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
16-10-2024
Remarkable piece of writing for a young author. Excellent portrayal of characters. Emotionally rewarding.
29-08-2024
"I cried at the end". Very moving and uplifting. Universally enjoyed although interestingly our book discussion wasn't as spirited as it usually is when we have varying opinions on a book.
29-08-2024
We all enjoyed this book - great characters, quirky, poignant and thought provoking. It had a mix of sub stories.
10-07-2024
7/9 of us really enjoyed this book ( other two not very enthusiastic), and enjoyed the characters and the different relationships. The concept of remembering each of the 100 years we loved - big discussions re end of life, dealing with other people's emotions, and the place of religion.
10-06-2024
We really enjoyed this book, albeit with tears at the end. The great characterisation and levels of friendship.
05-06-2024
Generated good discussion - several were brought to tears while reading the book. The fact that Margot had a long and full life compared to Lenni's. Whether we would have agreed to stay away from our dying child also raised interesting points. Everyone read the book and enjoyed it.
29-04-2024
We all adored this book. Beautifully written, confronting the issues of a very hard subject - terminal illness.
29-04-2024
Our favourite book from the past 12months. Funny, tender and very moving.
29-04-2024
Everybody loved this book, although a few took a while to really get into it. Lenni was particularly loved, for her feistiness and sense of humour in adverse circumstances. It was probably the book that generated the most discussion of all we have read.
11-01-2024
Most of our group thought it a lovely book to read. However, a few did not like it. The story was both funny and sad. Lexi's nurse and Arthur, the priest, were also important in this book. Some amusing incidents occurred around them. A good book to end the 2023 year with. Marianne Cronin has a wonderful way with words.
18-10-2023
All members of the group enjoyed this read. It was an easy journey through the lives of the two characters.
13-10-2023
Everyone read and loved this book. The characters were great; it was poignant, sad and funny. A great read.
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.