The Lido: The most uplifting, feel-good summer read of the year: The uplifting, feel-good Sunday Times bestseller about the power of friendship and community

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While she loved working for the Guardian, she soon realized that she was not in the headspace to be imaginative when she got home in the evening. As the story unfolds we are introduced to more characters: Hope who used to work with Rosemary at the library (now closed), Jay the Chronicles’ photographer, Frank and Jermaine struggling to keep their book shop open, the Chronicle’s editor Phil caught between ethics and paying the bills, Geoff the Lido Manager just trying to do his job, and as I was reading I kept on thinking “yes, I’ve met that person” although they are all fictional, and I never have. Writing is something that she has been doing ever since she was a kid and she penned “Love Pink,” an illustrated book to raise awareness about Breast Cancer Care when she was just 16.

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. Along the way, the reader becomes immersed in the community of Brixton. The myriad cultures represented in its population. Even the wildlife get a few mentions. We meet Rosemary's many friends. The gay couple who run the local bookshop. The man who sells her produce, a teenage boy who swims at the lido, a new mother who brings her baby to the pool. .. I thought the characters were very well developed, particularly Rosemary, as we learn her life story from the time that she met George until his passing. Of course the lido played a huge part in their life, almost to the point of being a bit unbelievable. All of the photos that she goes through at one point have either one of them in swimwear at, in or around the lido.The Lido has been optioned for a film. Who would you cast as Kate? As Rosemary? How would you structure the film? Her debut novel “The Lido” was preempted for six figures in the United States and for six figures in the United Kingdom. It would then be published by Simon & Schuster in the United States and Orion in the United Kingdom in addition to a dozen other territories across the globe.

With her bestselling 2017 debut, The Keeper of Lost Things, Hogan won fans for her astute portrayal of grief and the human capacity for recovery. It is territory she revisits here, adding to her themes that of community and its power to heal. Her passages on loss are vivid and visceral: “Grief is not a linear thing. It reboots unexpectedly at a certain smell or sight or sound, and some days I still feel as though my world is like a patchwork quilt that’s coming unstitched.” But hope is never lost and catharsis is to be found in unlikely places. 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.

Summary

It was there that she met George her husband and at the lido, she also found communion while married and after the death of her husband. The lido had become a central part of her life for years. A joyous and uplifting debut - a testament to kindness and friendship * SARAH WINMAN, author of When God Was a Rabbit and Tin Man *

Only two people of the group were not enthusiastic and they were very much in the minority. They felt it was predictable, undemanding and a bit formulaic but one was comfortable knowing it was going to end well.

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

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? 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? Becoming an author had its own challenges and hence she opted to study journalism as then she would be guaranteed to write while working her day job. Moreover, it would make it possible to write for herself on the side or so she thought. 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. We learn of Rosemary and George's story. They met the day that WWII ended. Their story will make you laugh, and make you weep.