Finucane & Me: My Life with Marian

by John Clarke

Marian Finucane was a trailblazing broadcaster, the first to champion women's issues on air, and respected for her fairness, empathy and doggedness. One of a small group of Irish people known simply by their first name, the nation mourned when she died suddenly, aged 69, in January 2020.

But John Clarke, Marian's widower, doesn't use her moniker – instead, he calls her 'Finucane'. It highlights the gap between the woman so many felt they knew and the woman he loved – the real Marian – who was by turns curious, fiery, emotional, stubborn, charming and endlessly excited by life.

When John and Marian first got together, they promised each other that they'd never be boring. What ensued was forty years of conversation and thousands of miles travelled. Finucane & Me is an unexpected love the story of two people who 'made a pact for madness'; the story of a never-ending search for meaning; the story of two people who lived life to its fullest.

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information. This is John^Clarke.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing pair . This tells the story of the private life of Marian a well known and loved broadcaster . Both she and John set out on a life of adventure together . Nothing was too much for them they shared good times and bad especially the death of their beloved daughter Sinead . They did so much good helping children in South Africa . Beautiful and poignant descriptions of their lives and their great respect and love for each other . John gives a wonderful portrayal of his struggle with alcohol . An amazing book about an amazing woman and her husband .

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lovely love story and written so well with apt phrases. Their fun and joy for life shone through. Great to learn more about all the great work they did for children and families in Africa. Great read.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't expect to like this as much as I did, and not for the reasons I thought!