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rozlev's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the story. Well written. Great characters. A few unexpected twists. 4 stars because it was too long and a bit repetitive. Looking forward to Ms Ramisetti's next novel.
carlevi7's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
lisawreading's review against another edition
5.0
This will sound weird — but I’m tempted to not read any further books for the few days remaining in 2021. Why? So I can end on a high note! I can’t tell you how much I loved Dava Shastri’s Last Day. It feels good to think about ending my reading year with such a terrific 5-star read!
In this sensitive, compelling book, we meet the awesome Dava Shastri at age 70. She’s a world-famous philanthropist, having devoted her adult life to using her billions to support worthwhile causes around the world. She’s also a mother, a grandmother, and a widow, and as the book opens, Dava has called her family to their private island for reasons not yet disclosed.
As the family gathers, she shares her big secret: Dava has terminal cancer, and faced with months of painful treatments that may prolong her life but not sustain it in any sort of quality, she decides to leave on her own terms. A doctor is on stand-by, already on the island. After a final day with her family, Dava will be ending her life via assisted suicide.
The family, naturally, is shocked. They’re even more shocked to learn that Dava’s attorney has already announced her death to the world. Faced with the end, Dava has decided to indulge her curiosity and see how she’s remembered — because hasn’t everyone always wondered about attending their own funeral?
The news, while full of praise for Dava’s generosity, soon turns to gossip and scandal, as a decades-old rumor of an extramarital affair with a rock singer resurfaces in the wake of the death announcements. Dava is dismayed that these old stories have taken over the headlines, so instead of the tributes she expected, she’s faced once again with the rumors she could never quite shake.
As the book progresses, each of Dava’s four adult children tries to come to terms with Dava’s legacy and their own relationships to their powerful, hard-working, often absent mother. In devoting her life to serving others, Dava’s homelife by necessity came second. And while she raised her children to follow in her footsteps and devote themselves to the family foundations and charitable causes, each has to face their own soul-searching to find their purpose in life — and to figure out whether Dava is someone they want to emulate or rebel against.
There are so many lovely moments, as the siblings explore their connections, their own marriages and relationships, and their place in the world. Even the grandchildren have important roles to play, as they get a final chance to learn the truth about their grandmother — who she is, what her life has meant, and what paths she’s blazed for them.
Dava herself is a fascinating character, a self-made woman whose life contains heartbreak and challenge and ultimate success. She often enigmatic, and at first seems to be a woman who places too much emphasis on physical comfort and luxuries, but we soon learn that there’s so much more to this powerful, determined woman.
The one element that rang a little oddly for me is the setting — the main events surround Dava’s last day take place in 2044. I suppose this is so that the author could root some of Dava and her children’s earlier years in our own contemporary times. The fact that it’s 2044 in this book isn’t particularly explored, beyond a couple of references to climate and the ease of accessing Dava’s chosen end-of-life medical treatment.
Other than that, there’s really not a false note in this beautiful book. I loved the characters, the relationships, the secrets that emerge, and the lovely way the stories all tie together by the end.
This would be a fabulous book group selection — there’s so much to think about and discuss!
Dava Shastri’s Last Day seems to have been an under-the-radar release for the end of 2021. Fortunately, I stumbled across a mention of the book in a year-end list, and the beautiful cover caught my eye. I’m so happy to have read this book, and will be sharing it with lots of friends and family.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
In this sensitive, compelling book, we meet the awesome Dava Shastri at age 70. She’s a world-famous philanthropist, having devoted her adult life to using her billions to support worthwhile causes around the world. She’s also a mother, a grandmother, and a widow, and as the book opens, Dava has called her family to their private island for reasons not yet disclosed.
As the family gathers, she shares her big secret: Dava has terminal cancer, and faced with months of painful treatments that may prolong her life but not sustain it in any sort of quality, she decides to leave on her own terms. A doctor is on stand-by, already on the island. After a final day with her family, Dava will be ending her life via assisted suicide.
The family, naturally, is shocked. They’re even more shocked to learn that Dava’s attorney has already announced her death to the world. Faced with the end, Dava has decided to indulge her curiosity and see how she’s remembered — because hasn’t everyone always wondered about attending their own funeral?
The news, while full of praise for Dava’s generosity, soon turns to gossip and scandal, as a decades-old rumor of an extramarital affair with a rock singer resurfaces in the wake of the death announcements. Dava is dismayed that these old stories have taken over the headlines, so instead of the tributes she expected, she’s faced once again with the rumors she could never quite shake.
As the book progresses, each of Dava’s four adult children tries to come to terms with Dava’s legacy and their own relationships to their powerful, hard-working, often absent mother. In devoting her life to serving others, Dava’s homelife by necessity came second. And while she raised her children to follow in her footsteps and devote themselves to the family foundations and charitable causes, each has to face their own soul-searching to find their purpose in life — and to figure out whether Dava is someone they want to emulate or rebel against.
There are so many lovely moments, as the siblings explore their connections, their own marriages and relationships, and their place in the world. Even the grandchildren have important roles to play, as they get a final chance to learn the truth about their grandmother — who she is, what her life has meant, and what paths she’s blazed for them.
Dava herself is a fascinating character, a self-made woman whose life contains heartbreak and challenge and ultimate success. She often enigmatic, and at first seems to be a woman who places too much emphasis on physical comfort and luxuries, but we soon learn that there’s so much more to this powerful, determined woman.
