How to Age Disgracefully introduces us to a large and varied cast of characters who come together to save a community center from being sold by the council. There is a group of Senior Citizens including Art, a failed actor turned kleptomaniac to Daphne, who has been hiding from her dark past for decades to Ruby, a Banksy-style knitter who gets revenge in yarn, all with secrets. Lydia, a mom whose children don't need her as much and believes her husband is stepping out on her. takes the job running the Senior Citizens’ Social Club three afternoons a week. There is also a daycare in the building, and they steal many a scene in this story. Throw in a single father who is still in high school and struggling to make ends meet and stay out of the gangs in the housing area. This group comes together in a humorous story that not only had me laughing, but made me think about the plight of the little people at the hands of politicians.

This was such a great story. Although this is an ensemble story, Daphne is in the middle of everything. She is an unlikable woman, until you get to know her. She is gutsy, doesn't take anything lying down and helps others to find their backbone. This is one of those stories where a group of strangers of various ages meets and become a group that works together for a common goal. The characters were well developed and relatable. As I learned about the pasts of the seniors, I could see how they were in the position they were in the story. I loved "M" the geriatric dog who they take turns looking after, and how he brings them together. The Christmas Nativity was hilarious. As someone who puts together the Christmas Performance each year at my church, I loved this part. The kids always add something unexpected and special to each performance and that is exactly what happens here. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this story and I highly recommend it. If you enjoy multi-generational stories, or stories about strangers become friends and found family, then I recommend How To Age Disgracefully in whatever format you prefer.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I loved this book. I was hesitant at first when the story jumped from character to character, but I found myself rooting for them all, and loved the outcome. Daphne is who I want to be when I grow up.

How To Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley is such a fun heartwarming story about a group of elderly characters, an empty nester in her 50s, and a teenage father.

Read if you like:
💓Remarkably Bright Creatures and A Man Called Ove
💓Feel-good reads
💓Books with a lesson to impart
💓Found family

“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day…It’s the closing party tonight. Let’s go burn and rave.”

Just Daphne quoting Bob Dylan above, I would love to age as disgracefully as her. This was the perfect 5⭐️ lighthearted cozy winter read for me!

I always know that Clare Pooley is going to write a great book that takes me on an emotional roller coaster and this book was no exception. This book made me laugh and cry, and then cry some more.

I hope I have a group like this one when I am old and that we get up to the same amount of mischief.

Looking forward to reading more of Clare Pooley's work in the future.

Princess Fuzzypants here: When Daphne decides to escape her luxurious but self imposed prison of a flat and venture out into Hammersmith again, she knew she was leaving her comfort zone. She signs onto a social club for over 70’s and meets a sad group of misfits in a dilapidated community centre that, if the local Council has its way, is also on it’s last legs. Without realizing it, her natural skills pull her farther out and with the other motley seniors, they take on the local authority and fight to save the community centre for all the groups who have come to depend on its four crumbling walls.

In the process, while putting many wrongs to right, she emerges from obscurity and knows she is risking the sins of her previous life catching up with her. I kept trying to cast the characters into a movie which is the sign of a really good story that clicks. This is fun and sad and so heartwarming. It has children, dogs, and all sorts of other feel good elements. There are so many twists and turns that I would not want to deprive you of discovering them yourself. Suffice to say I highly recommend it- especially if you are of advanced years. Five resounding purrs and two paws up.

I love this author so I was looking forward to this book.’ It was a fun read, she always gets you in the feels. I loved all the characters and it made me laugh, cry and overall a great read. Looking forward to reading her next novel.

Another hit by Clare Pooley!! I absolutely love found family storylines and Pooley is easily a master at writing books with this trope. She’s become one of my auto buy/read authors and has never disappointed.
How to Age Disgracefully had charm, heart and a full cast of characters I fell in love with. Daphne is a top character for me with her take no nonsense attitude - I am just putting it out there that I would love a back story book about her past! This book was a delight from beginning to end and I definitely recommend.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada | Viking for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Happy to include this title in “Dive In,” a recent round-up highlighting a variety of summer reads, in the Books section of Canadian national culture and lifestyle magazine Zoomer. (see column and mini-review at link)

What a whimsical little read! I haven't read from Clare Pooley before. This follows kind of a wide cast of characters, but they're all connected and generally interacting so it wasn't really confusing. I loved the poignant quotes/discussions of aging, the way the world sees older people and particularly women, and the musings on parenthood!

Take a handful of disgruntled seniors and add an inexperienced activities director - and there is bound to be mayhem and anarchy, especially if the author of the story is the ingenious Clare Pooley!

The first few chapters are devoted to introducing the cast of characters in this story who will eventually band together to stop the demolition of their decrepit community center.

I didn't know what to make of Daphne at first, but in the end I was in her corner all the way. Nothing really phazed her - she invariably had "a plan" and, like the secret super-heroine she obviously was, she came to the rescue of the doomed local community center and breathed life back in to that rag-tag group of retirees.

