How to Age Disgracefully - by Clare Pooley (Paperback)

About the Book

"When Lydia takes a job running the Senior Citizens' Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she'll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards. The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia was expecting. From 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, these seniors look deceptively benign--but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide. When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the members of the Social Club join forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door--as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog--to save the building"--

Book Synopsis

"An uproarious romp!" --People

"Pooley weaves together the most cleverly flawed and lovable characters and then sets them free to prove that we are limitless at any age." --Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of Summer Romance

A senior citizens' center and a daycare collide with hilarious results in the new ensemble comedy from New York Times-bestselling author Clare Pooley

When Lydia takes a job running the Senior Citizens' Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she'll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards.

The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia was expecting. From 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, these seniors look deceptively benign--but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide.

When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the members of the Social Club join forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door--as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog--to save the building. Together, this group's unorthodox methods may actually work, as long as the police don't catch up with them first.

Review Quotes

Praise for How to Age Disgracefully

"An uproarious romp!"
--People

"Clare Pooley weaves together the most cleverly flawed and lovable characters and then sets them free to prove that we are limitless at any age. How To Age Disgracefully is a love letter to the human spirit."
--Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script

"Funny, warm, wise, and a total riot....Clare Pooley is the best at marshalling a group of madly endearing characters, flicking her whip, and sending them careening off on a rollicking, entrancing, breakneck journey."
--Beth Morrey, international bestselling author of Clover Hendry's Day Off

"Joyful, life-affirming and full of heart, How to Age Disgracefully is an absolute riot of a read, full of perfectly flawed characters who made me laugh, cry and cheer. After reading this triumphant book, you'll never look at a septuagenarian the same way again!"
--Freya Sampson, bestselling author of Nosy Neighbors

"Clare Pooley writes the kind of characters that I want to be when I grow up! I laughed such a lot reading this book."
―Jenny Bayliss, author of Kiss Me at Christmas

"A glorious triumph of a novel; warm funny and moving with an unforgettable cast of characters."
―Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of The Love of My Life

"Insightful, funny and full of warmth."
―Sarah Morgan, bestselling author of The Holiday Cottage

"A lovably quirky, reassuringly wise, and memorably inspiring romp that shatters ageist stereotypes."
--Booklist, starred review

"Fans of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series will enjoy this delightful romp that on its surface is about senior citizens--whom everyone tends to discount--and others coming together to save the local community center but really is about so much more: aging, love, crime, friendship, making mistakes and living through them, and life's complicated emotions and choices."
--Kirkus Reviews

"What Pooley does best is create a club full of likable, fun-loving characters -- Truth or Dare Jenga, anyone? -- who are easy to root for. Just the kind of club many readers would be happy to join."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Heartwarming . . . An affectionate swipe against assumptions about oldies delivered with a deliciously British sense of humor."
--Sunday Times (London)

"This makes for a truly funny laugh-out-loud novel and a great relief to the troubles of the day."
--San Francisco Book Review

"Charming. . . . Pooley has a knack for writing characters who feel like friends. This very funny tale also delivered a heartwarming reminder: age is truly just a number."
--Woman's World

"Utterly hysterical and full of heart, with hugely loveable characters, a dialogue that had me in stitches and many profound moments. A totally wonderful, spirit-lifting read!"
--Helly Acton, author of Begin Again

"Reading this book felt like a warm hug and its endearing, witty characters like old friends (Daphne is my hero!). I can't recommend it enough."
--Tess Amy, author of The Confidence Games

"Another stunning book from Clare Pooley, How to Age Disgracefully is guaranteed to warm your heart and brighten your days. Enthralling, vibrant, deliciously eccentric and just so funny."
--Hazel Prior, author of How the Penguins Saved Veronica

"Life-affirming doesn't even go there! The new book from Clare Pooley is a roof-raising triumph! It's bursting with heart. . . Peak Pooley!"
--Matt Cain, author of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle

"These characters are drawn with both affection and respect -- their rich, varied lives are captured gorgeously and with a real wit."
--Apple Books Review

"Rollicking. . . 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."
--Publishers Weekly

"An eclectic bunch of West London locals bands together to save a community center. All wrestle with shame and regret. Each needs a boost. Madcap schemes, snappy banter, and insights on rebooting one's joy make Clare Pooley's latest novel go down smoothly."
--Christian Science Monitor

"With gangs, heists and stakeouts, this is not your ordinary novel about senior citizens. Prepare to be thoroughly entertained."
--The Observer

Praise for Clare Pooley:

"Clare Pooley is the master of writing an ensemble cast."
--Sophie Cousens, New York Times bestselling author of Just Haven't Met You Yet

"Fans of Fredrik Backman and Gail Honeyman--make room on your shelves for Clare Pooley."
--Steven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of The Celebrants

About the Author

Clare Pooley graduated from Cambridge University, and then spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time writer. Her debut novel, The Authenticity Project, was a New York Times bestseller, and has been translated into twenty-nine languages. Pooley lives in Fulham, London, with her husband, three children, and two border terriers. Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting was her second novel, and How to Age Disgracefully is her third novel.