Book Review: THE LIDO by Libby Page

Title: The Lido

Author: Libby Page
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Read: July 2018

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

A tender, joyous debut novel about a cub reporter and her eighty-six-year-old subject—and the unlikely and life-changing friendship that develops between them.

Kate is a twenty-six-year-old riddled with anxiety and panic attacks who works for a local paper in Brixton, London, covering forgettably small stories. When she’s assigned to write about the closing of the local lido (an outdoor pool and recreation center), she meets Rosemary, an eighty-six-year-old widow who has swum at the lido daily since it opened its doors when she was a child. It was here Rosemary fell in love with her husband, George; here that she’s found communion during her marriage and since George’s death. The lido has been a cornerstone in nearly every part of Rosemary’s life.

But when a local developer attempts to buy the lido for a posh new apartment complex, Rosemary’s fond memories and sense of community are under threat.

As Kate dives deeper into the lido’s history—with the help of a charming photographer—she pieces together a portrait of the pool, and a portrait of a singular woman, Rosemary. What begins as a simple local interest story for Kate soon blossoms into a beautiful friendship that provides sustenance to both women as they galvanize the community to fight the lido’s closure. Meanwhile, Rosemary slowly, finally, begins to open up to Kate, transforming them both in ways they never knew possible.

In the tradition of Fredrik Backman, The Lido is a charming, feel-good novel that captures the heart and spirit of a community across generations—an irresistible tale of love, loss, aging, and friendship.

My musings:

Apart from reading and hiking, swimming has been one of my long-time passions, and I was immediately drawn to this book when I found out it centres on a local swimming pool that is put under threat by a large development company. Whilst the term “lido” is not widely used in Australia, the issue is a very topical one here as well. Many small communities are facing the loss of their recreation facilities, as money talks and most public pools don’t make enough income to cover running costs. Our town has been lobbying for a pool for years, so the story seemed very close to my heart! When I saw the gorgeous cover, I knew I absolutely had to have this book, even though it is not my usual genre, lacking the darkness, murder and mayhem I usually look for in books.

Page uses two main characters to highlight the importance of the pool to the community: octogenarian Rosemary, who has been swimming at the lido for forty years, and had countless happy memories of the place, including meeting her husband there; and journalist Kate, who has only started swimming at the lido after meeting Rosemary, but who is discovering that it is helping with her anxiety and self-consciousness. Soon the two women strike up an unusual friendship that will prove not only beneficial for them, but also for the whole community.

I really liked the way Page gives brief snapshots into the lives of other swimmers who regularly come to the lido. As a regular swimmer myself, I could relate to many of the sentiments expressed by the lido’s users, including how addictive lap swimming can become! The story itself is pretty straight-forward and holds few surprises, but it proved to be uplifting and the type of feel-good read I normally rarely pick up. This is definitely a light and undemanding summer read, one that will not require much of the reader but will leave you with a warm glow that good things can still happen and that people are basically good and honest. Sometimes you just need a story like that to escape from the harsh realities of real life!

Whilst I liked the overall concept of the book and was prepared for the lack of action and gore, I felt that I did not engage with the characters nearly as much as I would have liked. Rosemary, who is a most intriguing woman, relives many of her happy memories of the lido, but some of her life is never fully explored, such as the pain of remaining childless and the struggles and conflicts she and her devoted husband George must have had at times because of it. Similarly, we are being told about Kate’s struggle with anxiety, but it remains an abstract concept rather than a real problem showing through in her dealings with happenings in the story. Personally, I like a bit of balance and thought that the story was a lot poorer for the lack of glimpses at the “dark side”.  I guess I am just too old and cynical to see life through those rose tinted glasses any longer (my job as an ED nurse probably doesn’t help there either). There were a few moments where Page really nailed it for me (such as when Kate rubs sunscreen into Rosemary’s back and the older woman reflects on how no one touches her any more since George died – SOB!), but at other times the story meandered along without any real substance and even lost my interest a few times.

Summary:

In summary, if you are looking for a light, summery, escapist and feel-good read that centres around swimming and the friendship between two very different women, then this may be perfect for you. However, readers who prefer a meatier and more substantial read may find that this one is not quite what they are looking for. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.