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With the End in Mind

Dying, Death and Wisdom in an Age of Denial

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With the End in Mind

By: Kathryn Mannix
Narrated by: Elizabeth Carling, Kathryn Mannix
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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Impossible to read with dry eyes or an unaltered mindset’ Sunday Times

‘Illuminating and beautiful’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

With the End in Mind is a book for us all: the grieving and bereaved, the ill and the healthy. By turns touching and tragic, funny and wise, it tells powerful human stories of life and death.

Eric, the retired head teacher who even with Motor Neurone Disease gets things done. Sylvie, 19 and diagnosed with leukaemia, sewing a cushion for her mum to hold after she has died. Nelly and Joe, two people enduring loneliness to shield their beloveds from distress.

A powerful and emotional book based on a lifetime’s clinical experience, With the End in Mind offers calm, wise advice on how to face death, live fully and find a model for hope in dark times.

Kathryn Mannix’s With the End in Mind was a Sunday Times bestseller the weeks ending 6 January 2018, 13 January 2018 and 3 February 2018.

Grief & Loss Medical Medicine & Health Care Industry Personal Development Professionals & Academics Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Marriage Medicine Thought-Provoking Feel-Good Inspiring Pain Management Heartfelt Health Care
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Critic reviews

‘It is incredibly moving, of course, but what it isn’t is miserable. Yes this is a book about death, but it is also a book about joy. There aren’t all that many books that change the way you see the world. This book really might. It will make you want to do a better job of loving and living. It will make you want to be kinder. And it will make you want to cherish every precious moment of your precious life.’
Sunday Times
‘Extraordinary and profoundly moving. … Any reader will come away with the wish that they will be cared for at the end by someone with Mannix’s imaginative sympathy and matter-of-fact generosity of perception’
Rowan Williams, New Statesman
‘Illuminating and beautiful … I shed a few tears but it’s not gut wrenching and Mannix weaves the light and dark strands of her experience with finesse. It’s essential reading for anyone who will encounter death, and that means all of us.’
Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Times
‘I got to the end of Kathryn Mannix’s book with just one thought – I wish I’d been a palliative consultant … A reminder that talking about death is an Act of Love’
Greg Wise
‘In the last few years, there has been a crowd of books by doctors, scientists and writers that have sought to show us different, kinder ways of ending: Atul Gawande, Oliver Sacks, Henry Marsh… the list is long. Now Kathryn Mannix joins this distinguished group. Mannix’s aim is to shed a soft, clear light on a subject too often avoided. Mild, tender and conciliatory, I would like her to be my compassionate, wise doctor when I lie dying.’
Observer
All stars
Most relevant
My beloved has inoprable cancer. I listened to this book to help me understand what I can do to help us both manage what's ahead. It has helped enormously. I hope I can use my new insights to give my beloved the most meaningful life, my deepest love and my best care in the months ahead. Thank you Katheyn for writing the book. The chosen narrator was excellent and made it easy to listen and be absorbed by every chapter.

A sensitive book on life, love and loss

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I really enjoyed this beautiful book and the reader was very engaging. It has given me lots of food for thought

What a Beautiful Book

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Be prepared to get a little teary at times, but this exploration of death and humanity is an absolute must read. It is inspiring in its ability to start a conversation about death which has become such a taboo subject as it has moved from homes to hospital. Medical advances made us see death as something to avoid at all costs; and to fear death.

Dr Mannix discusses the patterns of the body shutting down, the problems that can occur and the preparations that some people make as the end draws near. She does it through personal stories of patients she has known who each have something to tell us. From Irene's husband in the opening chapters (definitely tissues needed), to Holly and her manicure and party which will leave you with a huge smile, and on to the legacy that we leave behind us. This isn't about tears and sadness. It shows us that a good death is a good thing.

Absolutely recommended to anyone within medicine or health, anyone with their own experience or the curious. This is probably not the book you want to read soon after the death of a loved one. Allow yourself some time to heal before reflecting on your experience through reading this book.

Audible narration is excellent.

Simply Brilliant

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I can’t recommend this work enough. Kathryn Mannix has captured, in the most gentle and articulate of ways, what will happen to all of us. What we need to do is use her wisdom to form the basis of the most fundamental discussions of our lives. Thank you, Kathryn.

A necessary read for everyone

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Beautifully written and read. Kathryn M is a doctor in palliative /end of life care and shares in this book stories of many of her patients and their experiences. Her message is that we all need to think and talk about the inevitability of death and our wishes around this and how we would plan to meet it, but it is a book full to the brim of love, kindness, wisdom and life. Written with great sensitivity, a quality she obviously uses to the full with those in her care. Highly recommend.

Moving and humane

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