The Lido by LIbby Page

THE LIDO 

by LIBBY PAGE

This is a very special story about a twenty six year old junior reporter who, when reporting on the proposed closure of the local lido, finds herself forming an unlikely, yet life-changing, friendship with an eighty-six year old woman. Rosemary swims in the lido every single day of her life, to her it symbolises something much more than a pool in which she can clock up twenty lengths before breakfast. As Kate spends more time with Rosemary, the Lido also starts to represent more to Kate and before long she finds herself in the middle of passionate campaign to save this place which has suddenly come to mean so much to her. 

Kate has lived her life through stories. She has always preferred books, rereading her favourites and seeking the security and reassurance of a story to which she already knows the end rather than facing the risks, challenges and uncertainty of real life. It's no surprise then that she is working as a journalist, seeking out stories wherever they may be even if the editor at the local paper for which she writes always reduces her pieces to a summary of the bare facts. It's impossible not to become caught up in the stories Kate tries to create, for example, when she's interviewing someone their lost pet. Her questions reveal her caring, thoughtful disposition and I would love to read the fuller versions of her interviews with the owners of Smudge, the missing 3 year old tabby where she asks them about their earliest members of Smudge, what Smudge might say if he could talk and how their life has changed since Smudge has been part of the home. Kate may use her questions to find a way to interact with people and build relationships from behind the written word, but she also has a gift for making the most mundane sound fascinating and heartwarming. 

When she meets Rosemary at the Lido and starts to hear more about how central it has been throughout Rosemary's life, Kate knows she can't reduce this story to three lines buried in the back pages of the local press. When her editor allows her more time and more column inches, she seizes the chance and through her reporting, Kate finds herself on an emotional journey that will transform her. 

Kate is an endearing character. She is an introvert, she suffers from panic attacks and self doubt but when she asks Rosemary if she can interview her, a deal is struck. Rosemary will speak with her if Kate gets in the pool and swims. Overcoming her self consciousness, intimidated by Rosemary's self confidence and ease, Kate forces herself to jump in the water and from this moment forward, the Lido and the healing power of exercise, water, the outdoors, start to work their magic. But it's not just the physical act of swimming that helps Kate, it's the community, the relationship between the swimmers and the friendship which is the true magic. 

Page has undoubtedly created a novel with two characters with whom you want to spend all the time you can. She has also created a beautiful relationship between the two characters as they unwittingly come to realise that despite their differences in age and experience, they can actually save each other. With alternating chapters, the reader watches Kate's journey in the present and also immerses themselves in the heartache of Rosemary's past as she reveals her story. 

It is obviously the gentle, tender, uplifting plot line and the flawed yet intriguing characters that makes this book such a delicious and wonderful treat, but Page also deserves acknowledgement for her evocation of setting and location. This book is a joy to read because Page's description of the Lido, and of the surrounding area, is so convincing you feel as if you are sat dangling your legs into the chilling water watching the two women swim up and down in front of you. Page's prose is also a real treat. This was a book I did not want to finish reading. 

This is a stunning debut. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved reading a book set in this particular area, a book with well crafted characters and writing that felt warm and tender without becoming sentimental or too sweet. Page looks at love and friendship but also grief and unhappiness. It's a charming book. It captures something that will resonate with so many people and a novel that shows the strength that lies in a community and the bonds that can develop across generations. Most of all it's a book about incredible friendships. 

The Lido is published by Orion on the 19th April 2018.

Thank you so much to the publishers for an advance copy of this novel which I devoured one weekend and for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour.

Don't miss any of the other stops on the tour - or make sure you check back to see what you might have missed!