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Fiction. Literature. HTML: "A beautiful debut, funny, tender, and animated by a willingness to confront life's obstacles and find a way to survive. . . . It celebrates friendship, finds meaning in difficulty and lets the reader explore dark places while always allowing for the possibility of light. Lenni and Margot are fine companions for all our springtime journeys."�??Harper's Bazaar, UK A charming, fiercely alive and disarmingly funny debut novel in the vein of John Green, Rachel Joyce, and Jojo Moyes�??a brave testament to the power of living each day to the fullest, a tribute to the stories that we live, and a reminder of our unlimited capacity for friendship and love. An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories. 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, she meets the magnificent Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined. 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. Though the end is near, life isn't quite done with these unforgettable women just yet. Delightfully funny and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot reminds 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 t… (more)
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Lenni is a long term patient at a hospital in Glasgow. She is at the end of her short life of 17 years. She's quirky and brave and outspoken. She wants to do as much living as she can during her final days. When a new art program is started at the hospital, she asks to be in the group of elderly patients and she immediately bonds with Margo. Margo is 83 and in the hospital to have an operation on her heart. Lenni decides and Margo quickly agrees that their combined age is 100 and that they should do 100 paintings that depict things the happened in their lives. Through Lenni's paintings we learn about her childhood, her absent mother and her father who couldn't bear to be near her as she was dying. Through Margo's paintings we find out about her early marriage, her long-term friendship and her love of the stars that she learned from her last husband.
As they share their stories, their friendship with each other grows until they totally depend on each other. They become more of a family than either of them have ever had and as Lenni's life if dwindling away, Margot is the person that she depends on most.
Yes, it's sad to read a book about someone dying who hasn't really had a chance to live but this book is so much more. It's about love and friendship, grief and joy, death and spiritual awakening. You will probably shed some tears when you read this book but at the end you'll remember Lenni and Margot for the way they lived their lives and the wonderful friendship that they shared.
I loved the colors, flowers and stars on the cover of Marianne Cronin's debut novel, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot.
Seventeen year old Lenni and eighty three year old
I liked the story telling method that Cronin chose for her novel. Lenni and Margot decide to share their lives, told in stories and paintings - all in a run up to their 'one hundredth birthday' - a combination of their ages. The point of view is back and forth between the two, both past and present.
Lenni is the first character we meet and I have to say that after the first few chapters, I wasn't quite sure that I would enjoy this book. I found Lenni's actions, inner dialogue and outward questions to be that of a much younger person. She makes friends with the hospital pastor (who was a great, kind patient character) and asks questions such as 'why can't he wear his dress (vestments) to garden in'. I'm not sure if Cronin was aiming for precocious, but I found her to be a bit annoying. And I felt bad about it, as we know she is dying. My opinion did warm up as the book progressed and we come to know her past, her hopes and fears more intimately.
But.....I have to say that I loved Margot! Perhaps because I am closer in age to her and can relate easier to her. Her life story is fascinating as we watch her grow, change and embrace what life throws at her. That's not to say there isn't heartbreak in her life, but she seems to makes it a part of herself and moves on. I couldn't wait for her next chapter.
There are a number of 'good' characters that are positive and populate Lenni's world, but there's also a'Nurse Ratched'. I had a difficult time believing this awful character's actions and attitude.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot gives us two different perspectives on life. One barely begun and one reaching towards the end. Each has heart warming and heart breaking bits. Cronin's tale will leave you wondering what your own story might be.....
I chose to listen to The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. I often feel closer to and more engaged with a book when I listen. The readers were Sheila Reid and Rebecca Benson. I thought I recognized Reid's voice from a television show as I listened and was proven right once I went looking. She's got a lovely gravelly tone to her voice that connotes an older character, along with a Scottish accent. She's got a measured pace of speaking that added to the mental image I had created for Margot. She easily makes the character come alive, interpreting and presenting Cronin's work well. The voice that Benson provided for Lenni sounds young and suits the character. Her voice is clear and easy to understand. What I wasn't as keen on on was the speed of her narrating and the longish pauses. She also did the voice for Father Arthur and it felt warm, suiting the character.
Film rights have already been sold.
It begins in a hospital with Lenni, a 17-year old terminally ill patient. Lenni has chats with Father Arthur, the
Such a beautiful book!
“Living and dying are both complete mysteries, and you can’t know either until you have done both.”
I was initially disappointed with this story as I didn’t click with Lenni and thought I’d struggle to continue. I found her to be rather immature
Margot however was just my type of woman. She was clever, funny and a force to be reckoned with. Everything I aim to be at 83! I often pictured her as Lily Tomlin from Grace & Frankie, the type of women who knows that life is too short to hold-back and hide.
