Clare Pooley
Clare Pooley
Author, Speaker, Blogger

My Books

How to Age Disgracefully

When age makes you invisible, secrets are easier to hide

 
 

The Sunday Times

 
 
 
“Funny, warm, wise and a total riot.”
— Beth Morrey

Daphne knows that age is just a number. She also knows that society no longer pays her any attention – something she’s happy to exploit to help her hide a somewhat chequered past.

But 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. 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 have underestimated the wrong group of pensioners...and with the help of a teenage dad and a geriatric, orphaned dog, the incongruous gang set out to prove it.

As long as their pasts don't catch up with them first

 
 

Here are some of the nice things people have said about it…

 
“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.”
— Ruth Jones
“How to Age Disgracefully is a celebration of life at every age and stage. I laughed, cried and cheered at this wonderful novel ”
— Jennie Godfrey, Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

The People on Platform 5

The People on Platform 5 is being published in over 20 languages.

You can find the UK version here:

And the USA version here:

 
 

Nobody speaks to strangers on the train. But what would happen if they did?

 
 
“Another totally original, thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying book from Clare Pooley. Full of original characters and wisdom, I absolutely loved it”
— KATIE FFORDE
 
 

Every day at 8:05, Iona Iverson boards the train to go to work. Every day, she sees the same people and makes assumptions about them, even giving them nicknames. But they never speak. Obviously.

Then, one morning, Smart-but-Sexist-Surbiton chokes on a grape right in front of Iona. Suspiciously-Nice-New Malden steps up to help and saves his life, and this one event sparks a chain reaction.

With nothing in common but their commute, an eclectic group of people learn that their assumptions about each other don't match reality. But when Iona's life begins to fall apart, will her new friends be there when she needs them most?

Here are some of the nice things people have said about it…

 
“A glorious triumph of a novel; warm, funny and moving, with an unforgettable cast of characters”
— ROSIE WALSH
“Insightful, funny and full of warmth and relatable characters. A brilliant read”
— SARAH MORGAN
 
 
“A gloriously entertaining and completely addictive read. The People on Platform 5 will be sure to steal your heart. Clare Pooley’s writing is astute, wickedly funny, clever and charming. I adore this book”
— HAZEL PRIOR
“This book tackles so many interesting themes, all with Clare’s trademark humour, wonderful writing, and vibrant, loveable characters - Feel-good fiction at its best. It almost made me miss the commute ”
— SOPHIE COUSENS, AUTHOR OF THIS TIME NEXT YEAR
 
 

The Authenticity Project

The Authenticity Project is published in 32 languages, was a Radio 2 Bookclub pick, winner of the RNA Debut Novel Award and a New York Times bestseller.

 

You can find the UK version here:

the-authenticity-project-uk-cover.jpg

And you can find the USA version here:

 
 

Six strangers with one universal thing in common: their lives aren’t always what they make them out to be.

What would happen if they told the truth instead?

 
“A beautiful book with a poignant message, perfect for our time”
— Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost
 

Julian Jessop is tired of hiding the deep loneliness he feels. So he begins The Authenticity Project – a small green notebook containing the truth about his life.

Leaving the notebook on a table in his friendly neighbourhood café, Julian never expects Monica, the owner, to track him down after finding it. Or that she’ll be inspired to write down her own story.

Little do they realise that such small acts of honesty hold the power to impact all those who discover the notebook and change their lives completely.

Here are some of the nice things people have said about it…

 
“If you’re a fan of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, read this!”
— Fabulous Magazine
“A sort of epistolary Love, Actually that feels like an antidote to the isolation of modern life”
— Globe and Mail (Canada)
Image (2).jpg
“[A] wistful, humorous tale. . . a beautiful and illuminating story of self-creation”
— Publishers Weekly
“A well-suited subject for the Instagram era, this book makes you realize that no one’s life is what it seems.”
— Good Morning America
 
 

The Sober Diaries

The Sober Diaries, the story of the year I quit drinking, is often described as ‘Bridget Jones Dries Out.’

It has sold over 125,000 copies worldwide, and people contact me every day to tell me how it has changed their lives.

The Sober Diaries
“Brutally honest and sparkily funny”
— Sunday Express
“The Sober Diaries is a misconception-busting book, which draws on Pooley’s extensive research”
— Sunday Herald
 

Foreign Editions

The Sober Diaries is published in English, French (J’ai Recommencé à Vivre), Dutch (ChardonNee), German (Chianti Zum Frühstück), and Russian and Korean.

 
 
 
 

Subscribe to my newsletter

Sign up with your email address to receive news, updates and new blog posts.

 
69AB99.png