
“I adored this novel and it made me very happy. Go Gentle combines Semple’s giant intellect, genius thinking, rich, witty dialogue and screwball comedy. Brimming with big ideas about art and philosophy and questions about the way we live our lives, this is an intricately plotted mystery, intrigue and romance with a glorious cast of characters.”—Nina Stibbe, award-winning author of Love, Nina
About Maria Semple, Author of Go Gentle
Maria Semple is the bestselling author of Today Will Be Different, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and This One Is Mine. Her novels have been translated into forty languages. Before writing fiction, Maria wrote for the television shows Arrested Development, Ellen, and Mad About You.
You can connect with Maria Semple on her website, and on Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Source: Publisher
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
ISBN Trade Paperback 9798217294626
Pub Date Apr 14, 2026
Other LitStack Spots – Titles by Maria Semple
LitStack has spotted some other titles by Maria Semple that we’re adding to our TBR list, including Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple, and This One Is Mine by Maria Semple.
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