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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a CHALLENGE for me to get through. I really liked the premise of the book, but the reality of the story took too long for me to become invested. It felt like there was a lot of unnecessary filler and unrelatable characters throughout the book. I really tried to like this book, but it just fell flat for me.
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I probably would have enjoyed it more if it didn’t take me a month to read. And way too many characters that have nothing to define each one.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t read much literary fiction and I read almost no family dramas within that category. As such, I may not be the best at rating this.
The book was engaging while I was reading it. I enjoyed that it shifted through time and narrators in a way that felt fairly hazy, much like Dava’s brain. I also liked that it was set in the near future but had flashbacks to times I remember.
I didn’t really love the characters. I suspect I probably wasn’t supposed to, but they weren’t drawing me in like I wanted them to.
This feels like the type of book that could get a higher score as time passes, but we will see.
The book was engaging while I was reading it. I enjoyed that it shifted through time and narrators in a way that felt fairly hazy, much like Dava’s brain. I also liked that it was set in the near future but had flashbacks to times I remember.
I didn’t really love the characters. I suspect I probably wasn’t supposed to, but they weren’t drawing me in like I wanted them to.
This feels like the type of book that could get a higher score as time passes, but we will see.
The debut novel for the author, follows the last days of Dava Shastri, a famous philanthropist at her private island as her half Indian family joins her because the world knows that Dava has died, but she has not just yet kicked the bucket. She is joined on the island by her two daughters and two sons, Sita, Arvind, Kali and Rev, and their children and spouses.
As the family stays on the island with Dava on her last days, you get to meet all of the members, and learn more about the relationship that they have with Dava, both the good and the bad, and how their relationship shaped the children into who they are today.
Oddly enough, I didn’t expect this to be such a Desi novel, or that a novel that could be accessible to both Desis and non-Desis, and yet that is exactly what is so wonderful about this book. It also really opened up about relationships, and how they are so layered and ever changing based on time, age and perspective of individuals.
If you are a fan of family stories, flashbacks, and a dollop of pop culture, then this is a great book to enjoy.
As the family stays on the island with Dava on her last days, you get to meet all of the members, and learn more about the relationship that they have with Dava, both the good and the bad, and how their relationship shaped the children into who they are today.
Oddly enough, I didn’t expect this to be such a Desi novel, or that a novel that could be accessible to both Desis and non-Desis, and yet that is exactly what is so wonderful about this book. It also really opened up about relationships, and how they are so layered and ever changing based on time, age and perspective of individuals.
If you are a fan of family stories, flashbacks, and a dollop of pop culture, then this is a great book to enjoy.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated