Another fantastic group of characters bought to life by Clare! I just love how she brings together an unlikely mismatch of personalities and age groups so well. I can’t pick a favourite as they were all so well written. I was hooked from the prologue!

‘Where’s the fun in ageing gracefully?’ said Daphne. ‘Personally, I intend to age as disgracefully as possible.’

Clare Pooley has done it again. In fact, she is getting better and better. This is surely her best book yet. I was so pleased when NetGalley offered me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great bunch of terribly flawed but authentic characters! Art, Daphne, Lydia and Ziggy range from 18 to 70 and all come together in the Mandel Community Centre - called thus when the a of Mandela fell off and was never replaced. Now it is under threat of demolition, and our motley crue need all their wits to outsmart the council. Daphne is the driving force and the glue that keeps everyone together, which is strange when at the start she didn't even want to leave her flat and made a very bad first impression on Art. Her backstory is also the most surprising.

Let's not forget Maggie Thatcher, the dog who acquires three owners and three different names. Everyone thinks they're the dog's primary carer and the dog loves them best even though they can't even agree on a name for her or what breed she is. 😁

"How did you create a future when you had no present you enjoyed and no past you could admit to?"

The style of story reminds me of Hendrik Groen, Fredrik Backman and Jonas Jonasson - a diverse group, from toddlers to pensioners, getting into all kinds of age inappropriate scrapes together. The prologue scene sets the whole kerfuffle up nicely and I knew I was in for a treat. What a fabulous story.

We meet a great cast of characters in this story but the main ones are Lydia, Daphne, Art and Ziggy of which the chapters alternate between them. I love that the characters range from the age of seventeen to the over seventies and getting to know them all was an absolute delight.

All the characters are different in personalities and lifestyles. They all meet through the local community centre which offers an array of things for the surrounding residents which sadly is under threat of closure. The senior citizen’s club get togethers were nothing short of entertaining. It had me not being able to wait until I get to that age as these characters go to show that life is far from over.

Whilst I loved all the characters, Daphne had to be my favourite. She is a dark horse and never failed to surprise me. She is someone that on first meeting, you most certainly wouldn’t like but her heart ends up being in the right place and she more than redeems herself throughout. The relationship between her and all the characters was incredibly heartwarming to read.

How to Age Disgracefully is another five star story by Clare Pooley. I adored everything about it. It’s the characters and being able to like them in this genre that the author does brilliantly so much so that they all steal a bit of your heart. I didn’t want it to end as I so enjoyed being with this great cast. It is full of funny and endearing moments as well as some unexpected ones. A book that fills you with pure joy and a feeling that your heart is about to burst with love!

This was such a breath of fresh air!!!
I loved every single character in this & they felt so genuine. Clare Pooley has done such an excellent job at bringing them to life!
It was also delightfully funny. The British pop culture references really tickled me - I didn’t think Jackie Weaver would be getting a mention yet here we are!!
Overall it was just a wholesome, heartwarming book guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face and a fuzzy little heart.
I absolutely recommend - you won’t regret it!!
Thank you to @netgalley and @bantambooksuk for an advanced copy of this book

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley, in exchange for my honest review.

Clare Pooley does it again! This is a phenomenal story! Humorous, witty, heartwarming, as well as a little heartrending. A clever, somewhat unlikely, group of misfits of varying ages, relatable and full of warmth; characters you wish you could meet in real life.

I absolutely recommend this book!

A wonderfully witty, light-hearted take on life and growing older without doing it the stereotypical way!
I loved this book - it was humorous and very well written from the outset, with believable and funny characters.
All in all, a great read!

@currentlyreading__
Book 15 of 2024

I have loved @clare_pooley’s previous two books and was so happy to receive an e-arc of her new one in anticipation of the publication in June. I couldn’t wait to get started and was relieved to find that it was just as wholesome as the last two books. Thank you @clare_pooley, @NetGalley and @bantambooksuk for giving me the great honour of reading and reviewing so early when I am such a fan!

Characterisation is always top-notch with Clare’s books - she just gets the human condition and writes brilliantly relatable characters and especially quirky old ones (you’ll know this from the previous two books and the brilliant Julian Jessie)! Speaking of the older characters, this book centres around them with an aptly titled ‘How to Age Disgracefully’ where we have a group of pensioners who gather at the social club even though they are unlikely friends and on paper, should not have anything in common. But they do - the need for human connection in an otherwise lonely world.

