What a beautiful but poignant book. This book melted me on so many levels and I just loved it. There is something about young people and elderly people sharing their stories with each other. These two went a step further and wanted to share collective memories of 100 years combined.

The cover of this book says a good amount about the contents. Between the two of them, Lenni and Margot have lived 100 years. They decide to begin a joint art project depicting stories from their lives in 100 painted pictures. Margot has more artistic ability, but Lenni is there to listen to her stories and share those of her own life. Some of my favorite bits were Lenni's conversations with Father Arthur, the hospital chaplain. I would not personally consult him for theological advice, but he was a comfort to both Lenni and Margot. Hand this one to fans of Frederick Backman and Elizabeth Berg.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is going to be one of my favorites this year! Such a special debut from this author.

There’s few characters as lovable as Lenni - vibrant, hilarious & challenging to everyone she meets. Dying at the age of 17, she reminds everyone around her that they need to make the most of being alive.

The magic do this story comes from Lenni’s unlikely friendship with the 83 year old Margot, who she ends up having more in common with than those her own age. If you have ever had a special relationship with someone older, you’ll attach to these two.

This story is a reminder to make the most of the time you have & to do the things you say you want to do before it’s too late. Highly recommend!

You’ll love this one if you enjoyed: Eudora Honeysett, A Man Called Ove

A huge thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this beautiful story by Marianne Cronin, hitting shelves June 1st!

CW: terminal illness, medical content, death, death of a child

Oh my this book. Wow. The way Marianne Cronin takes us on a journey of one hundred years of life, between 17 year old Lenni and 83 year old Margot, broke and healed my poor heart in matter of 2 days. I could not put this book down.

I really liked the format of this book. Told through the perspective of Lenni and Margot, we get their life stories. Margot’s story is told with much detail and we follow her along the adventure of her life. On the other hand, Lenni picks and chooses the pieces of her past she lets us in on. Cronin switches between the two personalities beautifully and seamlessly. Lenni Pettersson is going to the top of the list of favorite characters of 2021. I loved her personality and her ability to ask questions and not settle until she’s told the truth.

While the story is centered around Lenni and Margot, the supporting characters add such a wonderful sense of chosen family to this book. Father Arthur, New Nurse, Pippa. They all blend together to form such a wonderful cast of characters.

The way Cronin is able to trickle in characters for them to come back later in the story even more connected to the heart of it reminds me of the way Fredrik Backman does the same thing.

Adding this book to my list of books that made me sob in the best way. Add this to your pre-orders and library hold lists! It’s not one that you’ll want to miss!

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin 

Seventeen year old Lenni is never going to leave the hospital alive. She has a terminal illness and is on her last legs, fighting not to let go of all that she is, despite the drugs and the ravages of the disease on her body and mind. Lenni is alive and she wants to live, even if living has to be done in a hospital, with it's rule, restrictions, and overworked and uninterested nurses (I'm looking at you, Jackie). But Lenni has friends, people who love the light she brings into their lives. 

Eighty three year old Margot is at the same hospital due to heart problems that required surgery and will require more surgery. Lenni and Margot first catch sight of each other as Margot is trying to fish something out of a recycling bin and Lenni distracts the porter and nurse so that Margot can accomplish her rescue effort. Later Lenni gets herself enrolled in the art class for eighty years and up so that she can spend time with Margot. Margot and Lenni decide to record their combined 100 years of life with their artwork. Margot is a talented artist and for her 83 years of life Lenni records the stories that Margot tells with each picture she creates. Lenni's artwork is not of the same artistic talent but I would love to have gotten to see the pictures she made of her 17 years. 

This story is so full of life and a lot of the story relates to Margot's journey, a story of a beloved father devastated by war, a young marriage torn apart by the heartache of loss, an unrequited love, another deep and shared love of 30 years, and more. Through Margot's pictures and stories, Lenni is able to live a life she will never have but she also allows Margot to reflect on what has passed and what she wants to do, if she survives her next surgery. 

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. 

Despite the fact that this story made me cry, I'm so glad that I read it. I was sad that Lenni had to be the adult at the end, when it came to her and her father. I was sad when Lenni would talk of telling her grandchildren about this or that, as if she had that kind of future. I was sad for what would never be for Lenni. But this story made me happy, too. It celebrates the good in people and how they make life worth living. 

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for this ARC.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lenni is 17, and she is living a very full life in the midst of dying. Margot is 83 and has lived a very interesting life. The two form a bond and create something that will outlive them both.

I love this novel.

Oh, this book was so beautiful and heartbreaking. I finished it in one sitting. The voice was that good. Easily one of my favorites this year.

Lenni is 17 years old and Margot is 83 years old when they meet in Art Therapy class at Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. As their relationship grows with their drawing and their storytelling, Lenni announces that together they are 100 years old. Then the two of them have a goal of 100 drawings and stories which soon involves others in their over 80 art class.
Well written, enticing, interesting, thought provoking story of Lenni and Margot and their relationships to Father Arthur, New Nurse, The Temp, Hospital Time, Pippa, and others. This would be a wonderful book club selection. for multi-generational groups
This is Marianne Cronin's debut novel.

This story is a little bit heartbreaking and a little bit wonderful. I definitely had tears tolling down my cheeks, where the kids would say, "mom why do you read a book that makes you feel that way", and I say, that's exactly why I read, to feel something. To feel compassion, to revisit grief that never disappears, to help you continue to heal, but also to remind you how blessed we are to be living. Any book that can do all that is pure magic.

