A tale of extraordinary friendship and a lifetime of stories to share with your book club pals.
Follow seventeen-year-old Lenni and eighty-three-year-old Margot as they celebrate their shared century. Together 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.
Gather your book club, put the kettle on and use the questions below to get the conversation started. Warning: spoilers ahead...
Discussion points and questions:
- If you were going to paint memories from all the years of your life – which moment or memory would you paint first?
- Friendship is a big theme of the book, how do Lenni’s friendships with Margot, Father Arthur and New Nurse change her?
- What do you think happens to Margot after the end of the book? Do you think she makes it to Vietnam to see Meena again?
- Margot travels to Vietnam to see Meena – where is the furthest you have travelled to see someone you love?
- If Lenni had grown up, what do you think she might have done with her life?
- What do you think draws Margot and Lenni to each other?
- How did Margot change throughout the different stages of her life?
- Lenni and Arthur have very different opinions, but they manage to be friends anyway. What do you think makes them so compatible?
- Do you think Lenni and Margot were destined to meet and become friends?
- If you were telling the story of your life, what would be your favourite chapter?
- The hospital is a big part of the book – when was the last time you visited a hospital and how did you feel when you were there?
- Why do you think Humphrey pretends to have forgotten Margot when he is in the care home?
- How do you think Lenni’s unusual home life affected her?
- Lenni isn’t sure about her religious beliefs, but she still visits the chapel – why do you think this is?
- If you could visit one of the times or places in the book, where would you go?
- Margot moves to London despite not having any plan for when she gets there – if you could move to any city, where would you go?
- If you were to make a film of Lenni and Margot, who would play the lead roles?
- Why do you think Lenni struggles to make friends with people her own age?
- If you could be friends with one character from the book, who would it be?
- Which friend or relative will you pass this book onto when you’ve finished it?
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