Sweet story

Ffion
I’ve spent the entire afternoon and evening ready ‘The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot’ and it’s my favourite book yet by far!
I don’t have much to say about it, it touched on so much of my work, I think it was a truest special story.
Simply beautiful. 10/10

Carolyn
I found this book easy enough to read and did finish it but didn't really connect with it. It seemed to jump about a bit and there was a lot about the life of Margot that I didn't find very interesting. 4/10

Rachel
I loved this book, even though I cried pretty much solidly for the last third of it. Lenni and Margot were such engaging characters. I found it really interesting to see how the world changed around Margot, from the Second World War, to the sixties and to present day. I also saw thought that it was beautifully written, and I loved the relationship between Lenni and Arthur. I loved the ending, too, partially devastating, but still with some hope. There were a couple of things which didn’t quite work, such as Lenin telling her father not to visit anymore and him agreeing, because we’re meant to believe he’s a good father, and the fact that Margot finds something which makes her happy when she’s sixty-nine, then waits another fourteen years to pursue it. 9/10

Eve
This was an easy to read tearjerker. The stories and history of Lenni and Margot were interesting but in my opinion did not flow well. I liked the character of Father Arthur, but did not find either of the main characters particularly likeable, although I think I was supposed to. I found the book rather disappointing and give a score of 5

Michelle
No review from me, Sonia. I couldn’t get past the first few pages. Think that might have been me rather than the book though!

Mabe
What a story .
It was filled with love ,friendship. humor and of course sadness at the end. I loved the beautiful way this journey for Lenni and Margot was told by glimpsing into their past it drew a perfect picture of what their long and sadly short lives had been like and when Lenni came to her final days she was surrounded by love from all the friends she had made within the hospital walls .
I loved it I won't forget this book and so don't hesitate to give it a resounding 10

Cat
I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting, well written and a page turner. The friendship between Lenni and Margot was beautiful but also fun. I really liked the side characters as well, in particular the vicar and Margot's second husband. I thought it was very clever how M & L's life stories were woven into the present through their art project. I did get slightly confused between the temp and the art teacher but I think that was my fault. A fantastic read, 8/10.

Kirsty
This book is devastatingly heart-breaking and beautiful. I absolutely love the unique storyline and the fact that two women with such a large age gap create this beautiful friendship is just gorgeous. There are very few books I have come across with a young and elderly protagonist becoming such good friends and I absolutely loved it!! It is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions filled with love, hate, romance, heartbreak, anger, laughter, regrets, family, love, loss, secrets, friendship and so much more. It is one of the most unforgettable books I have ever read!! It tells the story of 17 year old Lenni and 83 year old Margot and how they meet in the hospital. Lenni has cancer and Margot heart problems. Between them they have loved 100 years and want to celebrate this by painting a picture for each year of their lives. They tell the stories of their past lives, loves and regrets and Marieanne's evocative writing skills sucks the reader straight into the storyline with the characters, hospital and the past coming to life around them. I was absolutely mind blown when I realised this was her debut novel!! I mean WOW!! If this is her first book I just cannot wait to read her future books and if they are a quarter as amazing as this one they are guaranteed to be absolute page turners!!! This is just one of those rare books that words just cannot express how powerful and emotional it is. It will make you cry both tears of happiness and sadness. The fact that Marianne has done her research absolutely shines through so a huge congratulations Marianne! One of my pet hates is when authors don't research their topics and then the book is littered with unnecessary mistakes which can spoil the story for me. The multiple narrative brings the story to life along with the descriptions and ensures the reader can see everything that is going on and what the characters are thinking and feeling. When I was reading this book I could feel my heartbeat speeding up as I was getting a dark sense of foreboding the deeper into the book I got and I ended up with tears streaming down my face so make sure you get those tissues ready!! It is one of those books that I just simply could not put down and I walked around everywhere with my kindle and the book. Every chapter ended in a way that I had to know what was going to happen next and then it would move on to the next chapter and do the same so I blew through this in one sitting. Reading this book really does make you feel that you are standing with them and going through their pain, love, and suffering. While you are reading this you are going through a journey of love and loss, heartbreak, secrets, love, and regrets and so, so much more. It really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying the book around to read it every chance that I got. You need to clear your schedules and get the tissues at the ready because you will not be able to put this book down. There are some tough topics are explored with realism and sensitivity, that all culminated in a very gripping and powerful page turner. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time and although it could be a difficult read at times with emotions running high I would seriously recommend it to anyone and everyone!!