The one element that rang a little oddly for me is the setting — the main events surround Dava’s last day take place in 2044. I suppose this is so that the author could root some of Dava and her children’s earlier years in our own contemporary times. The fact that it’s 2044 in this book isn’t particularly explored, beyond a couple of references to climate and the ease of accessing Dava’s chosen end-of-life medical treatment.
Other than that, there’s really not a false note in this beautiful book. I loved the characters, the relationships, the secrets that emerge, and the lovely way the stories all tie together by the end.
This would be a fabulous book group selection — there’s so much to think about and discuss!
Dava Shastri’s Last Day seems to have been an under-the-radar release for the end of 2021. Fortunately, I stumbled across a mention of the book in a year-end list, and the beautiful cover caught my eye. I’m so happy to have read this book, and will be sharing it with lots of friends and family.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up for this big-hearted multi-generational South Asian family story about their complicated relationships and the secrets that come to light one weekend when the matriarch of the family, Dava, calls everyone home to say goodbye. Excellently narrated by one of my favs, Soneela Nankani and highly recommended for fans of Saumya Dave. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC!
maralyons's review against another edition
5.0
Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti is about an Indian-American billionaire matriarch on the cusp of death. She invites her adult children and their families for a gathering on her own remote private island. News of her death reaches the media right before she plans to end her life due to a terminal diagnosis. Unbeknownst to her family, they are gathering for her final days. Dava made her money by selling a music platform and has devoted her life to her foundation. She was married to a Swedish man who died two decades prior and had four children with.
We meet each of the Shastri-Persson siblings in a different phase of their life, struggling with their own relationships and now the looming end of their mother's life. Family secrets are revealed and we learn more about Dava and the sometimes complicated way she lives her life. She can be controlling and narcissistic, but she was also fascinating and inspiring in her ambition. We learn about her life, while she ponders her past, marriage, children, death, and her larger influence. It's curious to see how her privileged adult children are seemingly immune to the hazards of a precarious outside world in 2045 when the story is set. I loved seeing how family relationships developed in the short amount of time spent on the island. Music provides a textured backdrop to the events of Dava's lives and a playlist would be a perfect accompaniment to this book. This was my favorite part of the book. I listened to the audiobook which is wonderfully narrated by Soneela Nankani. Overall, a very readable and interesting multi-layered family story.
Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing this ARC.
We meet each of the Shastri-Persson siblings in a different phase of their life, struggling with their own relationships and now the looming end of their mother's life. Family secrets are revealed and we learn more about Dava and the sometimes complicated way she lives her life. She can be controlling and narcissistic, but she was also fascinating and inspiring in her ambition. We learn about her life, while she ponders her past, marriage, children, death, and her larger influence. It's curious to see how her privileged adult children are seemingly immune to the hazards of a precarious outside world in 2045 when the story is set. I loved seeing how family relationships developed in the short amount of time spent on the island. Music provides a textured backdrop to the events of Dava's lives and a playlist would be a perfect accompaniment to this book. This was my favorite part of the book. I listened to the audiobook which is wonderfully narrated by Soneela Nankani. Overall, a very readable and interesting multi-layered family story.
Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing this ARC.
bookedwithannie's review against another edition
4.0
Dava Shastri's Last Day was an interesting read. While I overall really enjoyed it, I do feel that it was slow at parts and left a bit to be desired when it came to the connection to the characters. Dava was such a complex character, but I did not connect to her until well over halfway through the book, which could easily lead other readers to abandon this book. I implore you to keep going if you are feeling a little less than impressed, because once we have the scene with Dava and her grandkids, the connection hits and the end goes quickly and hits hard in the feels.
I really enjoyed the unraveling of Dava's life, her secrets, her decisions, and the impacts of her legacy on her children. It's such a great representation of how much our hearts and lives are a our own and how little we actually know about someone's history and choices. Which is why I loved the scene with the grandchildren where she was so vulnerable and honest with them. It's those moments that really connect us in life.
The interesting part was how unlikable the characters were, which I believe was intentional. You do start to feel for them as you learn more about their relationships and what shaped them, but with so many characters it was hard to dive deep enough into their characters without making the book too long. This would be my biggest disappointment of the book was that I was left wanting more in terms of character development.
Thank you to Grand Central and Netgalley for this eARC.
I really enjoyed the unraveling of Dava's life, her secrets, her decisions, and the impacts of her legacy on her children. It's such a great representation of how much our hearts and lives are a our own and how little we actually know about someone's history and choices. Which is why I loved the scene with the grandchildren where she was so vulnerable and honest with them. It's those moments that really connect us in life.
The interesting part was how unlikable the characters were, which I believe was intentional. You do start to feel for them as you learn more about their relationships and what shaped them, but with so many characters it was hard to dive deep enough into their characters without making the book too long. This would be my biggest disappointment of the book was that I was left wanting more in terms of character development.
Thank you to Grand Central and Netgalley for this eARC.
ninalita's review against another edition
1.0
I just couldn't find anything redeemable in the main character even after reading a third of the book, so I gave up.
jbrooks1978's review against another edition
5.0
Would you report your death before you actually died to see what people would say about you? Well, Dava did! This book was a beautiful story on those last moments with your family and trying to transition without leaving your family without a stone unturned, a secret revealed, and a word unsaid.
beccabrune's review against another edition
3.0
I think this was a really unique plot for a book so I enjoyed reading something different. I think the author is talented and I look forward to reading another of their books! But I didn't really ever get hooked. I enjoyed learning about Dava's past but did not feel invested in the family who came off as a wealthy entitled family.