As Dolly Parton once said, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” That’s what you get with The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. I laughed. I cried. My heart soared, and then my heart ached – and then it soared again.

The characters in this sweet story are so endearing, and you can’t help but love them. At its heart, this is a story about living – really living – and the joy of unlikely friendships.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This will be in stores on June 1, and you’re going to want to grab your own copy.

This was my first NetGalley read. It was a bit overwhelming to choose the first one, but the description and lovely cover caught my eye. What is beyond the cover, though, was even better! This book is beautifully written. I loved Lenni and her snarkiness, the relationship with Margot and Father Arthur and the other characters at the hospital and how all of their lives intertwined. I also enjoyed the non-linear storytelling as each character flashed back to share stories from their earlier lives. I highly recommend this book and have already requested that my library purchase it!

This is the story of 17-year old Lenni, a sprited 17-year-old with a "life-limiting" condition and Margot, an 83-year-old woman who meet in the hospital and have a profound impact on each others' lives. They embark upon a project to document their 100 combined years through art and stories. It is a creative way to tell the stories of these characters' lives. Despite the sadness that comes with terminal illness, this is a heart-warming and often humorous book that I did not want to put down.

What a beautiful story! I almost didn't pick this one up, but after reading a teaser in the Buzz Books preview, I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did!

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin tells the tale of 17 year old Lenni and 83 year old Margot, who have lived a total of 100 years. In their hospital art class, they form a bond and proceed to create 100 paintings to tell 100 stories of their lives. We learn at the beginning of the book that Lenni is terminal, or as she describes, waiting for her flight at the airport. Throughout the book, we hear their stories in short vignettes interspersed with their current situation. Margot is awaiting heart surgery as Lenni's health continues to decline.

The characters are what make this book so special. Lenni is funny and sarcastic, while Margot is supportive and a bit rebellious. The relationship between Lenni and Father Arthur, the hospital chaplain is one of the most poignant aspects of the book. As she continues to challenge him with her questions, he responds with nothing but kindness and warmth.

This book will stick with me for a long time. Heartwarming, sad and beautiful, readers will need to keep the tissues handy.

Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book, especially the characters and their relationships. It speaks to friendships and making the most of the days allotted to us. Thank you to the author for this heartbreaking yet uplifting book and addressing the solace in palliative care.

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is a tour de force of language and characterization. This is what makes fiction the transcendent experience that it is. We can never really know people in real life the way we can in fiction. People rarely speak in perfect nuggets of humor and clarity of description, even in their thoughts. Yet this is what Marianne Cronin in her debut novel gives us as she lets us become friends of Lenni and Margot, Father Arthur, Meena and New Nurse. Death is ever-present in the lives of these people. How they deal with it provides comfort in these times of mind-numbing death. I suggest for book discussions that everyone record their favorite paragraphs to share with the group. Recommend this to readers of The Man Called One, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and other poignant favorites. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the pre-pub ebook of this.

I loved this book from beginning to end. Just from the description, I knew this book would hit me in the feels - and it did not disappoint! It instantly made me emotional and extremely attached to the characters. Everyone around Lenni really brought this story together. I enjoyed the flashbacks, and how they tied in with the paintings for each of their years. What an excellent meditation on friendship and life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this early!

Marianne Cronin has just come out with a new book titled The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. The book addresses a simple yet complex aspect- the end stage of life. Written with the utmost tenderness and subtle humor, this book is brilliant in a way, that it unwraps the fact that the extraordinary gift for each of us is life! It is a tale of friendship and love- something that each one of us needs the most at this moment in this world.

Review
The narrative is put forth in the form of flashbacks of Lenni and Margot’s lives, as well as, the present day at the terminal ward of the hospital. This did come across as a bit confusing to me. But of course, it is more a personal opinion where the switch over across timelines gets on to me. The friendship depicted between the two is beautifully portrayed and if you are the kinds who love to read about the emotions behind relationships, then you sure need to go and get yourself a copy. I caught myself muddled up in all the emotional sections and didn’t want it to end when it finally did.

Also

17-year-old Lenni is bright, inquisitive, and has an interesting way of looking at the world. She wants to enjoy every minute of life, because she knows her days are numbered – she resides at a hospital in Glasgow, on the ward for terminally ill youth. A chance encounter leads her to forming a friendship with 83-year-old Margot, another patient in the hospital. The book is told in a series of short vignettes, taking place both in the hospital and in scenes from Lenni and Margot’s lives, each representing one of the hundred years they have been alive. It’s a story about Margot’s life, and Lenni’s life - and most of all, it’s a book about love in all its many forms.

The writing is just gorgeous, and the characters are vivid and loveable. The best, most beautifully crafted part of the book is the relationships between characters – between Lenni and Margot, Lenni and Father Arthur, Lenni and the nurses, Lenni and her father, and in flashback, between Margot and her many lost loves. I love an “unexpected friendship” story, almost as much as I love a “found family” story, and this book has plenty of both. It’s one of those books that manages to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, and it’s simply beautiful.

Loved this story! What an interesting viewpoint to use for the narrative. The two characters are so lovable and interesting. I really enjoyed this title and cannot wait to hand sell it in the store. If you are looking for a bookclub book, look no further this is the book you are looking for. The author takes the stories of two women both terminally ill and managed to make you laugh out loud and cry one chapter after another.

This book made me feel all sorts of things - both good and bad!! A definite good exploration of friendships and relationships in general.