My first Clare Pooley read and it was fabulous!

Lydia had reached a point in her life when she’s no longer needed by her husband and grown up children, so she takes a role at the local community centre running the senior citizens club. What could possibly be difficult about that?

The first week attracts a few sceptical old dears who maybe don’t want to just knit and natter, then the roof falls in, one of the attendees is killed by the debris and the club suddenly gets a whole lot more interesting.

A fabulous read, with wonderful characters, mostly all of whom are flawed, but still good human beings. Great friendships are developed and a wonderful sense of good old fashioned community spirit blossoms as all the groups at the community centre rally together to save the building from closure, sale and redevelopment.

Highly recommended, hilarious and heart warming!

Absolutely loved this book!
A bunch of characters that come together because of using the Mandela Community Centre.
A colourful collection of characters that differ wildly, mainly older in years, but younger people and children thrown into the mix. Not forgetting the dog, Maggie Thatcher. Preferred when Art called her M.
It touches on sensitive issues, but such is life, but I’m not sure I’ve read a funnier book than this. I was laughing out loud, and confess did shed a tear or two at the end. I was sorry to finish this book, could have read on and on.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Loving the title and the subject of the book, the senior members of society. Beautifully written and excellent characters although some seem to be eccentric.

I get very excited when I realise that a Clare Pooley novel is next on my list; without looking, I just know I'm in for a good time!

Daphne is approaching her 70th birthday and realises that, basically, she is lonely. Deciding to grasp the nettle, she joins a local Senior Citizens' Social Club, a new venture run by a very well-intentioned but clueless woman who assumes the members will be happy with crafts to keep them busy. The members, however, have other ideas . . .

What a lively bunch the author has created for her latest novel! Fun and laughter all the way, this was another novel I found very hard to put down. The characterisation is spot-on and the stories very entertaining. I just adored Daphne and there was so much going on that made me giggle. Definitely one I'm happy to recommend and easily meriting all five sparkling stars!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This was such a lovely book and not the cliché I expected.
I really got to know and liked the characters.
It was really funny, I found myself laughing out loud a few times.
I was sad when I got to the end.
Very well written and great.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My book group discussed Clare’s previous book at my suggestion as most of us are from Wimbledon and had commuted on the line to Waterloo where her last book was set. We loved the characters. I think this book will be even more popular with my group, some of whom are the age of most of the characters but as with the book, my group has younger members too. Clare describes an eclectic group of people who you warm to immediately as they try to save their community centre. Much needed friendships grow. There is warmth and humour. A real feel good book. Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy..

Another brilliant romp from Clare Pooley with a disparate range of characters drawing the readers empathy: Daphne, the seventy year old lady of mystery; Ziggy the teenage single parent; Art the aging actor frustrated at a dying career; William, the grounded friend of Art and ex-journalist; Lydia, the mother struggling to cope with an empty nest and an arrogant, inattentive husband to mention just a few. Then there is the aging, delightful and quirky dog, Maggie Thatcher. There are more characters to win you over in this tale of abandoned hope.

Told from a variety of POV, the reader is introduced to the problems each character faces, as well as coming together to face a common threat, the closure of the community centre.

The adventures along the way are quite delightful and engaging and I found myself racing through this book, which puts a whole new dimension on the invisibility of aging, a very overlooked section of the population!

I totally loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this talented author.

If I had to sum up this book in just a few words it would be delightful chaos.

The opening scene felt like a bad improv class but in the best way, utterly absurd and comical but setting up the book to be a little bonkers. Our leading lady Daphne was beautiful, on the eve of her 70th birthday but still feeling youth and excitement deep in her heart, starting a plan to find some new friends not knowing it would be much more of an adventure than she’d expected. She’s full of secrets that eventually seep through and explode to the surface in a series of slow-burning, intense reveals that balance out the wholesome warmhearted moments with drama and intrigue.

We jump between Daphne and her unlikely group of misfits, including a shoplifting 75 year old actor, a retired paparazzo, a teen dad who owes money to a gang, a social club organiser whose first meeting resulted in a fatality, a young foster child with mutism, a widow who definitely didn’t kill any of her five husband, and a rather fabulous dog named after a former prime minister - slowly learning about their lives and watching as they all find their way together at the local community centre and beyond.

Every single person opened up on the page and showed us the loneliness we can find even surrounded by people, the need we have for real human connections and the transformative power of friendship. On the surface this may look like another story about a ragtag group working to save their community centre and actually saving themselves, which it is in a way, this story had so much personality, heart and sparkle that it definitely stood out on the shelf.

A devilishly cheeky, fun story of friendship and hope showing that all adults are just big kids with bills that left me smiling all the way through.

I loved Clare Pooley’s previous novel, so I was thrilled to be approved for her latest book.

The story was told from the point of view of a few different characters, starting off with Daphne who’s mentioned in the above synopsis.

Daphne was a brilliant character. A strong older woman, with a very spiky character, so not always particularly likeable. However, she was great at sorting everyone’s problems out, as well as helping to save the social club.

I enjoyed meeting all the different characters and following them on their mission to save the club. I particularly liked Ziggy a teenage single Dad, Lydia who runs the Social Club and Maggie Thatcher who isn’t at all who you think she is!

Recommended if you enjoy contemporary fiction or you’re in need of a feel good read!