These are characters you’ll love - spunky, controversial and hilarious. Some of them have no filter but I think this is not only where some of the humour comes from, but it’s very relatable as my own mother who is of a similar age also doesn’t possess a filter and I find myself becoming the parent by attempting to stop her being so outrageous!

There are multiple viewpoints in the book and I loved the fact that they all linked by their common mission to save the centre from closing. Even A Level student Ziggy who uses the centre for a baby group with his daughter is on board with the septuagenarians’ plans. I particularly loved Ziggy’s story and if you want to find out just how totally heartwarming this book is, get it on your pre-order list now.



#bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #book #booknerd #bookstagrammer #kindle #instabook #netgalley #clarepooley #howtoagedisgracefully #comingsoon

This was such a fun book. It's exactly what I needed to read, it made me laugh out loud in places, but it also makes you think. It's a story about a group of women of a certain age, who prove that actually, age is just a number and they can still 'boss' it better than anyone! I have a feeling that the author enjoyed writing this, you can almost feel the love coming from the pages as you read. After I finished read it, I immediately went to order The Authenticity Project - the best compliment I can give on finishing any book.
Thank you to the author and publisher for my advance reading copy.

AMAZING!!!!

I adored the authenticity project so i was really looking forward to this, i was so excited when i got the approval from Netgalley & the publisher, thankyou so much!

How to age disgracefully was so heartwarming & so funny. I think its been my fave book of 2024 so far! Perfect book to cheer you up or pull you out of a reading slump. I loved all the characters and would love to hang out with them all.

I cant wait to read the people on platform 5!

How to Age Disgracefully is a heartwarming book by the author who also wrote 'The People on Platform 5' (which I enjoyed very much). There's is even a small easter egg in 'How to Age Disgracefully' which links back to 'The People on Platform 5'.
Clare Pooley has a great way of creating recognizable characters who form unlikely friendships.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the digital advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

As the author herself said, her characters are just bossing it in this novel.
An unlikely group of septuagenarians, children, and everything else in between navigate life as it comes with varying degrees of success.
The novel starts out strong and keeps at it chapter after chapter. There wasn't a single character I wasn't interested in, nor events I scoffed at however unlikely (perhaps actually all the more entertaining because of their ridiculousness).
Considering this was my first attempt at this author's work, I find myself now wanting to explore her other novels

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Lydia is a 50 something mum whose older children have flown the nest. She takes a new job running an over 70s social club. But her plans of what they’ll get up to go out the window once she meets Art, William, Daphne, Ruby, Anna, and the others. They aren’t ready to sit doing jigsaws. They want real fun. And Lydia will have to go along for the ride.

This is another heart warming page turner from this author. The characters are excellently written, as we’ve come to expect from this author. They gelled together so well, and it just makes the story more believable. This story features many current topics, such as estranged families, single parents, drug dealing, and marital issues. A laugh out loud, heartwarming story. I would highly recommend.

How to age disgracefully is the heartwarming new book from Clare Pooley.

You’ll meet the new members of the Senior Citizen’s Social Club, an unlikely group of people who eventually become friends as they unite, despite their differences, to try and save their local community center.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints, giving readers the opportunity to experience the feelings of each character. Daphne is hiding a secret from her past, but that doesn’t stop her from finally taking a chance to encourage her new friends to find their own voice and stand up for themselves.

You’ll discover that some friends can become family, you’re never too old to step outside your comfort zone, and it’s never too late to make a difference.

I loved How to Age Disgracefully! It's a wholesome read and has characters of all ages that I'd love to spend time with! Some moments made me laugh out loud, and the community spirit warmed my heart. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a lighthearted and fun read.

Thank you to Clare Pooley, NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

How absolutely wonderful and refreshing this story is, The mix of characters, their ages, personalities and backgrounds are so diverse that just about every reader could identify with one or more of them. Daphne is really the main attraction and an inspiration. I get so annoyed when people, including some authors, (thankfully Clare Pooley isn't one of them), assume that everyone over the age of sixty is an old, out of touch fuddy duddy shuffling around in fluffy slippers and a shawl! Not this group of pensioners though. Vibrant, funny, lively and totally on the ball, they are much more representative of today's older generation. Also in the mix is a young, single father and a dog called Maggie Thatcher. Pulling together to save their local community centre these friends provide many hilarious moments as well as some very poignant ones. I was giggling from the first page and I grew to love these characters so much that I am actually missing them now that I've finished the book. This gets a glittering, set of five stars from me. Truly delightful. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a pre release copy in exchange for my honest review.

