6
MARCH 9�16, 2022
FROM THE SHELF
CHECKING OUT THE
WORLD OF BOOKS
‘The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot’
A novel about
humor, heartache
and friendship
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“The One Hundred Years of Lenni
and Margot” is the debut novel of
Marianne Cronin, who was born in
1990 and grew up in Warwickshire,
England. She says, in her author
profi le on HarperCollins.com, that
it took her seven years to write this
book. Published in June 2021, it is
available in hardcover and paperback.
By Lisa Britton
Go! Magazine
I
’ve read a few books more than once,
and usually separated by years, if not
decades.
This was not the case with “The One
Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot” by
Marianne Cronin.
I saw the book mentioned somewhere,
and requested it through our library. The
premise fascinated me: A 17-year-old and
83-year-old meet in a hospital and realize
that, between the two of them, they’ve
lived 100 years. They begin a project to
tell a story for each year, accompanied by
a painting.
I immediately fell in love with this book.
So much that I listened to the audiobook
almost immediately after I’d fi nished the
last page.
I was curious about the audio version
because Lenni is Swedish and Margot is
Scottish, and I do love listening to narra-
tors who have accents.
Lenni’s backstory comes slowly,
through the tales she tells Margot.
Lisa Britton/Go! Magazine
But we do know, from the very begin-
ning, that she is in the hospital with a
terminal illness. Curiously, the 17-year-
old is never visited by family or friends,
so the hospital staff and patients are her
entire world.
Lenni’s fi ery personality contrasts her
failing body, and her interactions with
people made me laugh out loud, especial-
ly her conversations with Father Arthur,
the hospital chaplain.
(This book also made me cry but,
as you know if you’ve read some of my
reviews, this isn’t surprising.)
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i
d
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Margot is a great match for Lenni —
she is a feisty 83-year-old who has seen
much joy and heartache in her life.
When these two connect in the
hospital’s art room, their relationship
is one that reinforces the goodness in
humanity.
We have essentially three story lines:
the current one in the hospital, Lenni’s
life, and Margot’s life.
The reader never gets the full story,
though. The life of each woman is told
through vignettes that, though short,
reveal their most impactful experiences
that shaped who they are today.
This book weaves humor with heart-
ache but it is the unlikely friendships that
I found most wonderful.
Between them, Lenni and Margot
have lived 100 years but as friends, they
are equals.
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