There are quite a few mysteries to solve and "stings" to perform, and justice (of a sort) prevails in the end - but no spoilers here!

Great story-telling and I bet you will come to love Daphne as much as I did. What a bag of tricks she turned out to be!

I highly recommend this lighthearted, well written comedic drama. The quirky characters are unforgettable: another winner for Clare Pooley! I'm rating this one a 5 out of 5 because I was always wanting to return to this story despite the many demands on my time these days.. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was good! Very cute. Maybe a few too many characters and some of the storylines could have been streamlined a bit, but overall I enjoyed. I loved the Easter Egg for Iona- so fun when author's tie their books together.

Not only was this book really funny, there really were so many heartwarming moments about friendship and being able to choose your family (godparent). I really liked the multiple POV and the depth we got from each character and the various challenges they were facing, from teenage pregnancy, to coping with cheating and putting ourselves back into the dating world. Legit so wholesome.

Lydia has just taken a job to help run a senior program at a local community center. She assumes it will be low key, bingo, telling stories, knitting, and playing cards. That is not what happens, she find herself trying to corral a group of spirited pensioners that bring a whole new outlook to her life. Among the seniors is Art, a struggling actor and major kleptomaniac, Daphne, a very private person but her loyalty knows no bounds, and Ruby who knits and uses her pieces to get revenge and protest.

When the city council threatens to close their beloved community center, and sell it off to the highest bidder the seniors band together to save their club. Many secrets come out, and although they all started out as strangers they start to form relationships between them that money can't buy.

Every single one of these characters were so endearing, not because they were perfect but because they were so human and so much personality. I honestly aspire to be as cool at Daphne when I grow up. She lived such an interesting life and she used all her knowledge and wisdom for good. Every character became a better version of themselves because of their friendships within the club.

This isn’t a genre I would typically pick up, but I really enjoyed it! It would make a great book club pick as I think it would appeal to a wide range of people. I loved the different POV’s and kept the story fresh. It was a heartwarming, funny and engaging read and I’ll recommend it to a lot of people!

Pooley delivers another pleasant and enjoyable novel, this tome focused on the Seniors Club run out of the Mandela Community Centre. Her books leave you feeling satisfied and cozy.

Chapters alternated between the viewpoint of 4 wildly different characters. Normally I would find myself eager to follow the plot of one or two of the characters and to try to trudge past the remaining, however, that is not the case for this book. I was equally invested in all of the plotlines (maybe slightly more with the mysterious Daphne).

I also liked the quick Easter egg of mentioning Iona from Pooley last novel, letting us know they fall within the same universe.

If you want something featuring a large cast of likeable characters this is definitely the one for you!!

This was a heartwarming, easy-going read that centres around a ragtag, multigenerational group of people who band together to save their community centre which houses their senior citizens club, daycare and other local groups.

The story is filled with a series of wacky situations, British humour and unlikely friendships between a cast of memorable characters that range from a spunky group of septuagenarians, a teenage father, a gaggle of preschoolers and a middle-aged woman in need a change. Each of the characters share their stories but it was Daphne, the devil-may-care, ornery elderly woman with a shady past and teenage dad Ziggy who captured my interest the most.

This is a feel good, easy read that will have you snickering to yourself and will leave you with a heartwarming feel. Aging is inevitable but that doesn't mean you have to do it gracefully. Where's the fun in that?

Disclaimer: Thanks to Viking Books for the advanced digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

Clare Pooley is a great storyteller, with a firm grasp on seniors. Quirky, strong seniors to be specific! Her stories are layered, funny and heartwarming!

Laugh out loud hilarious from the first chapter! This latest from Clare Pooley had a quirky inter-generational cast of characters with their own unique back stories that we get to know as the novel progresses. It was fun, funny and heartwarming and perfect for fans of authors like Freya Sampson. Definitely my new favorite by this author and great on audio. Highly recommended if you're looking for an entertaining, feel-good read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is my first Clare Pooley but it won't be my last! This truly had everything you could want in a book. A misfit cast of unique and loveable characters, including a clepto octogenarian, a teenage dad, a dog named Margaret Thatcher and multiple grannies up to no good. This book gave me very Anxious People vibes, but make it a Senior's Community Center. The highjinks and hilarity are unmatched, and Daphne is my new hero- she will be yours too, Read if you like:

👵 Grannies Behaving Badly
📈 Plots & Schemes
🐩 Maggie Thatcher & British Humor
😂 Laugh Out Loud Characters

I absolutely adored this book and all its characters. It had definite “Thursday Murder Club” vibes in the most wonderful way.

I finished it around 10 days ago and mulled over what I wanted to put in my review. As usual, no spoilers from me and no synopsis. You can read other reviews for synopses and I don’t see the point in spoilers. Read the book if you want to find out that much.

This is all you need to know: Daphne is a bad ass but maybe not as much a bad ass as she thinks, Lydia is an absolute sweetheart that is stronger than she thinks and Art is an adorable mess but he’s more organized than he thinks…