The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

Gini: From the outset the reader knows that the end of the story is going to be tough. The setting, in a care facility; the characters, Lenni with cancer, Margot with advancing age; amazing interactions with a priest and art teacher; and the plot, outlining yearly adventures of living for the two main character all sound complicated, however, Cronin brilliantly weaves everything together into a truly moving novel.

Even with this distressing, dismal topic, I find it to be a thoughtful read. With each page I felt I had entered the scene and become an active participant. I could see it, feel it, and interact with it. I sensed hope, kindest, humor, sadness, and awe. The art therapy woven in by a dynamic teacher, expands the power of the book as drawings and life biographies unfold to cover 100 years.

The kindness exemplified might grab me the most. Lenni is alone as Mom has returned to Sweden and Dad focuses on his new love. In spite of her health, she’s funny and states situations as she interprets them and leaves the recipient of her comments and the reader to decide how each missive is to be received. 

Margot’s complicated life - 80+ years of it – is revealed in small, gentle doses and I loved for her. The two unlikely partners’ honesty with each other strengthens them both and made me excited to read and immediately move on to the next chapter, although sometimes, after particularly stressful points, I did have to step away for breath.

What would I do? How would I react? How brave and genuine am I? So often we, as humans, become lost in the muddle of everyday life based on the trials and joys of each moment. Having a true friend and an ever-developing support system bring vital insight into what we face. We just have to clarify our vision to see and accept.

Debbie: As you know, if you follow this column, the point is to review a book through different points of view, Gini’s and mine. We don’t disagree often, but once in a while it happens, as with this book, The One-Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. It is a bit underwhelming for me. I just couldn’t connect with it. I can’t put my finger on why - It has over 6,000 reviews on Goodreads and a 4.5-star average and my dear friend Gini loves it.

On paper it seems I would love it, too. It is an emotional story, the characters are very likeable, the book leaves people crying - sobbing even - with happiness, sadness, and hope. I cried a little too (I love a book that gives me a good, hopeful cry). Lenni, a seventeen-year-old terminal cancer patient and Margot, an eighty-three-year-old woman suffering from age-related heart issues, become unlikely friends while they spend their last days at Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Together their ages add up to 100 years, and they begin to write the story of their lives, through art: paintings and essays. The narrative takes us back in time to hear the stories of their early years. While their backstories are thought-provoking, the friendship of Lenni and Margot falls flat to me. 

It seems like a secondary storyline. We spend very little time with them together in the present. I really felt a more of a connection with Lenni and Father Arthur, a secondary character in the story. 

That relationship is more interesting and compelling to me. I’m going to recommend this book to you, with the caution to remember that we all read books differently and just because I am underwhelmed, Gini remains blown away. There are some great secondary characters and it is a touching story, but maybe it is just my mood. 

Gini:And this is exactly why book reviews are so fun – the diversity of opinion and reaction. Perhaps it is the loneliness of both characters that draws me to them; the solitude. Through conversation, honesty rebukes, and art, I recognize strong, independence that also highlights the importance of having someone with whom to share the last moments of life. 

It reminds me of the REMSA policy that no one die alone. Friendship and personal connections add ease and mercy as life ends. And maybe it is my mood that made Lenni and Margot so touching.