My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this memoir and meditation on life, health and what ties us all together.

My father always told me never buy a car a mechanic owned. Since it was his car, the mechanic might be slow to fix things, let things go longer, knowing that eventually they would get to it, but usually didn't. Doctors can be the same way about their health. They know symptoms, warning signs, know when their own personal check engine light has been on for quite a while, but eh only sick people get sick. Not doctors. Until they do. Then they become patients in a system that they know intimately, but not from the same side. They are patients now, and everything is not the same on the other side. And Finally: Matters of Life and Death is a book about being sick, aging, elder care, and what happens, by Dr Henry Marsh, a physician who has written much about health care, but never as a patient.

Doctor Henry Marsh had been retired from neurosurgery for a while and was looking forward to repairing and refurbishing a a small shed in the country for an office, when the world began to change. First COVID-19 which concerned him as his wife had a preexisting condition and quarantining might not be enough to keep her safe. Marsh had also taken part in a medical project to look at healthy brains, and when he finally looked at his scans found a brain that was aging in ways he did not want to think about. And he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, symptoms of which he had been feeling, but had ignored or pushed to the side, thinking they were nothing to be concerned about, though he knew better. The book then goes into his life after finding out he has cancer, thoughts on why he ignored his obvious signs, the state of elder care in medicine. A lot of thoughts focused on what was happening to him, and what was going to happen, as we all would think, only Marsh had a lot more information to concern him.

The book is both a memoir and a journal almost of a plague year in more ways than one. Thoughts on treatment, the state of medicine, morality and mortality fill the pages. Before entering medicine Marsh had studied politics and philosophy so Marsh has quite a lot to draw on, and use as examples. The narrative does jump around a bit, like I said the book reads in many places like a journal so a lot of things might be discussed, left unfinished and started again later. The writing is good, honest almost to a fault. Marsh is hard on himself for allowing things with his health go so far, and makes a good case for people to take more of an interest in their own bodies, find physicians they trust, if possible, as Marsh is in England which is trying to catch up to the United States in the which is more horrible to get sick in race, and be your own medical advocate. Elder care is also discussed, and that is also a sad subject, and one that I believe readers are going to be seeing a lot of books about. Being a patient has opened his eyes a lot to what is considered good and fair treatment, which makes for interesting reading.

Doctor Marsh's cancer as I write this is in remission. I would recommend this for anyone who has has a loved one, or a friend diagnosed with cancer, any kind, just to get an idea of some of the thoughts that might be going through their heads, and the treatments and how they might be treated. Not an eye opener about medical care and how it has declined, more of a look at what humans do to deal with illness, and even more our own mortality. A very interesting book, that asks a lot of questions, mainly about how we think, feel, care and what we fear of the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of And Finally.

I'm not a big fan of nonfiction, including memoirs. I usually read a memoir if I'm a fan of the author or the premise is intriguing or life affirming.

Sadly, And Finally was not that book.

There are many books in the market where the author comes face to face with their own mortality usually when he or she is struck with a terminal illness or someone they love is sick

Henry Marsh is the former; a neurosurgeon who ignored symptoms of his growing prostate cancer when his discomfort could no longer be ignored.

I get it; we're human and we're scared. There's nothing wrong with that.

My favorite uncle was a dentist who ignored symptoms of a health issue until he had to be (nearly) dragged to the hospital kicking and screaming for a checkup.

The issue with And Finally is it's lack of warmth and empathy.

I don't know anything about the author; who he is, his family, why he chose a career in medicine.

He rambles on and on about inconsequential matters like chemical castration, woodworking, his time working in the Ukraine, and obsessing over the brain scans that show his brain isn't what is used to be.

Of course it's not! You're 70, not 17.

I wondered Dr. Marsh's long winded tangents on subjects that only required a paragraph or two of explanation was his way of avoiding the obvious; his mortality, his fear of the unknown and what comes next.

I didn't learn anything about Dr. March, well, unless you count chemical castration, but I didn't really need that subject in my head.

And Finally was a sterile, unemotional account of how the doctor coped with his diagnosis.

If you took all the paragraphs the doctor wrote about his feelings and his thoughts on his diagnosis and the future, it would amount to only a few pages.

The majority of the chapters are devoted to medical terminology, the Ukraine, (poorly) renovating his home and creating an obscenely ginormous dollhouse for his granddaughters.

I'm glad the doctor is doing well and I hope his health continues to improve.

And Finally was an unsatisfactory read, but some readers might enjoy it. I didn't but I'm grateful for the opportunity to read it early.

I have read Henry Marsh's other books and am always impressed by his clear lucid prose and vivid writing, In this memoir, he details his own experience as a patient as well as a doctor. This dual perspective is fascinating,

AND FINALLY is the story of Henry Marsh, a retired neurosurgeon and the author of DO NO HARM. This is his story. Marsh shares his story of being a patient following a diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer. He shows a more understanding and sympathetic doctor, even though retired, once he is on the other side of the table. He writes of how doctors tell patients information (true and some simply hopeful), how they don't understand the anxiety of waiting to learn test results (until they are the person awaiting the results), and the process of treatment.

My father had prostate cancer. I did not fully understand the treatment he underwent until reading Marsh's story. I have a much better understanding of the diagnosis, treatment, and side effects as a result.

Marsh also tells of how the COVID-19 lockdown affected his life. How he was able to continue his communication and storytelling to his granddaughters, and how he spent his time.

The book does seem to ramble at times but has interesting information from the viewpoint of a doctor now in the role of the patient.

