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Book Cover for: And Finally: Matters of Life and Death, Henry Marsh

And Finally: Matters of Life and Death

Henry Marsh

Reader Score

77%

77% of readers

recommend this book

Critic Reviews

Great

Based on 14 reviews on

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From the bestselling neurosurgeon and author of Do No Harm, comes Henry Marsh's And Finally, an unflinching and deeply personal exploration of death, life and neuroscience.

As a retired brain surgeon, Henry Marsh thought he understood illness, but he was unprepared for the impact of his diagnosis of advanced cancer. And Finally explores what happens when someone who has spent a lifetime on the frontline of life and death finds himself contemplating what might be his own death sentence.

As he navigates the bewildering transition from doctor to patient, he is haunted by past failures and projects yet to be completed, and frustrated by the inconveniences of illness and old age. But he is also more entranced than ever by the mysteries of science and the brain, the beauty of the natural world and his love for his family. Elegiac, candid, luminous and poignant, And Finally is ultimately not so much a book about death, but a book about life and what matters in the end.

Book Details

  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press
  • Publish Date: Jan 17th, 2023
  • Pages: 240
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.51in - 5.61in - 0.89in - 0.69lb
  • EAN: 9781250286086
  • Categories: Medical (Incl. Patients)Death & DyingLife Sciences - Neuroscience

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About the Author

Marsh, Henry: - HENRY MARSH studied medicine at the Royal Free Hospital in London, became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1984 and was appointed Consultant Neurosurgeon at Atkinson Morley's/St George's Hospital in London in 1987. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Do No Harm and NBCC finalist Admissions, and has been the subject of two documentary films, Your Life in Their Hands, which won the Royal Television Society Gold Medal, and The English Surgeon, which won an Emmy. He was made a CBE in 2010. He is married to the anthropologist Kate Fox, and lives in London and Oxford.

More books by Henry Marsh

Book Cover for: Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery, Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: And Finally: Matters of Life and Death, Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon, Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: The Breakthrough Factor: Creating Success and Happiness Through a Life of Value, Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: Y Al Final, Asuntos de Vida O Muerte / And Finally: Matters of Life and Death, Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: Ante Todo No Hagas Daño / Do No Harm: Stories of Life. Death, and Brain Surgery, Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: The Evolution Of Light From Living Human Subject: From "the Provincial Medical Journal", Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: Memorial Statue of Sir Henry Marsh ... in the Hall of the King and Queen's College of Physicians in Ireland, Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: The Evolution Of Light From The Living Human Subject (1842), Henry Marsh
Book Cover for: Optogenetics: Advances and Applications, Henry Marsh

Critics’ reviews

Praise for this book

Praise for And Finally:

"
Marsh's exploration is intimate, insightful, witty and deeply moving. . . Marsh's writing style is such that one has the feeling of trailing behind him as an acolyte in the operating room, or in his woodworking shop, or at his dining table; in doing so, one overhears the musings of a savant, a neuroscientist, a neurosurgeon, and the inner dialogue of a patient feeling his vulnerability. He weaves in science, philosophy, history and personal anecdotes as he tackles issues such as the nature of consciousness. . . with this book he has left readers of the future a work to savor and learn from." -- Abraham Verghese, Washington Post, author of Cutting for Stone

"[T]here's prose that breaks in gentle waves, its undercurrents deep, the surface of an ocean vast enough to put our lives in moral perspective. The narrative takes detours through DIY and dollhouses, hospital décor and Himalayan hikes. Marsh is seated, storytelling, and he is in no hurry." -- Kieran Setiya, New York Times, author of Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way

"In the contemplation of death Marsh illuminates the gift of life, rendering it even more precious. And
Finally
has all the candour, elegance and revelation we've come to expect from Marsh. I read it
straight through carried along by the force of its prose and the beauty of its ideas. It's a book to
treasure and reread; I'm very grateful for it." -- Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being and Shapeshifters

"In this superb meditation on life and death, Henry Marsh tackles the matter of mortality with all his
trademark wit, wisdom, grace and humility. He turns his formidable intellect and scalpel-sharp prose
on himself as well as the medical profession - with marvellous results. Unflinching, profound and
deeply humane, And Finally is magnificent." -- Rachel Clarke, author of Dear Life

"And Finally is a close and courageous look at the prospect of death by someone who has seen it more
clearly and more often than most of us, and who writes with great fluency and grace. Henry Marsh is
a great neurosurgeon: he is also a very fine writer. I admire this book enormously." -- Philip Pullman,
author of His Dark Materials

"[H]e's deeply reflective, the result is a bit like sitting in the pub with the smartest person you know." -- Leyla Sanai, The Spectator

"It is an important message from a wise and warm narrator, and his book will bring comfort to many
-- and educate doctors (should any have time to read it)." -- Melanie Reid, The Times

"In a beautifully written memoir, the surgeon reflects on his cancer diagnosis - and explains why you
should exaggerate your pain to doctors. [...] The NHS might presently be in crisis, but that is an
example of the great phlegmatic British spirit we can all be proud of." -- Steven Poole, The Telegraph

"By sharing his findings, And Finally will no doubt prompt others to contemplate their own existence
and, more importantly, recognise what is truly worth living for." -- Financial Times

Praise for Do No Harm:

"Like the work of his fellow physicians Jerome Groopman and Atul Gawande, Do No Harm offers insight into the life of doctors and the quandaries they face as we throw our outsize hopes into their fallible hands." --The Washington Post

"Riveting. ... [Marsh] gives us an extraordinarily intimate, compassionate and sometimes frightening understanding of his vocation." --The New York Times

"The Knausgaard of neurosurgery... Marsh writes like a novelist." --The New Yorker

"There's no denying the vicarious thrill of peeking over a neurosurgeon's shoulder in the operating theater, and Dr. Marsh delivers plenty of hospital drama. Yet what sticks with you are the moments when the lens flips and the field of view widens, and you realize that, in learning about the minutiae of neurosurgery, you're gaining insight into life itself." --The Wall Street Journal

"One of the best books ever about a life in medicine, Do No Harm boldly and gracefully exposes the vulnerability and painful privilege of being a physician." --Booklist (starred review)