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gj377's review against another edition
2.0
A rambling, disjointed book which would have been better to remain as Marsh's diary entries.
I don't particularly want to knock down a man who has cancer - and indeed, this book is Marsh attempting to come to terms with his cancer diagnosis - but even though this book was relatively short, it still felt like a slog to read.
The parts about assisted dying were interesting, and the few brief paragraphs where Marsh talks about his mother were heartfelt. Otherwise, this book follows Marsh as he meanders through physics, philosophy, and fairy tales (seriously there is a 5-page long fairy tale in here), as he uses these mediums to make sense of cancer.
It's not the book I was looking for, and I can't recommend it - read his other books instead.
I don't particularly want to knock down a man who has cancer - and indeed, this book is Marsh attempting to come to terms with his cancer diagnosis - but even though this book was relatively short, it still felt like a slog to read.
The parts about assisted dying were interesting, and the few brief paragraphs where Marsh talks about his mother were heartfelt. Otherwise, this book follows Marsh as he meanders through physics, philosophy, and fairy tales (seriously there is a 5-page long fairy tale in here), as he uses these mediums to make sense of cancer.
It's not the book I was looking for, and I can't recommend it - read his other books instead.
clairewilsonleeds's review against another edition
4.0
Meandering stories from Henry Marsh as he approaches the end of his life. I really enjoyed listening and finished it quickly.
terranovanz's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable if a little disconnected. Rambling between neuroscience, woodwork, fairy tales, travel to Ukraine and Nepal, cancer and Covid.
knitter22's review against another edition
4.0
Henry Marsh's And Finally: Matters of Life and Death is the third book he has written about his life as a neurosurgeon, but in this volume, he has retired and is facing life as a patient. I found his first book Do No Harm especially beautiful, but this one is slightly different because Mr. Marsh has prostate cancer.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published Jan. 17, 2023.
"I worked as a neurosurgeon for over forty years. I lived in a world filled with fear and suffering, death and cancer. Like all doctors, I had to find a balance between compassion and detachment. This was sometimes very difficult. But rarely, if ever, did I think about what it would be like when what I witnessed at work every day happened to me. This book is the story of how I became a patient."Marsh did not become a patient willingly. He had symptoms for quite a while that he chose to ignore, but then berated himself for his denial. It was quite surprising to me that this particular physician never entertained the idea that he could be a patient, and that he chose to ignore his symptoms like so many of us do. He also says
"But as I approach the end of my life, I find myself besieged by philosophical and scientific questions that suddenly seem very important - questions which in the past I had either taken for granted or ignored. This book is also the story of my attempts to understand some of these questions, without necessarily finding answers."This book did feel like it rambled a bit, but I think that's understandable in light of considering important questions. Marsh had operated in Ukraine, so I valued his thoughts on the devastation there. His takes on medicine seem more measured than before because he is experiencing things as a patient. Marsh's writing on end-of-life care and assisted dying is worthwhile reading for anyone getting older. I hope his remission lasts a good long while so he can write another book, or at least finish the dollhouses for his grandchildren.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published Jan. 17, 2023.