The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

The 100 paintings that Lenni and Margot create to celebrate their collective years of life are a motif that develops the theme of The Importance of Sharing Stories. The act of storytelling is integral to the two protagonists’ friendship. Lenni and Margot have very different lives, but they understand one another deeply because they spend most of their time together creating art and sharing the memories that the paintings depict. Many of these memories are painful. For example, to commemorate the day she received her terminal diagnosis, Lenni paints “a row of cars, small and like dots. Red, silver, blue, white” (152), and Margot paints the beach where Johnny told her he was leaving. Sharing these difficult memories with a dear friend brings Lenni and Margot comfort and hope. In addition, the “deliciously real” (164) paintings help Lenni gain the sense of permanence she desperately wants. Lenni and Margot’s paintings and stories draw others to them as well. As the novel progresses, Pippa and her art students help Lenni and Margot reach their goal. After Lenni is placed on bedrest and can no longer come to the Rose Room, Margot sketches the remaining pieces, and their friends in the art class “split into teams to take on each painting” (295).