Book Review: The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
With alternating point of views from and eighty-three-year-old woman and a seventeen-year-old girl, this story is sure to uplift your spirits even if the subject matter is tough. Read my review for The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot below to see just how cheerful and beautiful this story is.
Book Information
Lenni is a seventeen-year-old girl who spends her days wandering the hospital with the people who are dying. The problem is, she’s one of those people, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to make the most out of her time living. When Lenni meets Margot, an eighty-three-year-old woman, they decide together that they will make one hundred paintings celebrating their one hundred years of life. As Lenni hears the stories from Margot’s past and grapples with the reality of her own seventeen years of stories, she learns that life is about more than the years you’ve spent alive. It’s about what you do with them.
Review | Heidi Dischler
So, I’m not gonna lie, this book took me two tries to get through. It isn’t necessarily because of the fact that it’s bad—it’s actually a really great story—I’m just not the type of person who likes anecdotal novels. This is definitely one of those stories. However, the characters were sharp, witty, developed, and beautifully crafted. The small displays of life in its finer moments (and some that are not so fine), really captivated me.
As far as plot goes, like I said, it’s extremely anecdotal, so the main thing moving the novel forward is the completion of each new painting. Margot’s life was simultaneously heartbreaking and endearing. Lenni’s life felt like she was always in this game that she was trying to win, as if she were trying to prove to the world and herself that she wasn’t actually dying.
I know this sounds extremely depressing, but it’s ironic how this book is more cheerful than anything. The liveliness of this story and its characters really brought this book to life. More than anything, though, it shows how much mindset can change a person’s perspective on life. Lenni had the mindset of an eternal optimist and I loved her for it.
Overall, I definitely suggest this book to those of you who enjoy the stories about characters with terminal illnesses and how they overcome their diagnosis (on more ways than one). It is heartfelt, funny, and beautiful in ways that many other books aren’t.
Source: Audiobook from Audible
