Who could be against a community center? Not the pregnant yoga group or the childcare center or any of the other groups that use the facility as a meeting place. New groups are being formed like the Senior Social Club for members over seventy. Lydia, who is a new empty-nester, has signed on to lead the group but those who sign up don't seem to need a leader as they have tons of ideas of their own.
And what a group they are. There's Ruby, who knits constantly and uses her creations to make social statements. Art is a former actor and also a talented shoplifter. Anna is a former truck driver but not she does her driving in a mobility cart. William is Art's best friend and a whiz with money. Then there is Daphne. Daphne has been holed up in her elite apartment for more than a decade. She is grieving the life she had with her husband Jack but as much for the planning and scheduling and project management she did as for love. Daphne has decided she needs friends and is soon the star of the show as she always is.
Then there is Ziggy. He is a teenage single dad as the result of one unplanned encounter. He loves his daughter Kylie but how will he ever make a life for the two of them? When a teacher agrees to help him get into a university, he is thrilled but who will keep Kylie while he is doing extra schoolwork with the teacher? In steps Daphne who agrees to babysit although she has never been around a small child much less a baby.
All these people come together to try to save the community center, a plan that centers around Art and a stray dog named Margaret Thatcher winning a talent show. Can such a long shot ever work?
This was my first Clare Pooley novel but I'll be watching the shelves for more of her work. The writing is light-hearted and features optimistic people who set a goal and go after it no matter how difficult. Older readers will enjoy reading a book that emphasizes the strengths of aging rather than the deficits. All readers will fall in love with Daphne who makes life better for everyone around her although she is no one's role model. This book is recommended for readers of general fiction.