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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
i like an older accomplished woman sharing her secret life before she dies but dava is no evelyn hugo
This was a slow burn. It was quite thought provoking and I liked the flash backs that gave Dava and her families life more context and layers. So I think I'd give it 3.5.
The audio was fine but the sound was really tinny which was very distracting.
The audio was fine but the sound was really tinny which was very distracting.
5: Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti.
The premise was quite interesting: a woman shares her own death ahead of time so that she can see what people say about her when they think she's gone, but she really isn't...not quite yet.
But there is just waaaaaaaaaaaay too much money and privilege for a realistic--for this reader, anyway--portrayal of this woman and her family and their concerns. I just could not get my head around it or how they all functioned with these kinds of lives. And that prevented me from "getting" some of its point, quite possibly. I was simply stunned by the dollar amounts super, duper far beyond my comprehension. Yet I did appreciate how much it mattered to Shastri, the main character, how she spent that money and how it would be used to benefit others.
And not intending to dismiss its value overall for that assessment, the book does ponder realistic ideas that would be of concern for all--ideas of marriage and parenting, siblings and adoption. There is good stuff here.
There is also a lot of dwelling on some particular musical artists and their work, and in the situations where that is not music the reader also "loves," it seems repetitive and excessive, the number of references made to it.
There were a few things I liked about the book--some of its themes and characters (did definitely love one of them being Swedish and two of them living in Stockholm) and a few more that I did not; at times it just seemed to try to take on just way too much--homosexuality, cross-country and cross-cultural marriage, gender stereotypes, and even a "throuple," potentially--too easily and too conveniently to handle any of it realistically or valuably for someone looking in from the outside. I simply didn't gain a better understanding of much or find myself very empathetic to the characters' concerns for how much the book attempted to include, glossing over a mile of stuff rather than addressing fewer ideas more valuably or complexly, realistically.
It was not a difficult read but just not quite as thoughtful as I had hoped either.
The premise was quite interesting: a woman shares her own death ahead of time so that she can see what people say about her when they think she's gone, but she really isn't...not quite yet.
But there is just waaaaaaaaaaaay too much money and privilege for a realistic--for this reader, anyway--portrayal of this woman and her family and their concerns. I just could not get my head around it or how they all functioned with these kinds of lives. And that prevented me from "getting" some of its point, quite possibly. I was simply stunned by the dollar amounts super, duper far beyond my comprehension. Yet I did appreciate how much it mattered to Shastri, the main character, how she spent that money and how it would be used to benefit others.
And not intending to dismiss its value overall for that assessment, the book does ponder realistic ideas that would be of concern for all--ideas of marriage and parenting, siblings and adoption. There is good stuff here.
There is also a lot of dwelling on some particular musical artists and their work, and in the situations where that is not music the reader also "loves," it seems repetitive and excessive, the number of references made to it.
There were a few things I liked about the book--some of its themes and characters (did definitely love one of them being Swedish and two of them living in Stockholm) and a few more that I did not; at times it just seemed to try to take on just way too much--homosexuality, cross-country and cross-cultural marriage, gender stereotypes, and even a "throuple," potentially--too easily and too conveniently to handle any of it realistically or valuably for someone looking in from the outside. I simply didn't gain a better understanding of much or find myself very empathetic to the characters' concerns for how much the book attempted to include, glossing over a mile of stuff rather than addressing fewer ideas more valuably or complexly, realistically.
It was not a difficult read but just not quite as thoughtful as I had hoped either.
This book was really heavy. The writing was stunning and the story was intriguing but I had to keep taking breaks because it was emotionally draining.
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Hear me out. Sure the challenges faced by this billionaire and her “poor little rich kid” adult children are completely unrelatable. “How unfair I only get my trust fund bonus if I keep the Shastri last name”. And there is not really a single likable character in the book. Yet, I really found this story compelling and couldn’t put it down. I have no idea why I loved it, but I did.
I really liked the overarching story: rich, spoiled, successful Dava controls it all to the very end. I particularly loved how the author wove in the Peace Corps backstory. However, for me, nearly all of the characters were truly horrible people. I was not interested or invested in a one. So the side stories and background were not a build up to Dava’s actual last day but a slow, detailed happening.
Eta: after some thought I’m changing my rating bc this is a good book. The lead character frustrated me but that doesn’t make this book any less interesting or entertaining.
Interesting read. I really wanted to like one (any) of these characters but couldn’t and as a result I found it difficult to invest emotionally with any of the experiences these characters where having. In addition the one story I may have been interested in hearing at the end (Chaitanya?) was absent.
Also, the fact that Dava died without leaving anything for her made me more than indifferent to her, it made me dislike her.
Interesting read. I really wanted to like one (any) of these characters but couldn’t and as a result I found it difficult to invest emotionally with any of the experiences these characters where having. In addition the one story I may have been interested in hearing at the end (Chaitanya?) was absent.
Also, the fact that Dava died without leaving anything for her made me more than indifferent to her, it made me dislike her.