According to the Wikipedia, a lido is a British term for an outdoor public swimming pool and surrounding facilities.In this book, the lido is a neighborhood staple on the verge of being sold - according to town officials in Brixton, England, it is losing revenue and a local housing company (think expensive high-rise apartments) is interested in buying the property. And turning it into tennis courts for the exclusive use of their tenants.
At 86, the lido has been a fixture in Rosemary's life since she was a child. Swimming in it got her through the war, her husband proposed to her there, her apartment overlooks it, she swims there daily.
Kate is in her 20s and a reporter on the local Brixton paper. She is also consumer by self doubt and given to panic attacks. She even has a name for her constant companion - The Panic.
And then one day she is sent by her editor to interview Rosemary about the threatened closure of the lido. And across generations, the two women become friends who are determined to do everything they can to save the lido.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked watching the friendship between the two women grow, I liked seeing how Kate changed, and I enjoyed meeting and liking all the neighborhood "characters" who also want the lido to remain. Both fun and touching.
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