A review by bookmarkonthewall
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Life is short. No one knows that better than Lenni who is 17 years old and lives on the terminal ward. However, Lenni has so much life to live still and so many questions about living and dying and her fate. On this journey, she develops an unlikely friendship with another patient, Margot, who is 83 years old. Together, they make up 100 years.

To celebrate a century of living, Lenni and Margot decide to paint a picture for every year they have been alive. ’𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨.’

💭I read the first couple of chapters of this book and I was already in love with Lenni and Margot, and the characters and stories to come 🥰 The beautiful bond and friendship that exists between these two main protagonists is wonderful to be a part of; both at completely different stages of their lives but they find commonality through their stories, and they both learn so much from each other.

This book is tinged with sadness throughout but the focus is not on endings and death, but about living and feeling alive. And this book comes alive with the stories past and present that are interwoven in each chapter. Little details and observations matter in this book like the experience of raisins bursting in Lenni’s mouth to New Nurse’s pink socks with cupcakes on them. You can’t help but smile and feel charmed by this book.

I also found this book asking those big philosophical questions about life and death, and the interplay with religion, which adds a lot of wisdom and reflection to the book too. While Lenni and Margot is the central friendship, it is not the only connection that we discover. It’s a beautiful journey to find Lenni surrounded by so many kind, wonderful and unlikely friends. 

⚖️A vivid and endearing book which is bursting with stories, lovable characters and magic. Highly recommend stepping into this wonderful world of #LenniAndMargot

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Minor: Child death