The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot: The new and unforgettable Richard & Judy Book Club pick

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Author Marianne Cronin has written a beautiful, emotional book that will surprise you and will stay with you for a long time. And yes, you will cry. Definitely a good read and holds your attention waiting for the next chapter . The story is about sadness and humour and hope as well as friendships and bereavement. As their friendship blooms, a world of stories opens for these unlikely companions who, between them, have been alive for one hundred years. Though their days are dwindling, both are determined to leave their mark on the world. With the help of Lenni’s doting palliative care nurse and Father Arthur, the hospital’s patient chaplain, Lenni and Margot devise a plan to create one hundred paintings showcasing the stories of the century they have lived—stories of love and loss, of courage and kindness, of unexpected tenderness and pure joy.

We are introduced to Lenni, a seventeen year-old Swedish-born young woman now, for all intents and purposes, living on the May Ward of the Princess Royal Hospital in Glasgow, a ward for young people with “life-limiting” illnesses. When a new art room is set up, Lenni meets Margot, an eighty-three year old woman and together they decide to paint the story of their combined 100 years of life, one painting for each year. As they paint, they tell the stories behind some of the pictures. The Temp plays an important role because she wants to open an Art Room for the patients, and this is where Lenni meets 83-year-old Margot. Father Arthur, the hospital chaplain, is a kind, thoughtful soul. He struggles at times to answer all of Lenni’s questions with honesty and often finds that he is still searching for answers himself. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is a lovely novel and really helps us look at our lives from the outside in. I thought of what my own 42 paintings would look like, and what I want my remaining paintings to be.There are other characters that are also wonderfully described, the New Nurse, who befriends Lenni, sits on her bed and chats as though they are old friends. Set in the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital, Marianne Cronin's debut novel is sprinkled with magic and star dust as it relates the intergenerational friendship and love that develops between the vibrant, full of life, Swedish born, 17 year old Lenni Pettersson and 83 year old Margot Macrae. Lenni is a resident of the May ward, for those with life limiting/terminal illnesses, she goes searching for answers for fundamental philosophical questions of life from Father Arthur, her candour a joy to behold and have a host of characters enter her life, providing her with a family she could hardly have forseen. Whilst her life is to be cruelly cut short at such a young age, she is to metaphorically live a longer one through the experience of the joys, love, losses, and grief of Margot's well lived life, who is in hospital for heart surgery. However, to talk to God, the best thing to do is finding a priest because priests are supposed to be fluent in God’s Language, right?! She looked up from her drawing and stared at me for the briefest of moments, letting me come into focus. Then, with recognition and delight, said, 'It's you!' Cronin paints pictures with her words and through Lenni’s situation and encounters colours the story with wit and wisdom, with laugh-out-loud moments and weep-into-your-tissue moments too.

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is not a book about illness – it is a joyous, heartfelt and sometimes funny story about life. The two unlikely friends provide strength to one another as they face the inevitable. In addition to Lenni and Margot, there is a wonderful cast of characters who add warmth, depth and humor to this incredible tale. Life is short - no one knows that better than 17 year-old Lenni Petterssen. On the Terminal ward, the nurses are offering their condolences already, but Lenni still has plenty of living to do. This is a wonderful and beautiful story despite the fact that Lenni is dying, she’s living her last months with as much joy as she can. It captivates, grabs you by the heartstrings and makes you laugh out loud at some of a Lenni’s actions and innovative thinking. The ending is a deeply emotional tear jerker and really touches you as you feel as if you have become friends with the characters. Ensure tissues at the ready. Lenni soon notices 83-year-old Margot when she sees Margot dumpster dive into a recycling bin to retrieve a letter. Margot who is spry for her age, wears purple pajamas and is a rebel. She doesn’t intend to go quietly into death. She also has some adventures she wants to accomplish.

Lenni

What moments would you paint from your life, excluding marriages, births, and deaths? Are there any simple, everyday moments that you would describe for Lenni?

Lenni is 17 years old and is hospitalized for a fatal condition. Margot is 83 and is in the same hospital for serious cardiac issues. They briefly meet at a dumpster inside the hospital, then later in the Rose Room where patients convene for art projects. Seventeen plus 83 equals 100 years of life between Lenni and Margot. Together they set a goal of creating 100 paintings covering these 100 years. There is more to this story, but essentially, this is a lovely debut that is about living life fully, despite knowing that this life is finite. Filled with the joys of life, of love, it is an ode to living life fully, as joyfully as possible, celebrating life on your own terms.

Inspired by David Copperfield, Kingsolver crafts a 21st-century coming-of-age story set in America’s hard-pressed rural South. Eighty three year old Margot is at the same hospital due to heart problems that required surgery and will require more surgery. Lenni and Margot first catch sight of each other as Margot is trying to fish something out of a recycling bin and Lenni distracts the porter and nurse so that Margot can accomplish her rescue effort. Later Lenni gets herself enrolled in the art class for eighty years and up so that she can spend time with Margot. Margot and Lenni decide to record their combined 100 years of life with their artwork. Margot is a talented artist and for her 83 years of life Lenni records the stories that Margot tells with each picture she creates. Lenni's artwork is not of the same artistic talent but I would love to have gotten to see the pictures she made of her 17 years.

This is a sad story for sure and I shed a few tears, but I also smiled a lot and was so moved by what Lenni and Margot accomplish with their One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. It’s one of those heartbreakingly sad stories that left me with a good feeling. I don’t know as this will win any literary awards (you never know, though), but these characters with their life stories won my heart and I can’t give it less than 5 stars . I will be watching for more by Marianne Cronin. Follow seventeen-year-old Lenni and eighty-three-year-old Margot as they celebrate their shared century. Together they decide to paint their life stories: of growing old and staying young, of giving joy, of receiving kindness, of losing love, of finding the person who is everything.The chapters alternate between the two women. Most cover a slice or slices of one of their lives from the past, each of which is inspiration for a painting. Other chapters take place in present time. For reasons you will find out, neither Lenni nor Margot has a close family member nearby. They just have each other. Then there are New Nurse, Father Arthur, Pippa the art facilitator, and Paul the Porter. All these people eventually become a part of the makeshift family as well. The part I didn't understand and that made me maddest was Lenni's dad. How could he. How dare he. What daddy would ever think about leaving. Then there was The Temp. I liked her also. She went through a few things in this book but she ended up ok. There are a few other characters you will meet. Some you will love and some you probably won't like at all.