The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot: A Novel

4.5 out of 5

16,323 global ratings

**“A beautiful debut, funny, tender, and animated by a willingness to confront life’s obstacles and find a way to survive. . . . It celebrates friendship, finds meaning in difficulty and lets the reader explore dark places while always allowing for the possibility of light. Lenni and Margot are fine companions for all our springtime journeys.”—Harper’s Bazaar, UK **

A charming, fiercely alive and disarmingly funny debut novel in the vein of John Green, Rachel Joyce, and Jojo Moyes—a brave testament to the power of living each day to the fullest, a tribute to the stories that we live, and a reminder of our unlimited capacity for friendship and love.

An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories.

Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives 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.

As their friendship blooms, a world of stories opens for these unlikely companions who, between them, have been alive for one hundred years. Though their days are dwindling, both are determined to leave their mark on the world. With the help of Lenni’s doting palliative care nurse and Father Arthur, the hospital’s patient chaplain, Lenni and Margot devise a plan to create one hundred paintings showcasing the stories of the century they have lived—stories of love and loss, of courage and kindness, of unexpected tenderness and pure joy.

Though the end is near, life isn’t quite done with these unforgettable women just yet.

Delightfully funny and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot reminds us of the preciousness of life as it considers the legacy we choose to leave, how we influence the lives of others even after we’re gone, and the wonder of a friendship that transcends time.

From the beautiful cover to the heart-warming story, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is a book that will touch your soul and make you appreciate the beauty of life. This literary fiction novel is one of the best books of all time, and it's perfect for anyone who loves novels about love, grief, and friendship.

352 pages,

Kindle

Audiobook

Hardcover

Paperback

Audio CD

First published May 31, 2021

ISBN 9780063017504


About the authors

Marianne Cronin

Marianne Cronin

Hello, I’m Marianne Cronin, author of 'The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot'. Welcome to my Amazon Author page!

My second novel, 'Eddie Winston is Looking for Love' will be released in 2024 and I can't wait to share Eddie's story with you.

When I’m not writing, I can be found trying to be funny in various improv groups and taking way too many photos of my cat, Puffin.

You can find me and Puffin on Instagram at: @itsmariannecronin

Read more


Reviews

Julie Jensen

Julie Jensen

5

A delightful book

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024

Verified Purchase

A charming book about life, love, illness, death, but mostly about friendship. Across the people and their wonderful stories is the secret to what makes life special, true friends!

Donna

Donna

5

Breathe taking

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2024

Verified Purchase

It takes your breath away to read it all the way through. But you do. You can’t stop reading it. And then you’ve finished it, and you wait for your heart to stop breaking. A beautiful love story.

Jayne and Matt

Jayne and Matt

5

beautiful funny and filled with. I cherish having read this book

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024

Verified Purchase

What a wonderful read. I loved The One Hundred Years of Lennie and Margot. I loved what this simple heartfelt funny book said about love and friendship no matter who you love

Humor Me

Humor Me

5

Touching, funny and sad

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2024

Verified Purchase

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The story of Lenni & Margot is filled with touching experiences that made me laugh and cry. Lenni as the primary character sees and lives life through a unique perspective. Margot is the unlikely but perfect companion to Lenni. I wish I could meet both Lenni & Margot in real life. I don’t want to give away any of the plot and ruin it for future readers. All I can say is read it!

Read more

Jenna B

Jenna B

5

A heartfelt story about life, friendship, love and mortality

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2024

Verified Purchase

Seventeen year old Lenni and 83 year old Margot, both terminally ill, develop the sweetest friendship filled with tenderness, life stories, laughter and love.

Lennie also develops a close friendship with Father Arthur and some of their conversations regarding religion and the ‘dresses’ Father Arthur wears and eating lunch on the alter had me chuckling out loud!

Even though the theme of the book revolves around illness and mortality, it is filled with moments of joy, star gazing, and the many types of love interspersed with light hearted conversations and laughter.

This book and it’s wonderful characters and all the emotions will stay with me a long time. I highly recommended it!

Read more

JS mugsy

JS mugsy

5

great read

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2024

Verified Purchase

Really makes me think. Certainly changes my perspective on dying and what it truly means to never give up. Thank you.

Mary Westheimer

Mary Westheimer

5

I laughed; I wept

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2024

Verified Purchase

What a remarkable story about such remarkable people. Lenni is a treasure and an inspiration, one of the most alive people i have ever "met." Each of the characters is real enough to touch. God knows they touched me.

Amazon Customer

Amazon Customer

4

sad

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2024

Verified Purchase

All my worst fears are here. Dying alone, being an orphan, no friends close enough to care. Guess I need a priest.

Hannah

Hannah

4

okay?

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024

Verified Purchase

This was so promising and there were some things that I just adored from it. And so ucb else that just felt flat. The characters were both very real, and also, not real enough to me. Normally a book like this would have me sobbing. But this one I just read through page by page with a sort of musing expression on my face. That’s all I could do.

I wish I knew what was missing, because the premise is great, but something about this just fell short of the mark.

Read more

Saffy

Saffy

3

Heavy, though not without humor.

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

I love senior citizens and the premise of a teenager and a senior becoming besties was a big draw for me. But the fact that they are both confined to a hospital and terminal makes the story very heavy, even with the noteable giggles throughout. However, it speaks to the quality of writing that I made it till the end because at times it felt like a challenge to stay with it. I usually only read at night before going to sleep and a lot of this story had some deep emotional crap happening that didn't make for the best bedtime story. The only way I'd recommend this book is if you enjoy tearjerkers. I don't.

Read more

5 people found this helpful