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

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There were many times that I laughed out loud and times when I felt really sad. I felt such anger also that Lenni, this lovely, witty, wonderful young woman got so few years to live. I was so glad that her last months were lived as well as they could be, surrounded by new friends and loved by many!

I have to drag myself out of there and remember that that is not the type of terminal meant for me. 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. 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. With a sensibility that's as compassionate and quirky as those of her two indelible heroines, Marianne Cronin offers a deceptively lighthearted response to life’s heaviest questions. As Lenni and Margot leave their mark on one another, so too does this tearjerker of a book leave its mark on the reader. Kathleen Rooney I’m thankful for my early reviewer friends who loved this book, as it wasn’t really on my radar. Meaningful and wonderfully written books aren’t easy to find!! This debut novel by Ms.Cronin is extraordinary.After meeting in the terminal ward’s art class, two women (one 17 and one 83) bond through life, love and friendshipin this Uplifting and heartstring-tugging story." — Parade (Ultimate Summer Reading List) Lenni and Margot are two of the most wonderful, warm, witty and wise heroines I've ever met. Beautiful and glorious' CLARE POOLEY, author of The Authenticity Project New Nurse” has been visiting Lenni in the May Ward. She is Lenni’s favourite nurse, a flamboyant woman whom Lenni met when New Nurse escorted her to the chapel. She had

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. Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Though the teenager has been told she’s dying, she still has plenty of living to do. Joining the hospital’s arts and crafts class, Graceful, intelligent, beautiful writing. Full of wisdom and kindness. It is just the kind of book I adore.” -Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep A heart-warming story about how friendship can grow between people of different generations." — BBC With it's uplifting message, the story is both poignant and also comical." Cosmopolitan (20 Book's You're Going to Want to Read this Summer)The answer I have, the only one I have,” he said, “is that you are dying because you are dying. Not because of God’s deciding to punish you and not because He is neglecting you, but simply because you are. It is a part of your story as much as you are.” Captivated by Margot’s long and storied life, Lenni concocts a creative scheme. They will make paintings of pivotal moments from their lives, one for each of their combined 100 years, as a way to chronicle their stories and transport themselves away from the reality of hospital beds and surgeries. As they paint, their creative body of work begins to surprise them, as well as their fellow artist patients and excited art teacher, Pippa. With the encouragement of hospital chaplain Father Arthur and a favorite nurse, Lenni and Margot press on through memories both painful and breathtaking. Sharp and funny, warm and wise, a remarkable friendship sparks two lifetimes of shared stories in one unforgettable book. I loved it.” -Jess Kidd, author of Himself 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 Delightfully funny and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margotreminds us of the preciousness of life as it considers the legacy we choose to leave, how we influence the lives of others even after we’re gone, and the wonder of a friendship that transcends time. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot: The Book Review

Sharp and funny, warm and wise, a remarkable friendship sparks two lifetimes of shared stories in one unforgettable book. I loved it.”— Jess Kidd, author of Himself

I loved the way Marianne Cronin weaved the memories of Lennie and Margot throughout the book. I laughed and cried in equal measures. This is a book where the two main characters are both terminally ill. They will both die. You’ll fall in love with them anyway. I’m typing this review with swollen eyes, as I finished this book last night before bed. Even though it was a tearjerker, I’d read it again. Nothing about The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot worked for me. The premise sounds incredible: Lenni and Margot have a combined age of 100 years. They will each paint one picture for every year that they have been alive. If you were going to paint memories from all the years of your life – which moment or memory would you paint first?

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. I started this book with zero expectations. I didn't know what story I was reading or what this book was about but I can tell you that it has been one of the best books I have read in my life.I loved Lenni. She's so smart, so perceptive, so alive, and so grown up. One of her best friends is Father Arthur and he is just as important to her as Margot. She pushes him for answers and won't take trite platitudes from him...she forces him to admit he doesn't know, that he doesn't have answers to her very important questions. 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.