''And Finally: Matters of Life and Death'' is a 2023 memoir by Henry Marsh. It was published by

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

on 1 September 2022, and received positive reviews from critics.

Overview

''And Finally'' is a memoir by

neurosurgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, ...

and author Henry Marsh which details his battle against cancer. Marsh discusses his transition from doctor to patient, contemplates philosophical questions relating to death and the nature of the mind, and reflects on his life.

Development and writing

Publication history

''And Finally'' was published in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

by Jonathan Cape on 1 September 2022. It was published in the United States by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...

on 17 January 2023.

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'''s Colin Grant praised Marsh's candid discussion of death and described his prose as "plain-speaking without being dispassionate."

Melanie Reid Melanie Reid (born 13 April 1957) is a British journalist. Her weekly column for ''The Times'' magazine, "Spinal Column", was about disability and her life as a disabled person. Her final "Spinal Column" was published in November 2024. She brok ...

similarly praised Marsh's prose in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''. Gillian Tindall wrote a positive review for ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'' in which she commented on Marsh's angst as reflected in his writing. American publications commented similarly upon its stateside release. Kieran Setiya wrote a positive review for ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'', commenting positively on the narrative and appreciating that Marsh "does not pretend to answer metaphysical questions." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'''s

Abraham Verghese Abraham Verghese (born May 30, 1955) is a Malayali-American physician and author, who was born in Ethiopia. He is the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair for the Theory & Practice of Medicine, and Intern ...

described the book as "thought-provoking" and a review in ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' praised Marsh's emotional language. Positive reviews were published in ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', with the former describing Marsh's writing as "immersive" and the latter calling it a "fascinating account." ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'''s Tony Miksanek praised the memoir's structure and descriptions of dementia, and positive reviews were published in ''

The Star Tribune ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' and ''Air Mail''.

References

{{Reflist Jonathan Cape books English non-fiction books 2022 non-fiction books British memoirs