The Lido by Libby Page is her debut novel, written while working in marketing and moonlighting as a writer. It is the story of a community’s way of life that is threatened by a developer, who intends to build high-end accommodation affordable only to the wealthy.
Still mourning the loss of her beloved husband, George, Rosemary, age 86, finds solace in her daily swim at the lido, an outdoor swimming pool, in Brixton. She and George forged many happy memories there and it has been the foundation of her life for many years.
Fledgling journalist, Kate, age 26, is struggling to find her feet in the city after leaving her family home in Bristol. Working for a local paper in Brixton, she is allocated the task of writing an article about the closure of the lido. Stressed and anxious, Kate is also trying to deal with the panic attacks that threaten to incapacitate her.
At the lido she meets Rosemary, who tells Kate just how important the lido is to her personally, and to the local community. The women soon become close friends. Encouraged by Rosemary, Kate too finds peace in the daily ritual of exercise at the lido.
As Kate discovers more of the lido’s history, she is helped with her article by the paper’s resident photographer, an appealing young man called Jay.
As friendships develop more and more local residents are made aware of the importance of their lido.
The enthusiasm of the two women rouses the community to fight against the lido’s closure. Can they stop the developer or have their protests come too late?
The Lido is a wonderful, heart-warming novel of friendship, a lifetime of love, and the pain of loss. It depicts the sense of community in the past and the optimism that it is still alive and well today. It is a tender tribute to the power and determination of ordinary folk when faced with a threat to their way of life.
ISBN: 9781409175216
The Lido is available in paperback, hardback and e-book
About Libby Page
Libby Page graduated from The London College of Fashion with a BA in Fashion Journalism before going on to work as a journalist at the Guardian. The Lido has sold in over twenty territories around the world and film rights have been sold to Catalyst Global Media. Libby has been a leading campaigner for fairer internships and has spoken on TV and in parliament in support of fair pay for interns. Libby has been writing from an early age and when she was 16 she wrote an illustrated book called Love Pink to raise money for Breast Cancer Care. After writing, her second passion is outdoor swimming. Libby lives in London where she enjoys finding new swimming spots and pockets of community within the city.
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