A Stoic philosopher and contented divorcée, she relishes her teenage daughter, her job as a moral tutor for an old-money family, and the bliss of finally being solo.
She's also quietly assembling a 'coven' of like-minded single women on the sixth floor of the legendary Ansonia building on New York's Upper West Side. Together, they share groceries, dog walkers - and one dirty little secret: despite their age, they're only just getting started.
Adora's life philosophy is simple: want only what you already have. It's her secret to happiness until a chance encounter with a charming stranger stirs long-buried passions.
Soon, her carefully curated life unravels: black-market art, secret rendezvous, international intrigue and a past she's worked hard to forget crash into her present. Suddenly, Adora finds herself wanting more and she's willing to risk everything to get it.
Go Gentle is a thrilling story of one woman's mid-life transformation, a romance with wit, a page-turner of ideas, a globe-trotting mother-daughter story, all wrapped in a mystery with a socko twist.
For all those who crave a good page-turner, this is one wild ride of a story that carries equal parts wit and wisdom . . . I laughed out loud for real. And underneath the humor there was always something tender . . . a quiet truth about relationships, identity, and what it means to find peace with yourself - Oprah Winfrey
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, bestselling author of I'm Glad My Mom Died
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, author of Lessons in Chemistry
I adored this novel and it made me very happy. Go Gentle combines Semple's giant intellect, genius thinking, rich, witty dialogue and screwall 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, author of Love, Nina
What a delight this witty screwball caper through philosophy, the art world and late-blooming love is - Madeleine Feeny, Bookseller
Semple writes with immense charm. The book fizzes with funny lines... The book is a zany high-wire act and the main plot, which at times seemed like a shaggy dog story, is ingeniously wrapped up at the end... I felt both cleverer and sillier after finishing this book, which is a lovely way to be left. - Rebecca Wait, GUARDIAN
