{ "item_title" : "Go Gentle", "item_author" : [" Maria Semple "], "item_description" : "Click Here for the Autographed CopyDue to Limited Stock, Multi-Copy Orders May be Reduced to 5 Copies Per Customer. Oprah’s Book ClubMaria Semple is a treasure. --Los Angeles TimesThe New York Times bestselling author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette returns to form in her most exuberant and life-affirming novel yet with the story of one woman's cheerful determination to live a life of the mind only to have the heart force its way in. Adora Hazzard has it all figured out. A Stoic philosopher and divorc e, 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.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers1.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/9/79/821/717/9798217176632_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "30.00", "online_price" : "19.50", "our_price" : "19.50", "club_price" : "19.50", "savings_pct" : "35", "savings_amt" : "10.50", "club_savings_pct" : "35", "club_savings_amt" : "10.50", "discount_pct" : "41.5", "store_price" : "30.00" } }

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Just like her other deliciously complex and entertaining books, Maria Semple’s newest novel defies easy description. It’s a family drama about a mom and daughter. It’s also a comedy and a mystery. Add a dash of romance, and you have Go Gentle, a thoroughly fun and raucous read. 

Semple is known for her sharp observational humor and slightly unbalanced protagonists. In Go Gentle’s Adora Hazzard, we have a middle-aged woman who, after a bitter divorce, has traded in men for a comfy New York City apartment near her friends. Adora started her career as a TV writer (same as Semple, who wrote for several shows, including Arrested Development and Beverly Hills, 90210). After a traumatic workplace experience, Adora reimagined her life, becoming a philosopher who tutors the children of a wealthy Manhattan family. She lives a full (if quiet) existence with her dear friends and her teenage daughter, Viv. 

Adora is a follower of the Stoics, meaning that she believes the key to happiness is wanting only a virtuous character. When a dashing and possibly dangerous man appears, she has to decide whether she’s willing to rethink her view of the world and upend the life she’s built.

Longtime fans of Semple will appreciate her trademark wittiness and sharp dialogue, as Adora finds herself tangled up in a possible crime involving her employers’ art collection. But like the name implies, Go Gentle also has a softness that is a welcome balance to the fast-paced plot. As any parent of a teenager knows, it can be a tricky relationship: one day close and loving, the next prickly and distant. Adora’s tender interactions with Viv add depth and sweetness to the book. 

Plentiful laughs are paired with Semple’s rich exploration of the wisdom that comes with middle age and the tradeoff between being content and taking chances. Go Gentle’s gentleness is just as bracing and satisfying as its humor.

Read our interview with Maria Semple about Go Gentle.