How to Age Disgracefully
The feel-good and uplifting new novel from the bestselling author of The Authenticity Project
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4.6 • 115 Ratings
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- £0.99
Publisher Description
The perfect escapist, holiday read, from the bestselling author of The Authenticity Project and The People on Platform 5!
'Uplifting, heartwarming and joyful. Restored my faith in humankind' Ruth Jones, bestselling author of Love, Untold
'Breezily entertaining' The Times
'A celebration of life at every stage' - Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things
'Warm, witty perfection' Good Housekeeping
Ageing is inevitable. Growing up is optional.
Daphne is fiery and fabulous. She just needs to get out and meet people. But when an accident brings a teen dad, an empty nester and a has-been actor into her world, they aren't necessarily who she'd had in mind. And it soon becomes clear that they all have a story to tell.
But can these new friendships survive the secrets that will be revealed?
Readers love How to Age Disgracefully:
'Totally barking, but warm, witty and a little bit wise... A little life-affirming gem of a novel'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A witty, engaging story with characters you care about'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'The best book I've read in a long time!'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I couldn't put this book down . . . wonderful!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I can't remember the last time I laughed so much reading a book' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'An absolute joy of a read' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We were thrilled to discover Clare Pooley’s latest memorable heroine is on the more mature side. So few leading characters would qualify for a free bus pass, and here we receive further proof that’s a crying shame. Pooley introduces us to Daphne, a 70-year-old with a mysteriously murky back story and a tiny social circle—something she tries to do something about by joining a senior’s social club that’s proud to include members with proud (silver) hair-raising pasts. These characters are drawn with both affection and respect—their rich, varied lives are captured gorgeously and with a real wit. Their somewhat scurrilous pasts, meanwhile, might return to haunt them when they attempt to save their beloved club from closure.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pooley (Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting) charms in this rollicking tale of six wily members of a London Senior Citizens Social Club whose zest for life improves the outlook of their community center's part-time worker. Lydia takes a job managing their club as respite from her condescending husband, who she suspects is having an affair. She expects docile card games and is surprised to meet such a vigorous group of older people. Among them is Art, a former soap opera actor who keeps himself entertained by shoplifting; Daphne, a busybody who rarely talks to the others and enjoys the "sensation of power that an imbalance of information imbued"; and Ruth, a "small but fierce-looking" knitter whose unauthorized public art earns such headlines as "Mystery Yarn Bomber of Hammersmith Strikes Again!" When the local council decides to sell the community center to a real estate developer, Lydia's motley crew attempts to block the deal by pulling off various stunts, like sabotaging a meeting between the council and an architect. Along the way, their tenacity helps Lydia rediscover her self-respect. Pooley's clever and delightfully farcical scenes are laugh-out-loud funny, often thanks to the frank Daphne. This ought to satisfy Pooley's fans and win her new ones.
Customer Reviews
Another good read
Fabulous and funny
A brilliant read
A lovely book with wonderful characters and great storylines. Highly recommended!
5* Funniest book I've read in ages.
Books are often described as hilarious – they rarely are, at best raising a quiet chuckle from me. Usually I'm disappointed.
From the opening page of How to Age Disgracefully I was completely hooked. This is deliciously funny, written from multiple POVs, demonstrating that what someone says is frequently not what they're thinking.
I could mention some of my favourite scenes in the book, but there are far too many. It's not all hilarity and farce, there are some very serious moments amongst the chaos.
Seldom do I finish a book and consider immediately reading it again. This is one such book.
eARC generously supplied by Random House UK and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.