How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley, 337 pages
On her 70th birthday, Daphne decides that her years of being a virtual recluse are over, and she's going to try to make some friends to help her enjoy her older years. An advertisement for a new senior social club at the local community center seems to be just the ticket, especially at the first meeting, when Daphne realizes that her fellow members are anything but stereotypical old people. There's Art, a failed actor-turned-shoplifter, and his best friends, a former paparazzo named William; anonymous yarn-bombing activist Ruby; and former truckdriver and five-times-over widow Anna. (Oh, and Pauline, a former headmistress who doesn't much figure into the story for reasons revealed early on in the book.) When the council decides that the community center's needed repairs are more than they can halfheartedly justify, the seniors team up with the nursery school to fight the demolition, with uproariously funny results.
The characters in this book are fantastic, and all are well developed, from Daphne (who I kinda want to be when I grow up) to single teen dad Ziggy to the surprisingly talented mutt named Maggie Thatcher. I loved reading about this community, and I'll be heartily recommending this to everyone.
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