The Lido – Libby Page

“We shouldn’t stop fighting, and we shouldn’t stop enjoying it here.” (Quotation pos. 2292)

Content

Kate is twenty-six years old and has recently moved to Brixton. She is a journalist for the Brixton Chronicle, longing for a real good story to advance her career. When she is asked to investigate and write a story about the local lido, open since 1937, and “Paradise Living”, a property company who wants to buy it and turn it into a private members gym area, she sees her chance. But she had no idea, how much meeting eighty-six years old Rosemary Peterson and her friends, and the campaign they would start together to save the lido, would also change her own life.

Theme and Genre

A feel-good novel about friendship, love, community spirit and solidarity, swimming and, of course, the lido, the outdoor swimming pool in Brixton, South London.

Characters

Rosemary has lived all her live in Brixton, it was here where she has met George, her husband and the lido with the happy memories of a lifetime now is all left for her, after George has died. Kate has always felt more comfortable with books than in real life. Apart from her job, she lives a lonely live in London, until she meets Rosemary. The characters we meet in the story are believable, witty and charming.

Plot and Writing

The story starts during springtime and time is short, because the lido is to be closed and turned in a private members property. Reading, we find us in the middle of the community and the campaign, hoping, that somehow there will be a solution to save the lido. We also learn about Rosemary’s youth and a long gone past, her life with George, many years of early morning swims in this lido and walks through the adjacent park. A fox on his way through the streets of Brixton in search for food leftovers shows the other side of the area, the poor and homeless. The story and the characters are fictitious, but Brockwell Lido and its history is real.

Conclusion

An enjoyable, uplifting read about the values of a community, about friendship, family and love. Full of vibrant and colorful descriptions, of charming, loveable characters, this novel is perfect to get lost in the story and summer dreams.