Oprah picks Maria Semple

Oprah Winfrey has picked Maria Semple’s new novel *Go Gentle* for Oprah’s Book Club, putting the book into one of publishing’s biggest recommendation pipelines. (apnews.com) Winfrey announced the selection on Tuesday, April 14, on “CBS Mornings.” Oprah’s site lists *Go Gentle* as Book Club pick No. 122, and the novel went on sale the same day in a 384-page hardcover from G.P. Putnam’s Sons priced at $30. (cbsnews.com) (oprah.com) (penguinrandomhouse.com) The novel centers on Adora Hazzard, a Manhattan single mother and Stoic philosopher whose carefully ordered life is disrupted by a new relationship and other upheavals. Winfrey said the book delivers “equal parts wit and wisdom” and called it “one wild ride of a story.” (apnews.com) (oprah.com) Semple is best known for the 2012 novel *Where’d You Go, Bernadette*, which became a Richard Linklater film starring Cate Blanchett in 2019. Penguin Random House says *Go Gentle* is her first novel since *Today Will Be Different*, which was published in 2016. (penguinrandomhouse.com) Oprah’s Book Club still moves books onto retail and reading lists nearly 30 years after it began in 1996. Apple Books carries the title as “Go Gentle: Oprah’s Book Club,” and Oprah’s website paired the pick with an excerpt, a podcast and reader’s guide on release day. (apple.com) (oprah.com) (cbsnews.com) The timing gives Semple a high-profile launch window in mid-April, when book clubs, morning television and online retailers can amplify a new release at once. By Wednesday, April 15, the announcement had already spread through Associated Press pickups and broadcast segments tied to the club selection. (apnews.com) (cbsnews.com) For readers, the immediate next step is simple: *Go Gentle* is now on sale, on Oprah’s monthly list, and positioned for the familiar Oprah effect that can turn a fresh release into a season’s must-read. (penguinrandomhouse.com) (oprah.com)