I seem to be the odd one out here but after loving this authors 1st and 2nd book this all fell a bit flat for me.
Similar concept with unusual characters meeting at one central location. The prologue seemed more than chaotic which switched me off, and then I wasn't as bought into the characters as I usually am. It would have been nice to see this author do something different. It was about 60% in where it got interesting for me.

Nice to see a Dylan Thomas quote and sentiment.

‘Where’s the fun in ageing gracefully?’ said Daphne. ‘Personally, I intend to age as disgracefully as possible.’

On the day of Daphne's 70th birthday she decides that somethings have got to change. Having spent most of the last 15 years living a very low-profile lifestyle with very few social connections. She decides she wants to make friends and to find love, so off she goes to buy a mobile phone and a whiteboard for making lists.

On one of her outings she spots a notice which read, "Are you over seventy? Would you like to make some new friends? Why not join the Senior Citizens Social Club at the Mandel Community Centre?". And so, Daphne finds herself among an eccletic group of senior citizens lead by the club organiser, Lydia.

Over the course of the story, Daphne develops new relationships, sets new goals and finds her new self.

Daphne is not the only main character in this story but she stole the show for me. We also meet the lovely Lydia, Art and Ziggy and I grew to love each and every one of them.

This story is one of companionship, camaraderie, cracking dating apps, and of a group coming together to save a community. I was captivated by each character's story and genuinely found myself missing them since I finished the book.

The writing is truly hilarious! I recently read another novel with characters of a similar age and How to Age Disgracefully had ALL the humour that I was looking for in that book. So many laugh out loud moments like the following:

‘Mmm. To lose one husband is unfortunate. But to lose five could be considered careless. If not criminal,’

as well as some thought-provoking phrases:

How lovely it must be to be an age at which you wanted to add quarters rather than subtract decades.

I really adored this book. If you're looking to laugh out loud and fall in love with a whole host of characters, this is the book for you!

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bantam Books/Random House/Penguin Books for the opportunity to honestly review this book.

Daphne and Art are two single septuagenarians living in London. When they happen to meet on the street they get off on the wrong foot but they have a lot more in common than they realise, particularly a deep loneliness.

They both decide to join a senior citizens club at their local community centre which is run by Lydia, a middle-aged mother and wife struggling with an empty nest, low self esteem and an awful husband. The community centre also houses a nursery attended by Ziggy’s daughter, as a single teenage dad he relies heavily on the centre’s care. So when urgent repairs threaten the demolition of the community centre, the characters pull together in an attempt keep what they have going.

I absolutely loved this, it was the perfect novel to accompany me on my holiday. It was witty, heartwarming and fun. I laughed out loud a good few times and became really invested in the characters’ individual stories and the overall plot. There’s a lot that goes on in this book as each chapter alternates between these four characters, but it remains easy to follow and touches on a few emotional topics in a clever way.

Reading about a cool, powerful 70 year old who doesn’t let her age or peoples’ perceptions of her age stop her was refreshing and uplifting.

A very comforting, wacky read and definitely one for you if you love the Thursday Murder Club characters!

I’ve now added The Authenticity Project and The People on Platform 5 to my TBR.

How to Age Disgracefully
by Clare Pooley

A fabulously well written book. The story centres around the main characters were all great bunch eccentric Septuagenarians, secrets abound there’s a kleptomaniac actor ,a daredevil on a mobility scooter with a number husbands dying mysteriously, a former paparazzi photographer, a secret knitting bomber to name but a few.

There are very poignant moments that will have you chocking back a tear or two and humour that has holding your sides in laughter all trying to save their sadly neglected community centre by fair means or fowl. To save the nursery ,AA as well as the senior citizens club meeting place. I want to grow up to be like that!

A brilliant read a page turner from start to finish wondering who the police are looking for.

I loved it! I was torn between devouring it and keeping it for as long as possible. I think I was caught at the very interesting prologue. Then as the story started to unfold I got to love nearly all the characters. I love reading about senior characters and this motley crew of the members of this senior citizens' social club are something else. The author chose some characters and in turns followed their storyline. These mature people are not your stereotypical pensioners. A gerilla knitter, a retired truck driver lady, etc.The main character is Daphne, a mysterious lady who becomes the leader of the group.They have a mission: to save the community centre which houses their social club among others. During the events you cannot but admire their gumption.
I loved every page of this book and was really sorry to say goodbye to the people in it. Clare Pooley is an excellent writer. I also loved Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by her.
I can recommend this book to everyone. You are in for a treat.