Description

From the No.1 bestselling author of Do No Harm, an entrancing and uplifting meditation on the gift of life.

‘A book to treasure and reread’ Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being

As a retired brain surgeon, Henry Marsh thought he understood illness, but even he was unprepared for the impact of his diagnosis of advanced cancer.

In And Finally, he navigates the bewildering transition from doctor to patient. As the days pass, his mind turns to his career, to the people and places he has known, and to creative projects still to be completed.

Yet he is also more entranced than ever by the mysteries of science and nature, by his love for his family, and – most of all – by what it is to be alive.

* A Daily Telegraph, The Times and Financial Times Book of the Year *

‘Magnificent’ Rachel Clarke

‘Vividly wry and honest’ The Times

‘I admire this book enormously’ Philip Pullman

‘Enthralling’ Guardian

Publisher Review

Henry Marsh may have retired from medicine but let's hope he keeps producing books as good as this one, which enthral as well as teach. * Observer * [And Finally] is unexpectedly fun, and the author is pretty much irresistibly likeable... diagnoses and remissions are described with wonderful candour... [and Marsh's] discussion of end-of-life care and assisted dying is the best essay I have read on the subject. * Guardian * [Marsh is] deeply reflective, the result is a bit like sitting in the pub with the smartest person you know. * Spectator * Beautifully written... A thoughtful journey into his experience as a doctor-turned-patient, enlivened with a wonderful black humour and a gimlet eye for comforting nonsense... One couldn't wish for a better guide. -- Steven Poole * Daily Telegraph, 5 stars * His dignified introspection is a joy. -- Clare Chambers, author of SMALL PLEASURES