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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
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.
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.
I just couldn't find anything redeemable in the main character even after reading a third of the book, so I gave up.
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.
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.
I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did. It seemed like it was be juicy and exciting. It wasn’t and I didn’t like Dava very much. This reminded me of The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo in the aspects of aging celebrity recalling their past and the scandals but this was by no means a juicy as Evelyn’s story.
The characters weren’t very likable. As much as Dava was a visionary and generous, one of her sons said it best; it was basically all for clout. The wonderful things she did were because she wanted people to think of her as generous. Instead of just being generous, she was obsessed with people knowing it and had all these rules for her family and their significant others to make sure her legacy and last name was acknowledged. The whole trip to Beatrix Island and her plan for that time with family is horrific. If I saw reports as her family members did I would be livid. I also am baffled about why people keep illnesses hush hush. Not telling the public is one thing but your family? Your children that have already lost one parent? It’s cruel. Dava also wrote that letter to Chai and didn’t want her to ever read it?! Like what.
The plot with the rockstar was also weird. Dava was just super self centered. How could you agree to it and then mad when your name is used? … she spent too much time trying to protect her image. She also had everyone lock up their devices then proceed to use them the entire time to Google her and what was being said about her with all the craziness going on. I can’t think of one character here I actually liked aside from the husband that passed away. The memories of him make him sound truly lovely.
The characters weren’t very likable. As much as Dava was a visionary and generous, one of her sons said it best; it was basically all for clout. The wonderful things she did were because she wanted people to think of her as generous. Instead of just being generous, she was obsessed with people knowing it and had all these rules for her family and their significant others to make sure her legacy and last name was acknowledged. The whole trip to Beatrix Island and her plan for that time with family is horrific. If I saw reports as her family members did I would be livid. I also am baffled about why people keep illnesses hush hush. Not telling the public is one thing but your family? Your children that have already lost one parent? It’s cruel. Dava also wrote that letter to Chai and didn’t want her to ever read it?! Like what.
The plot with the rockstar was also weird. Dava was just super self centered. How could you agree to it and then mad when your name is used? … she spent too much time trying to protect her image. She also had everyone lock up their devices then proceed to use them the entire time to Google her and what was being said about her with all the craziness going on. I can’t think of one character here I actually liked aside from the husband that passed away. The memories of him make him sound truly lovely.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this audiobook. I listened on a long car ride when I needed a light distraction. The character of Dava was developed well and I loved how the author wove the importance of songs throughout the book
Another example of a richly written book with so much substance and intrigue then zero conclusion and punch at end