One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, The
Cronin, MarianneBetween the two of them, teenager Lenni Pettersson and octogenarian Margot Macrae have clocked up a hundred years of living. Patients of the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital, their days are numbered, but not their determination to stave off the boredom and restrictions of hospital care. Wrangling her way into a new art therapy programme, Lenni teams up with Margot in a project to create one hundred artworks to tell the story of their lives.
Revealed through the lives of its beautifully drawn characters, this tender and funny story is a celebration of friendship, loss and love.
This title is also offered as part of the Narrative Muse Book Club.
Pages
382
382
Year
2020
2020
Reviews
03-08-2023
We all loved this book, found it charming, sweet and poignant. It was beautifully balanced but a bit like an impressionist painting in some ways - not all so-called 'important' information was there but you realised it didn't matter eg. Lenni's diagnosis, and Lenni's history was sketchy, whereas we got a great picture of Margot and her development through life. An ideal book club book - although you wouldn't want them all like this, you'd look for more bite from some books occasionally. Very insightful for such a young author.
03-07-2023
Most of the group enjoyed the book but didn't "rave" over it. Two really did not like it, but two or three loved it and thought it explored the characters and their situations very well.
12-06-2023
Everyone enjoyed this book even though some struggled with topic, tissues required. Characters & the topic very well written. The relationship between Arthur & Lenni was was a high point for everyone. We all appreciated the fact that the book didnt dwell on the actual illnesses and treatments and concentrated on L & Ms lives and the characters that crossed their paths. The idea that a parent would agree to stop seeing their child under any circumstances jarred but decided it perhaps was more for the story line than realism. Likewise most commented on the lack of information on Lennis mum.
08-05-2023
Most loved this book. Even though it had a sad theme it was uplifting. We thought the writing was amazing. It was a story about friendship, love and connection.
26-04-2023
The group loved the book. The concept of the story was brilliant and book was well-written, keeping us all interested right to the end. This book was about living right up to the end although death was imminent. It was a good read provoking the group to think about death and what living was all about - relationships and connections with people.
17-03-2023
This was a heartwarming story with a touch of humour although it dealt with some very sad life experiences. Characters and relationships were well drawn and the majority of the characters were likeable. Our book club were unanimous in enjoying the book, and the concept of 100 years was an effective driver of the story.
03-03-2023
Our group all loved this book. Wonderfully written and a heartfelt story.
08-11-2022
Our group loved this book. A young author, first novel - it was thoroughly enjoyable and deceivably complex. The characters were well developed and believable.
27-06-2022
We all enjoyed this book.