This reading group guide for The Lido includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Libby Page . The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. Introduction Kate is a twenty-six-year-old who works for a local paper in Brixton, London, covering forgettable 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 when she was a child. The lido has been a cornerstone of nearly every part of Rosemary''s life. But when a local developer attempts to buy the lido and replace it with 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 she pieces together portraits of the pool and 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 begins to open up to Kate, transforming them both in ways they never knew possible. Topics & Questions for Discussion 1. Describe the opening of The Lido. How does it establish Brixton as a character? Do the interludes throughout the novel of life there help you to understand the community better? What do you think of Brixton? Is it somewhere you could see yourself living? 2. When Kate is first introduced to the reader, she is described as anxious, "living under a cloud. It follows her wherever she goes, and however hard she tries she can''t seem to outrun it" (2). What was your first impression of her? What do you think of the life she creates for herself in Brixton? Does she seem happy to you? Why or why not? 3.
Describe your first impression of Rosemary? Do you like her? Rosemary is acutely aware of the results of aging, from the aches in her knees to the free bus card that she is now eligible to receive. Both are "a part of her life now that she resents. She still always pays for her bus ticket, on principle" (14). What does this detail tell you about Rosemary? In what other ways does she attempt to exert control over the aging process? 4. Rosemary agrees to allow Kate to interview her about the lido on the condition that Kate goes for a swim. What prompts Rosemary to require this? How does swimming in the lido expand Kate''s view of it? Would you have agreed to Rosemary''s request? 5. Describe Kate''s relationship with her sister. Is Erin a good older sister to Kate? Why or why not? Why do you think Kate is nervous about introducing Erin to Rosemary? What do the two women think of each other? 6.
Rosemary and George are described as "a couple, like the quotation marks around a sentence" (73). Is this an apt description? How would you characterize Rosemary and George''s relationship? Do you think it was a solid one? Why or why not? How did they compliment each other? 7. The early articles that Kate writes for the Brixton Chronicle are "not stories that she would show the tutors who taught her journalism master''s classes" and the fact that her mother collects them in a scrapbook "makes it even worse" (9). Describe the Kate''s articles. Why is she ashamed of them? Why do you think her mother''s saving them compounds Kate''s feelings? Do you think she is a good journalist? Explain your answer. What skills does her job require? 8. When Kate was studying to be a journalist, she struggled to take the words of her classmates "as a comment on something she had created outside of herself, rather than a personal attack" (210). Is this still true of Kate? One of her colleagues tells her that she is too personally invested in her stories.
Do you agree? How does this affect Kate''s stories? 9. When Kate thinks of Erin and her life "she feels left behind, as though Erin has run off into the distance and Kate is left frozen on the starting line terrified by the sound of the gun marking the start of the race" (55). Compare Kate''s view of Erin''s life with its reality. Are there any issues that Erin struggles with? What does Erin think of Kate? What causes the two to open up to each other? Were you surprised by any of their disclosures? 10. Rosemary tells Kate, "When you''re my age you''ll understand. You begin to miss yourself" (62). What does Rosemary mean? What parts of herself does she miss most? 11. 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? 12. While Kate doesn''t know Jay particularly well "his strawberry blond hair and kind face are part of the fabric of her days at the paper and somehow soothing" (119). How is Jay able to calm Kate? What role does he play in the protests? Why is the lido important to him? 13. When asked about why the lido is important to her, Rosemary "can''t begin to say everything so instead she says the start of the truth" (64). Discuss some of the reasons the lido is so important to Rosemary and to the community of Brixton. If Kate were asked the same question, what do you think her answer would be? Are there any places in your life that are as important to you as the lido is to Rosemary and Kate? Tell your book club about them. 14. 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? Enhance Your Book Club 1.
If possible, go swimming with your book club. What was this like? Did you find it as refreshing as Rosemary does or as calming as Kate does? Why do you think being in the water helps both women? 2. When Rosemary and George begin living together, she asks him "how shall we organize the books? . Shall we have a shelf each?" (103). Do you organize your books in any special way? If so, tell your book club about your method. 3. The Lido has been optioned for a film. Who would you cast as Kate? As Rosemary? How would you structure the film? 4.
The Lido has been compared to A Man Called Ove . Read both books with your book club and discuss them, comparing and contrasting the themes of each. In what ways were they similar? Do you think that Rosemary and Ove were alike? If so, how? A Conversation with Libby Page Congratulations on the publication of The Lido ! What was the most rewarding part of publishing your debut novel? Was there any aspect that surprised you? Thank you! I have dreamed of being an author since I was around six years old, so having that dream come true has been an amazing experience. I quit my job in marketing shortly after receiving my publishing deal, and I feel so lucky to now be able to spend all my time doing the thing that I love. I didn''t really know much about the publishing process when I wrote my book, so it has all been a huge learning experience for me. For Kate, "Seeing her own name . printed alongside her article in the Guardian feels surreal but thrilling" (214). Before becoming a novelist, you also worked as a journalist there.
Can you tell us about the first time you saw your name in print? I actually first saw my name in print when I was very young. As a child I entered every writing competition I could find and subscribed to a magazine for young writers. I entered far more competitions that I won, but when I first saw a poem I had written in the magazine it really inspired me. It made me believe that if I loved writing as much as I did, and worked really hard at it, that maybe one day I might be able to do something as exciting as having my own book published. I feel so grateful for those early experiences that fueled my drive to write. Like you, Kate is both a swimmer and journalist. Is this where the similarities end? Are there any autobiographical elements in your story? 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 may have had a similar experience is able to relate and realize they are not alone. Can you tell us about your writing process? The Lido is intricately plotted, moving seamlessly between past and present and between Kate and Rosemary''s stories. Did you plot out the entire book before you began writing it? I spent about six months prior to.