The characters were all very strong and realistic and Marianne's writing ensured they jumped off the pages at me. My heart went out to each of the main protagonists for different reasons during different chapters. I absolutely loved Lenni's absolutely fantastic, strong and attitude filled personality. She doesn't want to die and fights every chance she gets to live as much as she can with the restrictions she is meant to stick to, but doesn't always. She is such a strong young woman and my heart bled for her. The fact that she refuses to lie down and let what she has left to live pass her by but to make the most of it makes her such a strong female role model to so many people both in her situation and not. She is such a smart and mature woman who is an adult not only for herself but for her father too which I found deeply sad. Lenni tells us about her short 17 years, her first and last kiss, her father who leaves her side as he "can't see her like this" and her alcoholic mother. I must admit her father really annoyed me with his attitude and "can't see you like this" attitude and I have spoken to other cancer survivors who told me their friends didn't visit for that same joke of a reason. It is never nice to see someone you love suffer but they are the ones suffering and to use this as an excuse to abandon them makes me sick!! Anyway, enough of my rant but it does make me love her even more. Lenni made me laugh so many times with some of the things she came out with I had tears running down my face. What an amazing woman!!! On the other side of the age spectrum we have the absolutely fantastic Margot who may be 83 but she does not suffer fools gladly and has the same spunk as 17 year old Lenni. Margot is full of life and I absolutely lost myself in her storytelling about her childhood, her father who was left distraught after the war, her marriage ripped apart by tragedy, heartache and loss and new love found. An absolutely amazing woman and if I grow to be half as feisty as her I will be very happy!! If your expecting a sweet little old lady then you will be shocked by this purple coated strong lady who also refuses to back down. The friendship between these two women is absolutely stunning and something that everyone would be grateful to have. They are bonded by tragedy but wrapped in love, the adopted mother and daughter pair which proves blood is not always thicker than water!! Among Margot and Lenni we also meet Father Arthur and New Nurse among many others but these are the ones who stuck out to me the most. I absolutely loved how Lenni and Father Arthur also develop this unlikely bond that is filled with laughter, random questions and love and he is definitely another unforgettable character who will always stay with me. I also enjoyed meeting New Nurse who gets to see Lenni at her weakest and strongest but also Learns from her and they also develop a beautiful unforgettable bond. Arthur and New Nurse are both beautiful and caring people who want the best for Lenni although she doesn't always see it this way. I won't say anymore about the characters as I don't want to go into too much detail at the risk of spoiling it for other readers but Marianne has done an amazing job at bringing each of the characters to life. 10/10

Sonia
This was a beautiful book from start to finish written so well that it was hard to believe it was a first novel! All the characters fully fleshed out and interesting from Lenni and Margot to Arthur and New Nurse and all the others - wonderful. That the author was able to make it humorous as well as so moving and believable was a particularly skilful piece of writing. Not a book I would have been drawn to from the cover and the blurb but by goodness it was so well worth reading. For me there was nothing that jarred or felt out of place or not quite believable - absolutely brilliant work. I have very rarely laughed or cried at a book but I did both for this one.I am not surprised that it is already scheduled to be made into a film and I can't wait for her next book. I have no hesitation in giving it a 10 out of 10.

Average Score 8

Maybe you shouldn't take my word for it; most of the members of my book club liked this book. But I prefer books that grab my attention, and THE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LENNI AND MARGOT didn't.

I can say this for the book: it is cute. But that isn't enough to grab me.

Lenni and Margot will steal your hearts. As will Father Arthur,The Temp and New Nurse. The Rose Room is a place where you you want to be. Laugh and cry in 1 sentence