384 pages
Orion Publishing
Publication Date 19th April 2018
Women's Fiction
Book Description:
'THE LIDO is a joyous and uplifting debut - a testament to kindness and friendship and all those values society must hold dear' SARAH WINMAN, author of When God Was a Rabbit and Tin Man
Meet Rosemary, 86, and Kate, 26: dreamers, campaigners, outdoor swimmers...
Rosemary has lived in Brixton all her life, but everything she knows is changing. Only the local lido, where she swims every day, remains a constant reminder of the past and her beloved husband George.
Kate has just moved and feels adrift in a city that is too big for her. She's on the bottom rung of her career as a local journalist, and is determined to make something of it.
So when the lido is threatened with closure, Kate knows this story could be her chance to shine. But for Rosemary, it could be the end of everything. Together they are determined to make a stand, and to prove that the pool is more than just a place to swim - it is the heart of the community.
The Lido is an uplifting novel about the importance of friendship, the value of community, and how
ordinary people can protect the things they love.
ordinary people can protect the things they love.
Two women lonely in London. One is lifelong Londoner and lido patron Rosemary who at 86 years of age lives alone after losing her devoted husband George; the other is 26 year old rookie journalist Kate who has moved from the west country in search of her dream job in the newspaper industry. With no friends or family nearby and her confidence buried deep within herself Kate spends her time outside the office shut away in her room in a shared house with her books and the occasional ready-meal for company. Then Kate's boss assigns her the job of covering the potential closure of the community lido and a firm friendship is born as Rosemary and Kate join forces to save the lido.
This is a beautiful book which I easily lost myself in. The descriptive writing is gorgeous and very emotive at certain points. Rosemary is going through what most pensioners do: the feeling that time has ambushed them and left them with a body belonging to a much older person than the one they feel to be inside themselves. Kate is still young but is fighting anxiety and panic attacks which catch her at unexpected moments in the big City; she has lost her sense of who she is and what she is capable of.
Together Kate and Rosemary draw strength from each other in a common cause, and Kate encourages Rosemary to drum up support for their campaign from the network of friends she has built up over decades of living in the area. In doing so, Rosemary mentally revisits times and events she shared with her husband George who was a well known grocer in the area. She gradually realises how well loved and respected she is in her community as she introduces Kate to a whole new group of friends who all jump at the opportunity to support the ladies in whatever capacity they are able.
I really wasn't sure whether the ladies would be successful in their work but the way the community came together restored my faith in human nature and there were points I felt so proud of various characters as they found hidden strengths all in the name of the lido. Other scenes had me reaching for my tissues to wipe a tear - sometimes through laughter, sometimes in sadness.
This is a fantastic example of the new genre of up-lit which is sure to take the charts by storm this spring - a worthy companion on the shelves for the likes of Joanna Cannon's Three Things About Elsie.
5 stars and more if it were possible from me.
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