In Maria Semple’s 'Go Gentle,' a surprise love interest upends a Stoic life

In Maria Semple’s new novel, Adora Hazzard works as a moral trainer to the tweens of a wealthy family on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She’s a content, divorced stoic philosopher in her late 50s with a coven of likeminded, middle-aged female friends. But one night at the ballet, she falls into conversation with a stranger and gets seduced by a world of secrecy, black-market art, and international intrigue. In today’s episode, Semple joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about Go Gentle , stoicism, and “getting the party started” in her 50s. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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In Maria Semple’s 'Go Gentle,' a surprise love interest upends a Stoic life is an episode from NPR's Book of the Day by NPR.

This episode is 7:42 long.

This episode was published on Apr 27, 2026.

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