How to Age Disgracefully: A Novel

"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.

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352 pages

Average rating: 7.88

94 RATINGS

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4 REVIEWS

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Community Reviews

blewballoon
Nov 21, 2024
10/10 stars
4.75

If you liked Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting, I don't think you'll be disappointed. This felt very similar in tone, and once again you have an eclectic mix of strangers all becoming a found family of friends. I think the characters were a little more flawed here, Ziggy and Art in particular had a lot of growing to do. This has some similarities to the Thursday Murder Club and also reminded me a little of Call the Midwife. The audiobook narrator was great. I was invested quickly and couldn't put it down.

Content Warnings:
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Gabriela-in-Amherst
Nov 11, 2024
8/10 stars
An enjoyable read. While the characters and their actions might not be completely believable, they were creatively presented and their antics were entertaining.
Anonymous
Aug 31, 2024
8/10 stars
4.25 stars. Cute
Lindsey B
Jun 24, 2024
8/10 stars
4 stars for Lydia, Daphne, and the entire Mandel(a) Community Center crew!

This is my second Clare Pooley read and I simply adore the way she makes found family such a prominent part of her stories. Chaos and laughter abound when a middle-aged woman and the group of septuagenarians from her newly created seniors club cross paths with a teenage father and his eight-month-old daughter.

Alongside all the book's humor and wit, Pooley's characters are battling a range of true to life problems - loneliness, loss, and gang culture to name a few - and have flaws that make them feel real. At it's core, this story is a reminder that growing old doesn't have to mean slowing down, and community is an important part of life, no matter your age.

Thank you to Penguin Group Viking, Pamela Dorman Books, and NetGalley for the digital ARC to review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

How to Age Disgracefully is out June 2024!

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