The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

A gorgeous, heartbreaking story readers won't soon forget

Charged with light and colour. Gloriously original and full of wisdom, humour, and hope. It made me think and care and laugh and cry. One of my all-time favourite books

HAZEL PRIOR, author of AWAY WITH THE PENGUINS

Cronin's characters are fully drawn, and chime together to tell a sweet story about connection, loss and living

A gorgeous, heartwarming novel. The perfect antidote to the world right now

Filled with kindness and quirky characters who restore your faith in life. This debut will stay with you, answering the question, What is life made of?

Full of honesty and warmth. A beautiful debut

An extraordinary tale of living, love and heartbreak

A beautiful, funny, and incredibly assured story filled with rich characters.

A special and lovely read. Guaranteed to leave you wanting a hug

Heartwarming and remarkable stories of two loveable characters

Marianne Cronin was born in 1990 and grew up in Warwickshire. After gaining her PhD in applied linguistics, she worked in academia until becoming a writer. Her first novel, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, published by Doubleday in 2021, was voted 'most uplifting book of 2021' by The Independent and shortlisted for a Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction. She lives in the Midlands with her family and her cat.

Fiercely alive, disarmingly funny and brimming with tenderness, THE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LENNI AND MARGOT unwraps the extraordinary gift of life, and revels in our infinite capacity for friendship and love when we need them most. 
 
VOTED BEST UPLIFTING BOOK BY THE INDEPENDENT 
 
'Emotional, involving, witty and sad. Everyone is going to love Lenni and Margot' 
JILL MANSELL 
 
'Lenni and Margot are two of the most wonderful, warm, witty and wise heroines I've ever met. Beautiful and glorious' CLARE POOLEY, author of The Authenticity Project 
 
_______________________________________ 
 
Life is short. 
 
No-one knows that better than seventeen-year-old Lenni. But as she is about to learn, it's not only what you make of life that matters, but who you share it with. 
 
Dodging doctor's orders, she joins an art class where she bumps into fellow patient Margot, a rebel-hearted eight-three-year-old from the next ward. Their bond is instant as they realize that together they have lived an astonishing one hundred years. 
 
To celebrate their shared century, they decide to paint their life stories: of growing old and staying young, of giving joy, of receiving kindness, of losing love, of finding the person who is everything. 
 
As their friendship deepens, it becomes vividly clear that life is not done with Lenni and Margot yet. 
 
An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories. Their last one begins here. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
Goodreads Choice: Best Fiction 2021 shortlisted 
Author's Club First Novel Award 2021 longlisted 
Voted best uplifting book 2021 by The Independent 
 
'Full of wisdom and kindness. It is just the kind of book I adore' JOANNA CANNON 
 
'Such a delight! I fell head over heels for Lenni and Margot, their wit and vibrancy and marvellous outlooks on life. An utter joy' ABBIE GREAVES 
 
'Charged with light and colour. Gloriously original and full of wisdom, humour, and hope. It made me think and care and laugh and cry. One of my all-time favourite books' HAZEL PRIOR, author of Away with the Penguins 
 
'This is something special: moving, joyful and life-affirming' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING Book of the Month 
 
 
Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, Winter 2021

Marianne Cronin

An incredibly gorgeous story about an unconventional friendship and a late-life but enduring love. Marianne Cronin creates such complete and lovable characters, and these pages are brimming over with kindness and hope. We all need Eddie Winston in our lives! Sublimely enjoyable.

Marianne Cronin has lived up to the brilliance of The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot and, dare I say it… surpassed even that. The characters (including the supporting cast) are real and vulnerable, the story is funny and captivating and the writing is faultless

JULIETTA HENDERSON, author of The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman

This book was pure joy . . . A story of friendship, love and discovering happiness

A book that left us with a smile on our face!

In Eddie Winston is Looking For Love, Marianne Cronin does a terrific job of balancing the divergent tones – the romance and tragedy of Bridie and Eddie’s near-miss love story, and the comedy of Eddie and Bella’s hijinks – to create a novel that feels abundant and intimate, messy and tragic, frustrating and joyful. Just like life.

Cronin blends real-feeling characters and several emotionally rich plot lines in this British charmer that is a powerfully sweet ode to human connection in all forms

One of those books that can make you feel a little better about humanity

Those we love are never forgotten and it is never too late to try again 
 
FUNNY, UPLIFTING STORY ABOUT THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND FINDING LOVE IN UNEXPECTED PLACES, FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LENNI AND MARGOT 
 
'Heart-tuggingly lovely'***** 
'Can't wait to recommend' ***** 
'Poignant, funny, emotional' ***** 
'Read it. You'll be glad you did' ***** 
'This book is pure joy' Prima 
______________ 
 
Eddie Winston is ninety years old. He has lived and he has loved, but he has never been kissed. 
 
A true gentleman and incurable romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations of the living and the dead, preserving letters and tokens of love along the way. It is here that he meets Bella, a troubled young woman who, aged twenty-four, has just lost the love of her life. 
 
When Bella learns that Eddie is yet to have his first kiss, she resolves to help him finally find love, sparking an adventure that will take them to unexpected places and, they hope, bring Eddie to the moment he has waited for all his life. 
 
As Bella helps Eddie and Eddie helps, well, everyone, a soul-stirring story of friendship and kindness unfolds as we see how those we love are never forgotten and it is never too late to try again. 
________ 
 
'Brimming over with kindness and hope' Hazel Prior, author of Away with the Penguins 
 
'Lives up to the brilliance of The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot and, dare I say it… surpasses it' Julietta Henderson 
 
Readers adore EDDIE WINSTON: 
‘Overflows with joy. You will laugh and cry, mostly happy tears, but not all. Read it – you’ll be glad you did’ ***** 
‘Absolutely heart-tuggingly lovely’ ***** 
‘4.24 am, and I’ve just finished this. Beautifully written poignant, funny, emotional and lovely. A huge 5 stars’ ***** 
'I couldn’t wait to finish it fast enough to recommend to my book-reading bestie’ *****

Marianne Cronin

Praise for Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love

An incredibly gorgeous story about an unconventional friendship and a late-life but enduring love. Marianne Cronin creates such complete and lovable characters, and these pages are brimming over with kindness and ...

Marianne Cronin has lived up to the brilliance of The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot and, dare I say it… surpassed even that. The characters (including the supporting cast) are real and vulnerable, the story is ...

This book was pure joy . . . A story of friendship, love and discovering happiness

An incredibly gorgeous story about an unconventional friendship and a late-life but enduring love. Marianne Cronin creates such complete and lovable characters, and these pages are brimming over with kindness and ...

Marianne Cronin has lived up to the brilliance of The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot and, dare I say it… surpassed even that. The characters (including the supporting cast) are real and vulnerable, the story is ...

This book was pure joy . . . A story of friendship, love and discovering happiness

An incredibly gorgeous story about an unconventional friendship and a late-life but enduring love. Marianne Cronin creates such complete and lovable characters, and these pages are brimming over with kindness and ...

Marianne Cronin has lived up to the brilliance of The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot and, dare I say it… surpassed even that. The characters (including the supporting cast) are real and vulnerable, the story is ...

This book was pure joy . . . A story of friendship, love and discovering happiness

Books by Marianne Cronin

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