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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
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
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I struggle with my review of Dava Shastri’s Last Day, if I could give half stars it would be 3.5, but leaning on the higher end of the scale.
There is no major storyline throughout this book, the books itself it’s mostly about the personal development of each family member as they grapple with the impending death of their mother and past secrets are revealed.
At times I found the pace slow, but it is a beautifully written novel and I’ve saved countless quotes from it.
I found it interesting to see how the 4 siblings had differing relationships and opinions of their amma and how they all struggled to reconcile their childhoods. I found I resonated with Sita and Arvie the most, the older children who were both disillusioned by their upbringing but dealt with it in entirely different ways. A quote from Sita sat with me heavily “she wished their relationship could exist outside of her mothers ambition”, and that was ultimately my problem with this book, I hated the protagonist.
Dava Shastri was a complex and deeply flawed character, I applaud the author for taking such an approach, I am sure some people will have felt empathy or awe for Dava, but I found her self-serving, arrogant and conceited.
While I badly wanted to applaud such a strong female business woman, I couldn’t put aside the impact her ambition had on her family. All of her regrets in life seemed to come back to her public legacy, the words that meant the most to her in her final hours were praise about her work. She seemed to realise she failed her family but I don’t think she cared.
As much as I’m grappling with how I feel, I think this is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
There is no major storyline throughout this book, the books itself it’s mostly about the personal development of each family member as they grapple with the impending death of their mother and past secrets are revealed.
At times I found the pace slow, but it is a beautifully written novel and I’ve saved countless quotes from it.
I found it interesting to see how the 4 siblings had differing relationships and opinions of their amma and how they all struggled to reconcile their childhoods. I found I resonated with Sita and Arvie the most, the older children who were both disillusioned by their upbringing but dealt with it in entirely different ways. A quote from Sita sat with me heavily “she wished their relationship could exist outside of her mothers ambition”, and that was ultimately my problem with this book, I hated the protagonist.
Dava Shastri was a complex and deeply flawed character, I applaud the author for taking such an approach, I am sure some people will have felt empathy or awe for Dava, but I found her self-serving, arrogant and conceited.
While I badly wanted to applaud such a strong female business woman, I couldn’t put aside the impact her ambition had on her family. All of her regrets in life seemed to come back to her public legacy, the words that meant the most to her in her final hours were praise about her work. She seemed to realise she failed her family but I don’t think she cared.
As much as I’m grappling with how I feel, I think this is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes