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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
I’ve seen great reviews for this, but I could not get into it. I kept waiting for it to get good and pick up, and when I was 85% of the way through, I realized it wouldn’t. Would’ve been a DNF had I not been so far along already.
I wanted to like this book but it never clicked for me. Too much time spent narrating past events.
I can understand why people didn’t enjoy this book. I can understand why people didn’t care for the characters, the narration, the plot.
However, while I was on the fence at first, I ended up enjoying this immensely. Dava lived her life as best as she could, up until the end.
However, while I was on the fence at first, I ended up enjoying this immensely. Dava lived her life as best as she could, up until the end.
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was a profoundly bingeable book. it reminded me a lot of “the seven husbands of evelyn hugo” but I think I enjoyed this one more. I thought dava wasn’t very likable but perhaps that’s the point; it does create a very flawed character which suits the narrative well as someone looks back on their entire life before death. this book was exactly the type of easy reading experience I needed to close off the year.
Dava Shastri’s Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti
What an interesting life story! This reminded me of Evelyn Hugo. Dava is a powerful and celebrated woman who conquered business to become a philanthropist. During her last days, she has to face her children’s judgement as well as her own regrets and successes.
I really enjoyed these characters and learning about Dava’s decisions. A far from perfect character who made big choices but always stood her ground.
I did find this dragged a bit in the middle, I was waiting for something to happen. But it is defines character driven novel rather than plot. Still happy I read this one and am curious to see how other people felt about it!
Thanks to @grandcentralpub for my copy!
#davashastrislastday #grandcentralpub #gifted #book #books #mybooks #bookthoughts #bookishthoughts #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookish #canadianbookstagrammer #canadianbookstagram #bookstagram #thankyoupublishers #reading #readmore
What an interesting life story! This reminded me of Evelyn Hugo. Dava is a powerful and celebrated woman who conquered business to become a philanthropist. During her last days, she has to face her children’s judgement as well as her own regrets and successes.
I really enjoyed these characters and learning about Dava’s decisions. A far from perfect character who made big choices but always stood her ground.
I did find this dragged a bit in the middle, I was waiting for something to happen. But it is defines character driven novel rather than plot. Still happy I read this one and am curious to see how other people felt about it!
Thanks to @grandcentralpub for my copy!
#davashastrislastday #grandcentralpub #gifted #book #books #mybooks #bookthoughts #bookishthoughts #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookish #canadianbookstagrammer #canadianbookstagram #bookstagram #thankyoupublishers #reading #readmore
I can't even begin to describe how much I enjoyed this book.
I typically read novels with nihilistic themes to make myself feel better about my life (selfish I know, but it's a guilty pleasure). Usually, the main characters in these stories have terrible flaws that they don't recognize or actively fix. Dava's life, in a sense, could be considered to be the opposite of nihilism. Obviously, we could label her life down to the theme of careerism; but, I feel as if that's simplifying it too much. Her obsession to control the narrative of her life is her way of making meaning out of her life and her legacy.
I love Dava's character. Being Indian myself, I see my mother in Dava. A total badass, but also filled with annoying flaws that make me love her even more. It was so interesting for me to see similar cultural, social, emotional, mental, and financial aspects of life through just one character. Honestly, this is the first contemporary novel I've read featuring an Indian main character and a multicultural family with modern-day relationships. None of those themes overbore the sense of grief throughout the novel. The family, including Dava herself, had to come to terms with her planned death; all within a short period of time.
Dava's secrets drive the story. Each one reveals the relationship between her and her children; not to mention how spicy each secret is. Such a strong-willed person is brought to their knees on some occasions. The ability to recognize her tragic past, and put it away to build a successful future is so heart-rending but is also so inspirational. By the end of the book, it had me questioning what I would want people to recognize me for.
I am definitely biased since I feel like I can relate to the main character so well, but I would go as far as to say that this is one of the most enjoyable books I've read so far in my 23 years of life :)
I will absolutely be reading more of Kirthana Ramisetti's work in the future!
Overall Score: 4.7/5
I typically read novels with nihilistic themes to make myself feel better about my life (selfish I know, but it's a guilty pleasure). Usually, the main characters in these stories have terrible flaws that they don't recognize or actively fix. Dava's life, in a sense, could be considered to be the opposite of nihilism. Obviously, we could label her life down to the theme of careerism; but, I feel as if that's simplifying it too much. Her obsession to control the narrative of her life is her way of making meaning out of her life and her legacy.
I love Dava's character. Being Indian myself, I see my mother in Dava. A total badass, but also filled with annoying flaws that make me love her even more. It was so interesting for me to see similar cultural, social, emotional, mental, and financial aspects of life through just one character. Honestly, this is the first contemporary novel I've read featuring an Indian main character and a multicultural family with modern-day relationships. None of those themes overbore the sense of grief throughout the novel. The family, including Dava herself, had to come to terms with her planned death; all within a short period of time.
Dava's secrets drive the story. Each one reveals the relationship between her and her children; not to mention how spicy each secret is. Such a strong-willed person is brought to their knees on some occasions. The ability to recognize her tragic past, and put it away to build a successful future is so heart-rending but is also so inspirational. By the end of the book, it had me questioning what I would want people to recognize me for.
I am definitely biased since I feel like I can relate to the main character so well, but I would go as far as to say that this is one of the most enjoyable books I've read so far in my 23 years of life :)
I will absolutely be reading more of Kirthana Ramisetti's work in the future!
Overall Score: 4.7/5
This was enjoyable but I struggled to feel truly invested because all of the pieces felt like things I'd read before, and sometimes the way the pieces were put together felt a bit messy.
What should have been an excellent family drama with dramatized succession battles and what not, Dava Shastri's Last Day (the novel as well as the day) begins with a bang but falls a little tepid at the end. The characters - Predictable. The plot - More predictable. This book is like one of the television soaps where you can predict something 3 eons before. Though it has its own flaws, not a bad read.