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

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Lenni is an inquisitive and funny 17-year-old girl. She is also terminally ill. The Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital is now her home. When she meets Margot, a gravely ill, 83-year-old fellow patient, they form a close bond. Lenni is intrigued by the fact that their combined ages total 100 years. Together in their art therapy class, they decide to create 100 paintings to document each year of their lives. Through the details behind each of the paintings, we learn their stories.

This multi-generational novel about friendship is something special: moving, joyful, and life-affirming.”— Good Housekeeping, UK (Book of the Month) Lenni Pettersson is terminally ill and perceptive in the way of 17-year-olds who've experienced more trauma than most people their age. She meets 83-year-old Margot Macrae in a memorable first encounter that turns comically conspiratorial: Lenni covers for Margot while Margot’s engaged in pulling something out of a large hospital rubbish bin. They’re both alone in the hospital, and each woman soon realizes that she’s found a kindred spirit. The “assignment” for the project is to paint a memory, through which we learn the brief tale of Lenni’s life, along with the complicated, and fascinating, past of our elderly heroine Margot. Lenni, of course, as we easily predict she will, dies before the end of the novel. Artistic and talented eighty-three-year-old Margot Macrae is in the same hospital with severe heart problems and awaiting a second surgery. Margot is full of living, wisdom and generosity! Sharp and funny, warm and wise, a remarkable friendship sparks two lifetimes of shared stories in one unforgettable book. I loved it. Jess KiddOk…. one more thing: and not the books fault — but I’ve read a few books recently that I soooo passionately loved, [“The Paper Palace”, and a few others], that I find myself still wishing for that ‘gut-exciting’ rush-read.

Lenni is seventeen, terminally ill, motherless, and although her father visits her, albeit infrequently, his visits just make it harder on her. He’s miserable when he visits, watching her and knowing there is nothing he can do to prevent her from dying, and she isn’t up to the burden of cheering him up, so she tells him not to visit again. 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.

I loved this comment by Margot “Into a room full of octogenarians she strode, with a confidence beyond her years. She was fierce, thin, with that bright blond hair of Nordic children. She had a face full of mischief and a pair of pink pajamas”. Margot and Lenni start to draw, paint and tell stories about the years of their lives. I shuffled in, feeling the eyes of the room on me and my pink pyjamas. I should have gone for my Sunday best slippers. Cronin’s touching debut is a joyous celebration of friendship, love, and life." — Publishers Weekly Lenni and Margot’s story definitely made me cry a few times, and the journey was worth every tear. This book isn’t just about Lenni’s terminal illness. It’s about the depth of friendship and love, overcoming immense grief, and the beauty in humanity. 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?!