The Lido / Libby Page - 3.5*** (rounded up)

[Book Concierge]

The Lido – Libby Page
3.5*** (rounded up)

Alternate title Mornings With Rosemary.

Eighty-seven-year-old Rosemary Peterson has lived in Brixton, England all her life and has seen many changes. The library where she used to work has closed. A former grocery store has morphed into a trendy bar. And now the lido (public outdoor swimming pool) where she has swum daily is threatened. A big-time developer of high-end apartment buildings wants to buy the property and turn it into a private club for his building residents.

Enter Kate Matthews, a new journalist who recently moved to Brixton and suffers from panic / anxiety attacks. Her editor gives her a chance at a feature story and sends her to interview regular users of the lido about the plans to close. The manager suggests she speak to Rosemary, the lido’s most faithful swimmer. Rosemary says she’ll answer questions after Kate has gone for a swim. And an unlikely friendship begins.

I really grew to love these characters. In the course of the novel we learn more of Rosemary’s background and what the pool meant to her and her late husband. We also meet many of the other residents of the neighborhood who will be adversely impacted by the plans of Paradise Living Developers. There are some humorous scenes to counteract the poignant, and even sad ones.

This is Page’s debut work and I’ll be watching for what she writes next.


LINK to my review