I was drawn to this by the cover – it has to be said, its fairly eye-catching. Its not my usual Crime/Thriller Genre – its true, but I’m glad I did make a different choice.
I dived headfirst into this fabulous debut in May and totally fell for the idea of open-air swimming and the attraction Lido’s hold within the community. We meet Rosemary – an older 80 something widow – who’s been swimming at Brockwell Lido all her life, its where she learnt to swim, where she went for school swimming lessons and where she met her husband George and they courted out of hours! She befriends Kate – a lonely 20 something – reporter on the local paper who’s unhappily unhappily living day to day in a job that wasn’t what she dreamed it would be and a bedsit she hates, this was not the London she thought it would be. Until she is sent to interview Rosemary, she starts joining Rosemary at The Lido to swim and their bond begins – it turns out they both need each other and through their shared love of the water, their community is reunited.
I enjoyed how the story and characters developed. Throughout the book their friendships grow and were strenghtened by their sense of community and how keeping the Lido open for the next generation of Brockwell locals gains importance – bringing with it a new job for Kate and a reason to get out of bed for Rosemary. This is a strong debut novel, an entry into the new genre of ‘Up-Lit’
A heartwarming book which will make you go and google where your nearest Lido is.
I was lucky enough to hear Libby speak at Swindon Literary Festival – how she has always written, from a young age and wanted to be a writer all her life. Her enthusiasm and perseverance shine through in her book and for the hour I listened to her. A breath of fresh air to read and a true entry into the ‘Up-lit’ genre.
