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Apparently, I love reading about senior citizens getting up to some hijinks. The formula works wonderfully well in cozy mystery book series The Thursday Murder Club, and it also works fantastically in a book that contains no (well, almost no) mystery.
In How to Age Disgracefully, a small group of older folks are gathered together at a senior center in the Hammersmith area of west London. Fifty-something Lydia has taken a part-time job to help run the new social club, and she has no idea what she’s gotten herself into. The six or so people who show up aren’t looking for tea, card games and macrame.
Instead, Lydia meets Daphne, a stylish 70-year-old with a secret past who’s looking to make some connections; Art, an occasional actor who is dealing with loss and a bad habit of shoplifting; and Ruby, an always-knitting woman whose unusual creations just happen to show up in public places where they will embarrass city leaders.
Soon after the group starts meeting, they learn that the city will likely close and sell the community center, which is in dire need of updates. They end up teaming up with some parents, staff and children from the day care that also meets in the center to try to save the building.
That’s when things get particularly interesting. Readers meet Ziggy, a teen boy who lives with his mother in a public apartment complex overrun by young criminals. Ziggy’s future is promising, but the fact that he’s raising his baby daughter is complicating matters.
Throw in an old dog and a TV competition, and the mix gets especially lively.
Each character has something to offer in any potential schemes to keep the center afloat. Each also has a need to make their lives better, whether it’s simply friends, love, an opportunity to work through past issues, or self-confidence. The way the story plays out uses each character’s strengths and addresses their needs, and it’s very satisfying to see how every slot is filled, how all the pieces come together. (You could say it’s a lovely puzzle once it’s all put together, but these seniors wouldn’t just sit around doing puzzles.)
How to Age Disgracefully is a fun, feel-good romp that is rated high but most of the time feels like a mild (there are those 10 uses of strong language, which I felt just didn’t belong).
Rated: High. Profanity includes 10 uses of strong language, around 15 instances of moderate profanity, about 10 uses of mild language, and 20 instances of the name of Deity in vain, as well as about a dozen British-isms. Sexual content includes a brief mention of a teen couple having sex in the past, a few crude terms and a few references to detailed knitted anatomical parts placed on statues and in other public places. Violence includes a teen being beaten up and some threats with weapons.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
