Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
A beautifully written testament to unlikely friendship, the galvanising pursuit of common goals and lifelong passions which link individuals with their community * DAILY MAIL * She spends hours wandering through the local cemetery, inventing biographical stories for the names inscribed on headstones. There she meets and befriends an elderly woman who sings to the crows, whom she names Sally Red Shoes. As a tentative – and, as in The Lido, unexpected – friendship develops, Masha gradually surfaces from the depths of her grief, and swimming becomes restorative rather than punishing.
Next we meet Rosemary Peterson. In her late eighties, she also lives alone. She has been a widow for the past two years. Her late husband, George, was the love of her life and her reason for living. Across the street from Rosemary's flat is the Brixton Lido. The Lido has always been a huge part of Rosemary's life. She swims there every day and has since she was a young child. She and George shared many loving memories there. She has gone there during the war, during the London riots, and countless other occasions. This meant she had a lot of energy and creativity to write fiction in the evenings. She would then begin writing the manuscript for The Lido. I think most writers draw on their own experiences in some way to fuel their writing. Although Kate is very different to me in many ways, there are certainly aspects of my life that I used as inspiration for my writing. I moved to London from a small town (actually much smaller than Bristol, where Kate is from) so know what it feels like to arrive in a big city and struggle to find your feet. I think there is a perception that your early twenties are going to be the best years of your life, but I know for myself and many of my friends there were also lots of stressful elements in trying to find our way in the world. That was definitely something I wanted to explore in my book, and I hope that anyone who mayhave had a similar experience is able to relate and realize they are not alone. Day and night, Stella's Café opens its doors to the lonely and the lost, the morning people and the night owls. It's a place where everyone is always welcome, where life can wait at the door.
About this book
I spent about six months prior to writing The Lido planning the story. This didn’t mean plotting the entire book; instead I wanted to really flesh out the characters and the themes in the story before starting to write. That way it meant that the characters and the story were able to take themselves in their own direction to a certain extent. That said, I had the idea for the final line of my book very early on. I found that it helped to know the point that I was working towards. For the longest time, they had been like sisters rather than friends even though things have gone downhill in the recent past as the two girls grew apart. Will they be able to fix things or have they reached a point of no return?
The story begins when a development company that is building flats in the neighboring lots puts in a bid to buy the lido and turn it into a private facility just for it’s residents. The community council states that the lido has been losing money consistently and they intend to accept the bid. This doesn’t make too much of a ripple until our cub reporter Kate decides to write an article on it. It begins to get a lot of press, there are meetings, protests, even a sit in as it seems that everyone isn’t too happy with how their community is changing. The library was closed not that long ago and people are still upset about that. A lavish depiction of an unlikely friendship, a London community and life-long love, all charmingly told in rich, yet gentle prose * CATHERINE ISAAC, author of You, Me, Everything * What are some of the ways that the residents of Brixton attempt to save the lido? How do Kate’s and Jay’s professional roles influence their methods of protest? Were there any that you thought were particularly successful? Which ones and why? How would you have protested to save the lido if you were in Kate’s position? 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.The descriptions of the café itself are excellent – and you really feel like you’ve been and sat in one of its booths. If I ever walk out of Liverpool St Station I’ll be looking around for Stella’s! At eighty-six years old, Rosemary has lived in the Brixton neighborhood of London her whole life, a bustling neighborhood that brings to mind a scene of Notting Hill with a small, quaint bookstore, amid a colourful array of street vendors selling everything from flowers to coffee. The shop owners and vendors know Rosemary by her name, but she is best known at the Lido, where she not only learned to swim, as a very young child during the war, but where she has gone her whole life since.
The Lido has been optioned for a film. Who would you cast as Kate? As Rosemary? How would you structure the film? Swimming serves a different psychological purpose in Ruth Hogan’s warm and wise second novel, The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes. Hogan’s protagonist, Masha, is coming to terms with the death of her young son, 12 years earlier. She swims by way of penance: “At the lido, I swim underwater to the steps at the deep end and then I hold onto the handrail until my lungs implode and I drown. Almost… It’s self-inflicted waterboarding.”Some readers are disturbed by blue language and sex scenes. Though the story isn’t entirely devoid of these, there’s very little of it. The text is accessible to anyone with a high school education. Rosemary then discovers that the Lido is soon to be closed, bought from Lambeth Council by Paradise Living property developers, and turned into a gym and tennis court. The pool to be cemented over. Yet another local public facility sold off to the highest bidder. She starts a campaign to save the Lido which Kate is asked to report on and she realises this might be her ‘big story’. She meets Rosemary by the pool and, despite the age gap, they find they have a mutual bond; Rosemary is trying to save her home and Kate is trying to find one… the Lido. Another major issue I have with The Lido is the fact that nothing was a surprise, nothing was “new” either in the story or the way it was told. Every change seemed to follow an old script and was telegraphed well ahead. Yes it is a nice story and there are people to feel for, but there is no edge, no true surprising detail to grab me, the reader, and make me take note. Perhaps I am asking more than this book is purporting to provide, but when I read, I want something that might surprise me, perhaps treat an old subject in a slightly new way. This book simply did not do that for me.
Why is Rosemary initially reluctant to reach out for help in saving the lido? What changes her mind? Describe the people who join or aid the protests to save the lido. Do any of them surprise you? Which ones and why? What reasons do the others have for helping? The battle to save the Lido is ultimately what leads to them “saving” each other from their own sadness and problems Come inside and spend twenty-four hours at Stella's Café, where one day might just be enough to change your life . . .This lovely book is about the power of friendship and community.. Heartwarming and uplifting, The Lido is set to make quite a splash. * SUN ON SUNDAY * Kate is a cub reporter working for the local paper in Brixton, London. As a cub, she is responsible for the smallest assignments. She also has severe anxiety that affects her work and daily life. Pursuing things you're interested in is so important. This book has really sprung out of a hobby of mine, which is swimming. You never know where your interests may take you, and you're probably more likely to be passionate enough to write a book about something if you're really interested in it. If you've got a hobby or an interest, then go for it. I try to go to random classes and talks too, because you never know what will spark an idea.
Great Deal 
New Comment