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How to Age Disgracefully

The feel-good and uplifting new novel from the bestselling author of The Authenticity Project

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How to Age Disgracefully

By: Clare Pooley
Narrated by: Clare Corbett
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Brought to you by Penguin.

When age makes you invisible, secrets are easier to hide

Lydia imagines her new job running a Senior Citizen's Social Club three afternoons a week will involve drinking tea while playing gentle games of cards, listening to The Beatles and reminiscing about food rationing and The Blitz.

She does not expect to find a failed actor addicted to shoplifting, a woman who's been hiding from a mysterious and very chequered past, and a prolific yarn-bomber. It turns out that their ideas about how to spend their afternoons are very different.

After a tragic accident means the council threatens to sell the community centre, the Social Club, aided by their friends in the nursery next door and a geriatric orphaned dog, set out to save it.

They might not be able to save the hall, but they might just save each other - if their pasts don't catch up with them first...

©2024 Clare Pooley (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 City Life Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Urban Women's Fiction Funny Feel-Good Heartfelt Witty Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

Uplifting, heartwarming and joyful. Restored my faith in humankind, it’s the perfect book to escape to in these troubled times. So funny, so moving, and so glad I read it.
A feelgood comedy about the perils of underestimating OAPs. Clare Pooley's third novel is an affectionate swipe at ageism - her witty turn of phrase and gloriously British sense of humour makes this a breezily entertaining read, and Daphne is a scurrilous delight
How to Age Disgracefully is a celebration of life at every age and stage. I laughed, cried and cheered at this wonderful novel
A warm and uplifting story about making friends, smashing stereotypes and the importance of community - I loved it
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
Warm, witty perfection
Clare Pooley writes the kind of characters that I want to be when I grow up! I laughed such a lot reading this book, even as my heart was breaking. It is another triumph; truthful, insightful and full of joy. I am in love with this book
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. . .you'll never look at a septuagenarian the same way again!
A roof-raising triumph! Bursting with heart . . . this is peak Pooley and I loved, loved, LOVED it!
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!
All stars
Most relevant
First book of Clare Pooley’s I’ve read and I’m absolutely hooked. Phenomenal author, highly recommended.

Loved the storyline and different voices!

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yet another brilliant book from Clare Pooley...she just gets better. Didn't want it to finish.

loved the characters

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Daphne’s one-liners are genius! It’s unusual to have characters from different generations represented in such detail.

A breath of fresh air

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I enjoyed all of the characters,, the descriptions were really good. it was a very funny read,

Great read

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I very rarely write book reviews (they have to be really good or really bad). I loved this - uplifting and full of varied and wacky characters. I want to be Daphne, have been like Lydia and wish I was able to knit a scooter 'wrap' of a giant phallus like Ruby. Narration was brilliant. it's not a book to tax your brain but wonderful to take your mind off things as you get pulled into the story because of the characters.

Loved this book

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