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emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Finished reading: June 26th 2025
"You don’t get to our age with a completely unblemished record. Not unless you’ve not lived. The trick is just to try to ensure the balance falls on the side of the good."
It's no secret that I have a weak spot for stories focusing on older main characters, so I guess that it comes as no surprise either that I wanted to read How To Age Disgracefully as soon as I first heard about it. Then the positive reviews started coming in, and I was even more excited to pick it up... It took me longer than expected to actually do so, but in a way I'm glad as this book came at the exact right time for me. How To Age Disgracefully was everything I hoped it would be and more, and I loved every single minute I spent with this book. This was my first time with Clare Pooley's writing, but I will definitely be back for more as I loved both her writing style, character development and humor incorporated into the plot. The prologue alone gave you a good sense of what is about to come, and I very much enjoyed discovering what happened in the months leading up to that scene. How To Age Disgracefully uses a multiple POV structure, following an eclectic group of people that all connect through the community center. Each character has their own quirks and flaws, and it was SO easy to warm up to all of them. My favorites are Daphne and Art of course, but the whole cast was brilliant... And then we have our dog Maggie Thatcher (or M, or Margaret, depending on who you talk to); I just loved how big of a role the dog played in the plot and how she helped bring everyone together! Some of the antics of the group were absolutely hilarious, but there was also time for more serious topics... And I could appreciate how everything was balanced in the end. Like I said before, I absolutely loved every single minute I spent with this story, and I already know that it will appear on my list of 2025 favorites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Had very mixed opinions all the way through. On the one hand Daphne seemed like a bit of a rude character and all the way through there were parts where she did irritate me. However, as I got through the book and I learnt more about her I realised how quick we all are to judge and how much history she really has behind her fighting attitude. A few themes hit home within the book, which proves how deep and amazing Clare Pooley's writing is. Overall, a lighthearted read with some thoughtful themes woven in which I truly enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Toxic relationship