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

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There are some words in the Lord’s Prayer that I don’t know. But I do know the word art. It’s a necessary inclusion, I think. We should all be artists. Especially if God is doing art in heaven; we should follow his example.” The book contain stories both by Lenni and Margot about their lives which they tell each other. Both have a positive outlook despite being terminal. Lenni shares her quirky views on people and life. Have you ever wanted to begin a book over again right after you finished it? That's me with this book...

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.

A beautiful, tender ode to friendship, love and our chosen legacies." — Washington Post (Best Feel-Good Books of 2021) The Temp plays an important role because she wants to open an Art Room for the patients, and this is where Lenni meets 83-year-old Margot. I think the same is true of dying. We can’t know why you are dying in the same way that we can’t know why you are living. Living and dying are both complete mysteries, and you can’t know either until you have done both.” 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!

What do you think happens to Margot after the end of the book? Do you think she makes it to Vietnam to see Meena again? Graceful, intelligent, beautiful writing. Full of wisdom and kindness. It is just the kind of book I adore.” -Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep Seventeen-year-old LenniPetterssonlives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Though the teenager has been told she’s dying, she still has plenty of living to do. Joining the hospital’s arts and crafts class, she meets the magnificent Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined. When Lenni meets Margot, their connection is immediate, unique, and their new and unlikely friendship is born. During art class Lenni and Margo discover their combined age's equal one-hundred-years. They decide to celebrate their discovery by painting a picture for each year they have lived.Life is short. No-one knows that better than seventeen year old Lenni living on the terminal ward. But as she is about to learn, it's not only what you make of life that matters, but who you share it with. I’m thankful for my early reviewer friends who loved this book, as it wasn’t really on my radar. Meaningful and wonderfully written books aren’t easy to find!! This debut novel by Ms.Cronin is extraordinary. The part I didn't understand and that made me maddest was Lenni's dad. How could he. How dare he. What daddy would ever think about leaving. Then there was The Temp. I liked her also. She went through a few things in this book but she ended up ok. There are a few other characters you will meet. Some you will love and some you probably won't like at all. A heart-warming story about how friendship can grow between people of different generations." Rebecca Thomas According to the publisher, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is being adapted into a feature film by a major Hollywood studio, which I could see being quite good – the scenes in the book would lend themselves quite easily to a visual medium.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Doubleday, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. When she meets 83-year-old Margot, a fellow patient offering new friendship and enviable artistic skills, Lenni's life begins to soar in ways she'd never imagined. As their bond deepens, a world of stories opens up: of wartime love and loss, of misunderstanding and reconciliation, of courage, kindness and joy. Stories that have led them to the end of their days....” We have practiced for death every night. Lying down in the dark and slipping into that place of nothingness between rest and dreams where we have no consciousness, no self, and anything could befall our vulnerable bodies. We have died each night. Or at least, we have laid down to die, and let go of everything in this world, hoping for dreams and morning.”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. Margot, age 83, has a serious heart condition. She had one surgery and is staying in the hospital until she is strong enough for a second surgery. Margot is a talented artist, so when the new Rose Room art studio opens in the hospital, she is one of the first to sign up for the over 80 class. She is very surprised when the young Lenni confidently marches into this octogenarian class and makes herself at home. When Lenni realizes that she and Margot have been alive a combined 100 years, they embark on a journey to make 100 paintings to celebrate their lives. Lenni also befriends the priest at the hospital and I loved their interactions. She has some hilarious questions and challenging conversations for him. I love how she wants to start a marketing campaign to drum up more business for him. Such a delight! I fell head over heels for Lenni and Margot, their wit and vibrancy and marvellous outlooks on life. An utter joy' ABBIE GREAVES A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

She looked up from her drawing and stared at me for the briefest of moments, letting me come into focus. Then, with recognition and delight, said, 'It's you!' This is a book where the two main characters are both terminally ill. They will both die. You’ll fall in love with them anyway. I’m typing this review with swollen eyes, as I finished this book last night before bed. Even though it was a tearjerker, I’d read it again.Lenni is a teenager with a terminal illness. She’s living in the hospital where she meets Margot, who is in her 80s and also at the hospital awaiting surgery. They each share their life stories - full and beautiful life stories. As they share, their friendship grows. Your heart is beating and your eyes are seeing and your ears are hearing. You’re sitting in this room completely alive. And so you’re not dying. You’re living.” So we find out about Lenni’s first and only kiss, and when it might be appropriate to kiss someone. We hear stories from Margot’s life, including her life-long relationship with anti-vivisection campaigner Meena, her first marriage to Johnny and her much later second marriage to Humphrey.

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