The Lido by Libby Page ** Blog Tour Review**
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.
My Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the characters in The Lido and reading about the community which was centred on the Brockwell Lido in Brixton. Threatened with closure, it became clear as the story evolved that it was fulfilling a real service to the people who gathered there. They were what made it a special place and the friendships which they forged whilst they were there, were real. The friendship between Rosemary and Kate was a touching part of the story. At the beginning of the story, Kate is feeling lost and lonely, adrift in the impersonal London streets. Through Rebecca, she comes to see that there are friendships to be made and a feeling of belonging to be found, through a common cause.
Rebecca's life story is told throughout the book and you come to understand why The Lido is so important to her. It has featured in all the important events of her life and links her to her beloved and much missed husband, George. Rebecca is a marvellous character, with a lifetime of experience to draw on. Who is my Rebecca? Well today I can answer absolutely clearly. By coincidence, today would have been my mother's 100th birthday. She had all of Rebecca's strength of character and more.
In short: a wonder of a book, full of community and belonging.
About the Author
I am the author of The Lido, published in the UK by Orion
and by Simon and Schuster in the US.
I live in London where I love finding new swimming pools and
pockets of community within the city. My favourite thing is to swim with my
sister – we document our swimming adventures at @theswimmingsisters.
Before writing The Lido I worked as a campaigner for fairer
internships, a journalist at the Guardian and a Brand Executive at a retailer
and then a charity.
You can find me on social media at @libbypagewrites.
Book link: Amazon UK
Thanks to Libby Page and Rebecca Gray of the Orion Publishing Group for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour!
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