Whilst the ending is all too obvious from the bio, this isn’t a story purely about death and loss. It also has lots of love, friendship, laughter and life. I just hope that when my time comes I am able to look back with such perspective and know that I lived the life that I was meant to live.
Lenni is 17, Margot is 83. Between them they have 100 years of memories. They meet in hospital where Lenni is on the May Ward (everybody knows that is not a good place to be) and Margot is on a neighbouring ward. An unusual meeting becomes an unlikely, yet beautiful, friendship and after joining the hospital's art therapy class they decide to paint a picture for every year of their lives.
What this leads to is the sharing of their personal stories, with each other and with the reader. Inevitably Margot has the most stories to tell but Lenni also has her fair share. Some stories are uplifting, some are heartbreaking, but each helps to build up the overall picture. I thought the author did some very clever weaving, bringing some strands full circle in ways I didn't expect, and her expert storytelling made each one completely breath-taking.
The two main characters are simply stunning creations. I started the book laughing out loud at Lenni's dry humour, particular with the hospital priest, Father Arthur, and ended it crying. But for all that it's Lenni's and Margot's stories that are the focus, each and every supporting character has their place, and is just as much a part of what makes this such an amazing read. This is exactly my kind of book, character led with dips into the past drip-feeding the story to me.
Why is it that the books that I love the most are the hardest to write about? Is it because I know that nothing I say can ever do them justice? I simply cannot put into words how much I loved this book and what an impact it made on me. It's a wonderful story of lives lived, however long they might be, and shows how everything that you experience, good or bad, makes you who you are. It is a tender exploration of friendship and love in all their different forms, beautifully written by Marianne Cronin, with characters who will stay with me. It really doesn't get any better than this.
I can say this for the book: it is cute. But that isn't enough to grab me.
At the onset we are introduced to seventeen year old Lenni Pettersson, a terminally ill patient in the May Ward of Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. She is smart, spirited and curious inspite of her “life-limiting” illness and takes every opportunity to engage with people around her including the nurses who are in charge of her care, fellow patients and the hospital chaplain Father Arthur who is often rendered speechless in the face of Lenni’s questions on faith and life. Eighty three year old Margot Macrae is a patient with a heart condition in the same hospital recovering from major surgery. She and Lenni become friends in an art class taught by the kind and friendly Pippa organized in the Rose room of the hospital. Realizing that they have lived for one hundred years between themselves they decide to share those one hundred years of life experiences through art and stories. As they share their stories while creating art that would represent those stories, we get know intimate details of Margot’s and Lenni’s lives. Margot has lived an eventful life and her narrative is laced with wit and wisdom and a touch of regret. With her, Lenni gets to experience much more than she could have expected in her seventeen years. Lenni, a straight shooter and not one to mince words, motivates Margot to look beyond whatever is holding her back to enjoy her remaining life to the fullest. Lenni’s mother abandoned her years ago and her father’s palpable grief at Lenni’s prognosis prompted her to limit his painful visits. Her friendship with Margot and interactions with Father Arthur, New Nurse , Pippa, Paul , Sunny and even the not so likeable Nurse Jacky fill her days and give her a sense of ‘family’ in her final days.
While there are moments of extreme sorrow , loss and grief, the beautiful moments of camaraderie and friendship will have you smiling through your tears. With a wonderful cast of characters , thought provoking dialogue and an engaging narrative, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin is a moving and emotional story that will stay with me for a long time. The author’s skillful storytelling turns what could have been a morbid tale of imminent death into a heart touching celebration of life with wit, wisdom and humor.
“We can’t know why you are dying in the same way that we can’t know why you are living. Living and dying are both complete mysteries, and you can’t know either until you have done both.”
At first, I loved the Maeve Binchey-like quality of this story, told from the first-person perspectives of two main characters. Lenni and Margot are extremely likeable, and the plot certainly held my interest. I even felt empathy for Margot when she lost her son, because I
However, this wore off quickly.
In theory, books like this are beautiful, they talk
There were big parts of the novel describing Margot's life in some obscure moments that didn't really add much to the story, while I would have loved to see more conversations between Leni and Margot to add some depth to their relationship. Also, Lenni felt more like a younger child, not a 17-year-old.
The art project got tedious after a while and I lost interest. Pushed through to finish, but it wasn't that great. I think the parts that really stuck with me are the ones describing dealing with PTSD (Margot's dad) and Alzheimer's (Humphrey) that were described in a touching way.
Move over Owen Meany! After 32 years on top, you've been delegated to #2. Lenni & Margot have stolen my heart!!.
After struggling to give a "real" review, I've decided I can't give this masterpiece anywhere near the justice it
One moment I'm laughing, then sobbing; I'm thrilled, then devastated - sometimes on the same page!! Every chapter led me through deeper layers of emotions.
Bravo, #mariannecronin, Bravo.
An excellent story (or pair of stories,