"This truly beautiful feel-good novel champions friendship as 17 and 83 year-olds Lenni and Margot meet in hospital."
The One Hundred years of Lenni and Margot is so special, it’s gentle yet pointed and warmly amusing as it highlights life within sight and touching distance of death. To celebrate their joint 100 years, 17 year-old Lenni and 83 year-old Margot paint their life stories while in hospital. Singing of friendship, love, and family, we discover how they can all be found in the most unexpected of places. This is Marianne Cronin’s debut novel, and I’ve added her to my list of authors to look out for. While Lenni and Margot are the stars, the other characters add essential energy. She brings these characters to vibrant life with a few perfectly chosen words. The smallest of details matter, in fact are vital. This book is so visual, slipping backwards and forwards in time, snapshots of the years appeared like magic to paint their own picture in my mind. The pages dance with joy and hope, while being realistic about death. I laughed and I cried, yes this novel is emotional, yet it also delivers the most heart-warming hug too. A well-deserved LoveReading Star Book, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot comes with a 'must-read' label of recommendation from me.
| Primary Genre | General Fiction |
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Sometimes there’s a line in a book with which you know it’s something special, an epic book which will live with you forever. This is one of those books. Poignant, funny, observant and truly, truly amazing. You need to read it, right now.
Please be warned, I’m not going to recount the story of Lennie and Margot in this review, I’m not going to explain the plotline of the book or describe the characters, I’m simply going to rave about how totally and utterly fantastic it is. Sometimes there’s a line in a book, a paragraph even, with which you know it’s something special, an epic book which will live with you forever. This is one of those books. There are so many beautiful scenes you will want to tell people about, so many charming quotes you’ll remember. Words fail me, they really do. Even those that made it through the tears don’t do it justice. Stunning, extraordinary, simply marvellous, they all promise greatness and they all fall spectacularly short.... Read Full Review
A lovely book. If you only read one book this year it should be this one.
After reading all the rave reviews for this book I was expecting a lot and I wasn't disappointed. A lovely book. As a lady very close to Margot's age it made me look back on my life and realise how very lucky I am to have reached this age so far healthy. So it was thought provoking, funny and sad.... Read Full Review
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin is a brilliant debut novel telling the story of a teenager and a lady in her eighties who become firm friends.
The story tells of an unusual friendship that develops between a girl of seventeen, Lenni, and a lady in her eighties, Margot. Based in a hospital with both of them knowing their illnesses are terminal the two of them become involved in a close friendship. As the story progresses they realise between them they have lived one hundred years so decided to celebtate this by painting one hundred pictures to represent their lives.... Read Full Review
