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.

Lenni is 17 years old, she is dying. Margot is 83 years old, she is awaiting heart surgery. These two normally would not have had occasion to meet each other. However because of their health status, both find themselves occupants of the “May Ward” of the “Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital.”

As you will quickly find out, these two bond over a project that they envision. There is a new art therapy room, The Rose Room, which has just opened. It is Lenni who comments that between the two of them they have lived 100 years.

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.

Lenni will tell us about her first kiss, her alcoholic mother, the father who ultimately leaves her.

Margot will tell us about her first love, her marriage to a wonderful man, Humphrey, and the chickens they treated as their own children! Humphrey was also an astronomer and Margot learned to love the clear country sky.

Margot loves gazing at the stars and on a cold clear night, Margot leads Lenni outside the hospital doors and into a quiet area. There they gaze at the millions of stars. When telling Lenni that the stars “that we see the clearest are already dead” Lenni states “Well that’s depressing”. “No, she said gently, it’s not depressing, it’s beautiful. They’ve been gone for who knows how long, but we can still see them. They live on”.

There are other characters that are also wonderfully described, the New Nurse, who befriends Lenni, sits on her bed and chats as though they are old friends.

Father Arthur, the hospital chaplain, is a kind, thoughtful soul. He struggles at times to answer all of Lenni’s questions with honesty and often finds that he is still searching for answers himself.

There were many times that I laughed out loud and times when I felt really sad. I felt such anger also that Lenni, this lovely, witty, wonderful young woman got so few years to live. I was so glad that her last months were lived as well as they could be, surrounded by new friends and loved by many!

This novel is set to publish on June 1, 2021.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

Will post to Amazon upon publication.

Do you ever read the description of a book and think, ‘Oh, this book will absolutely destroy me emotionally! I must start reading it immediately!’ because that’s what happened here. Right from the first page, this book grabs you by the shirt collar and drags you bodily along through Lenni and Margot’s combined 100 years and the full gauntlet of human emotions that accompany them. Are you in the mood for a good laugh-cry? Read this book.

This book took a little bit of time for me to get into, but once I started hearing their stories, I was into it. I especially enjoyed Margot's stories, which of course a bit more of historical fiction aspect to them . I liked Lennie's chats wtih the hospital priest as well. This was a heartbreaking story, but it made me laugh, as well as cry, at times.

I adore the cover of this book and yes, this was a book I was drawn to because of the cover art. I found the story to be sweet and emotional. I love the idea of the paintings as a way to connect.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was very excited to read this book after having heard about it in a Harper “Library Lovefest” webinar. However, I could not, despite several tries, get through the first few chapters. Not a fan...

This novel is absolutely one of the most heartwarming, heart wrenching, funny, and just all around fantastic reads.
This checks all the boxes for our library book club and staff book discussion. It will definitely be one of my staff picks for this year.
.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I loved Lenni and Margot. They are the kind of characters you remember long after finishing the book. Funny, wise, and heartwarming, it was a real treat to read.

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is a beautiful story of love and courage. Marianne Cronin's gift of Lenni and Margot is heart warming and heart breaking.

I adored this book. Heartbreaking, yes, but also a joy to read. What a gift these two were to one another. And New Nurse and the priest were beautifully developed secondary characters as well. Cannot wait to put this in lir school library. One of my favorite books of the year!

Love. This. Book. Love stories that have friendships between the young and old. Lenni is such a sweet/curious/interesting young person. And Margot is the same only many decades older. Love stories within stories. Enjoyed how Lenni kept the priest on his toes while entertaining him. The concept of art therapy is wonderful and hits home as my niece is is grad school for it right now. I look forward to “selling” this book to others! This was the author’s first novel??? Well done! Can’t wait for more!

This is a well thought out in depth book, but I found I didn't connect with the characters as much as I thought I would. Lenni in the beginning I couldn't tell was a boy or a girl. And was very cynical from the start. I know the character has a terminal illness but I just wasn't expecting this character to be like this right from the beginning.
I liked the relationship between Lenni and Margot and I feel like they both benefitted from knowing the other.
There is talk of God throughout so I don't know if that might turn some readers off.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

While many others may enjoy this book, I did not. I would not be able to recommend it to all of my patrons. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A warm, wise, funny and poignant debut about the power of friendship, art and stories to help get through the tough times.

Lenni is a 17 year old girl with a terminal diagnosis living in the hospice wing of a hospital. One day she encounters and helps 73 year old Margot recover a missing item. Intrigued by the older woman, Lenni joins the 80's art group. Forging a friendship, Lenni realizes they are 100 years between them and decides they should create 100 paintings to celebrate. As they paint, they share their stories with each other and their lives are revealed. The hospital has many others who help with the task including the wonderful hospital chaplain.

The novel asks some difficult questions at times but the author handles them with a light and sure touch. It is a incredibly moving story that while a bit sad, is ultimately a wonderful tribute to love and friendship. Lenni and Margot are wonderful characters who will stay with the reader long after the reading is done.