I had previously read “Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery” by Dr Marsh and enjoyed it. So when “And Finally: Matters of Life and Death” showed up on NetGalley’s list of Biographies & Memoirs available for review, I naturally requested a copy. When the book I want to read isn’t immediately available, I put in a request and am always surprised when my request is granted.

As I read the book, I was reminded of Frank Sinatra’s signature swan song, “My Way,” (“And now, the end is near; And so I face the final curtain”)
as the lyrics seem to mirror the theme of the book: facing terminal prostate cancer and reflecting on a life mostly well-lived.

Dr Marsh takes the readers through his cancer diagnosis and treatment, and despite him being a renowned surgeon, he still came across as just another patient undergoing treatment but with the knowledge of what it all “really” meant. He also reflects on how he treated his surgical patients and perhaps he could have been a bit more empathetic to their situation and feelings.

I would recommend that anyone interested in this book consider first reading “Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery” to get an idea of the kind of physician Dr Marsh was before tackling “And Finally: Matters of Life and Death.”

I recommend this book to anyone interested in how physicians view death or the idea of facing one’s own mortality.

4/5 stars

[Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest and objective opinion which I have given here.]

And Finally made me think and that's a pretty good recommendation for a book.

It made me think about aging, regret, and facing death. It's not a depressing book, though, The surgeon had a full life that he looked back on, brain surgery, his bedside manner, his volunteering in Ukraine and Tibet. He knows his advanced prostate cancer will end his adventurous life. It makes him sad, but like I said, it's not a depressing story.

I learned so much about the brain! Fascinating things. He once found a miniature ribcage inside a brain tumor he removed from a child. Yes! There can be little body parts inside of tumors.

The doctor has a lovely style of writing. It feels like he's talking to the reader while taking a springtime stroll.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review And Finally.

This book was written by an older Neuro surgeon. he writes about his life having prostate cancer. Amusing and philosophical, it was one man's story about coming to terms with what is important to him and why he did the things he did.
Overall, not a bad book, just an okay book.
There was times my eyes watered from boredom....the description of all of the neural pathways in the brain. YAWN.
Also, it didn't really give me any insight into dying or what to do.
So this book was just a MEH book.

Read if you want to, but don't expect great insights into cancer, dying, or priorities.

This one was really interesting and was done in a workable way of some very serious topics. I’m not really sure what I expected going into this one, but I enjoyed what I got!

I’ve always been drawn to medical things, so this one was right up my alley. Sometimes I felt the terminology used was a bit to medical-ish, but it was pretty easy for me to figure out what he was talking about. The author, Henry Marsh, has written several books about his medical career, but this one was written after he retired – and when he found out he had prostate cancer. Henry is a retired neurosurgeon but still an active part of the medical community. This book flips between his life as a patient and his life as a doctor, and how being a patient has made being a doctor different. Throughout the book Henry discusses being haunted by his past patients and those he couldn’t help.

I really enjoyed how this book talked about death and disease and what actually matters in the end. The author did a wonderful job talking to his audience and trying to connect. I enjoyed learning more about the brain, and cancer, and the struggles we face when death is at our door. While this was my first by this author, I think I might read more just because I truly enjoyed his writing style.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher St Martin’s Press, @stmartinspress, for my advanced copy in exchange for this honest review. Check this one out January 17th!

A remarkable book. Facing the potentially terminal illness, Professor Marsh is reevaluating his long and eventful life and shares his sometimes bitter reflections. While I loved his two earlier memoirs, it is this latest one that I have found the most profound and personal. His openness and humbleness (not often seen in a neurosurgeon!) are very moving.

The main structure of this book is constructed around the diagnosis and therapy of his prostate cancer, and I think everyone who has dealt with malignant tumors will find his insights noteworthy. But no less interesting are his miscellaneous thoughts on subjects from neuroscience to excercises to euthanasia.

Switching places and becoming a patient himself, Professor Marsh for the first time truly realizes how it is to be, as he puts it, a member of ‘the under-class’ at the hospital. Therefore, I hope that this book will also be widely read by public health professionals and maybe will influence their attitudes and mindsets.

Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

We all have the same ending, it won’t be in the exact same way but still it is the same ending meaning our time on earth will come to an end, yet we all don’t really talk about it that much or too deeply. Why? People say it is too depressing. Henry Marsh doesn’t let this stop him. He writes about the decline and for him the “how” possibly cancer or Alzheimer’s. I appreciated that he shared his most intimate thoughts and the science while weaving in warm family reflections of time spent with his wife, granddaughters and memories of his mother. Reading this can make one feel less alone for the end that will come as it reminds us it is shared by all. I’ll close with this quote from the book, “Why is it that only in old age, and closer to death, I have come to understand so much more about myself and my past? We are like little boats that our parents launch onto the ocean, and we sail round the world, full circle, to return finally to the harbour from which we started, but by then our parents are long gone.” It is a read worthy of your time.

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.
"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.

I found this memoir to be incredibly interesting and so true in many ways.
As a medical professional myself, we never, ever think anything could possibly happen to us as with our patients, friends and even family! How could it?
Yet- when it does, it becomes an entirely different situation. You are no longer the medical person, but the patient. How awful and humbling!
This is a brutally honest sharing of aging, worrying, and learning of illness with a fear of endings!
Well said and well done!
Thank you to #Henry Marsh, #NetGalley and to #St. Martin's Press for this ARC and allowing me to read and to provide my own review. I truly enjoyed memoir!

this was a really well done memoir, I found the book to have a interesting topic and the book itself never left me bored. I enjoyed getting to know Henry Marsh from the book and enjoyed reading this. The concept was what was promised and I'm glad I was able to read this.