A public, outdoor swimming pool in Brixton, a small enclave of south London, forms the bedrock of The Lido, a feel-good first novel by British author Libby Page. The tight-knit community is changing. The local library has closed and has since been transformed into a bar. A Starbucks and a TJ Maxx chain store have moved in. And the public pool--the lido--in Brockwell Park, is being threatened with closure by a powerful, local land developer who wants to buy the property.
Rosemary Peterson, who has spent all 86 years of
her life in Brixton, hates to see her beloved lido close. She worked in the
town library before lack of funds shut it down, and she regrets not having done
more to save it. While much has changed over the years in Brixton, the lido has
served as a unifying, reassuring constant in Rosemary's changeable life. As a
result, she feels powerless when she learns that the pool will close, until
loner Kate Matthews--a shy, insecure reporter in her mid-20s, new to Brixton
and the local paper--interviews her for a story. The two women are worlds and
generations apart. However, as Rosemary regales Kate with stories about the
lido and what it has meant to her--and to the history of the town--a bond of
friendship grows between them, transforming both of their lives.
Page assembles a lively, diverse cast and
heartwarming remembrances about the pool and how it sustained and enriched the
town over time. Readers diving into this hopeful, tender story can emerge
refreshed by the meaningful depths of community and the bonds of indelible
friendships.
Publication Date: February 7,
2017
NOTE:
This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To
read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (July 24, 2018), link HERE
This review was originally published (in a longer form) on Shelf Awareness for The
Book Trade (June 14, 2018). To read this review on Shelf Awareness for the
Book Trade, link HERE