Daphne knows that age is just a number and she also knows that society no longer pays her any attention – something she’s more than happy to exploit to help her hide a somewhat chequered past. Finding herself alone on her 70th birthday, with only her plants to talk to and neighbours to stalk online, she decides she needs some friends. On joining a Senior Citizen's Social Club she’s horrified at the expectation she’ll spend her time enduring gentle crafting activities. Thankfully, the other members – including a failed actor addicted to shoplifting and a prolific yarn-bomber – agree. After a tragic accident, the local council threaten to close the club but they drastically underestimate the wrong group of pensioners, along with the help of a teenage dad and a geriatric, orphaned dog. As long as their pasts don't catch up with them first…

‘The Authenticity Project’ is one of my favourite ever books, and after also loving ‘The People on Platform 5’ I couldn’t wait to read this latest title from Clare, and I wasn’t disappointed. Daphne is a strong willed character, speaking her mind from the offset and is someone you definitely wouldn’t mess with, someone you’d want on your side. I instantly fell in love with all the characters, as always in Clare’s books, and I hope I can be as cool as Daphne at that age!

It is a feel good read that will make you laugh out loud, fall in love with every single character, and root for them all to have the outcome they deserve. The alternating POV’s from the four main characters executes the story perfectly, giving an insight from differing age groups all working together. You can’t help but read this with a smile on your face and is a book that you will want to read again and again. Can’t wait for the next adventure from Clare!

A fabulous caper of some septuagenarians in Hammersmith, West London. Great characters, surprising, inspiring and hilarious!!
Daphne has been grieving and hiding away in her flat for too long when she decides to get back into the world and make some new friends starting with an over 70’s group in the local community centre. Lydia is suffering from empty nest syndrome when her two daughters leave for University and gets a job running a local group. The surprising turn of events and different walks of life we meet are just brilliant. A multi generational tale, this one feels good and with some impressive modern twists and touches.,
The older generations are definitely not ageing gracefully!!
Will be watching for the next Clare Pooley book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the early read, much appreciated this one is a winner!!

I really enjoyed this story of a group of oldies who start at a new oap club. It started a bit slow but as the characters emerged, I grew to like them and the story was well put together. I thoroughly recommend this story and am now going to check out other titles by Clare Pooley.

What a great book! This is the first book I have read by Pooley and will certainly look out for more of her books. This is ideal for the young at heart and those too old to worry about what others think of them like myself. The characters are well drawn with depth. The book is funny, sometimes sad but hopeful. I liked the inclusion of Ziggy, a teenager and his young daughter. Often a child can relate to grandparents better than to their own parents. It was a joy to read from beginning to end.

A very enjoyable story about a group of people and children who come together to save their community hall from Hammersmith Council who are more concerned with selling it off to developers. The story involves a group of dysfunctional septuagenarians, Lydia the organiser, a dog called Margaret Thatcher and Ziggy the father of baby Kylie and school boy studying for his A levels. Delightfully written and very humorous I enjoyed every page of this book. Recommended.

This is not the genre I usually read, but it was a breath of fresh air. It was funny and entertaining, I could see it becoming a tv series at some point.

I read through quite quickly because it was easy to read and kept interesting by everyone's individual stories.

A really enjoyable story with lots of ups and downs throughout. Following the stories of a couple of key characters this book is really well written.

Another fun read by this author, packed full with strong characters with interesting backstories. Full of heart and wit you can't help but enjoy it as the stories intertwine pulling you to the fabulous ending.

This is such a fun book and a great advocate for allowing your personality to shine whatever your age.

Daphne is a fantastic creation, a woman who has a 🐂 💩 sensor permanently set to high. She is the cool but naughty girl from school grown up - the one permanently given detention but not bothering to turn up and daring someone to do something about it because her grades are excellent.

The book is full of unlikely scenarios that you’ll embrace anyway and packed with loveable characters. A perfect summer read.

Also. Mum. When you refuse to go to the ‘social club’ because it’s full of ‘old people’, I get it now. You have more than a hint of Daphne about you, minus the criminality! 😎👵🏻

I had not long since read and enjoyed The Authenticity Project when I saw this book on Netgalley, so clicked very quickly!

Following the patrons at the Hammersmith Mandel Community Centre, How To Age Disgracefully mainly follows just-turned 70 year old Daphne as she decides she is fed up of feeling lonely and joins the centres Senior's group. A unique character, she initially seems to rub people up the wrong way, but she slowly affects their lives in different ways showing that despite her methods, her heart is always in the right place.

There are some books where there are too many characters and keeping track of them becomes distracting, and there are books like this one where it is pitched perfectly. A great mix of personalities who bounced off each other brilliantly and made this a funny, heartwarming and uplifting read!

If you liked Clare Pooley’s previous books, you will definitely enjoy this one. She is an auto-buy author for me!

A delightful, character driven book with a brilliantly fun cast of people spanning all ages. The writing was great and although it is a light hearted story, it had so much depth. I loved the characters - quirky, nuanced and engaging. Told from multiple POVs, you will root for the band of misfits as they work towards saving the community center.

I love that Pooley wanted to write a story with older people at the forefront “bossing it” as she describes in the acknowledgements. And bossing it they certainly do!

Thank you to NetGallery and Random house UK for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.