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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Dava Shastri is one of the wealthiest people in the world and one of the most philanthropic. She has invited her four adult children to her private island to let them know that she has terminal cancer and intends to end her own life that very weekend. Even more surprising is that she misleads the world into thinking she is already dead so she can read her own obituaries.
I gotta be honest here - I really REALLY wanted to love this one… but I didn’t. I was hoping for Evelyn Hugo vibes and while some of the same themes were there, this one just didn’t hit its mark. This book is beautifully written and started out really strong, but it fell off soon after. I hate to say it but I was honestly bored through most of the book.
Despite some of them being being well developed, I just couldn’t connect with the characters and I disagreed with 90% of the choices Dava made throughout her life. While she helped thousands of strangers and her name became synonymous with philanthropy, I found her to be extremely selfish and self absorbed and was often frustrated with what I was reading. There were just so many characters and the book jumped between different time periods without a clear roadmap that it became a chore to read at times. Many of the flashbacks Dava had didn’t add to the story and made the book drag for me.
Solid premise and amazing cover, but it could have used a stronger execution.
I gotta be honest here - I really REALLY wanted to love this one… but I didn’t. I was hoping for Evelyn Hugo vibes and while some of the same themes were there, this one just didn’t hit its mark. This book is beautifully written and started out really strong, but it fell off soon after. I hate to say it but I was honestly bored through most of the book.
Despite some of them being being well developed, I just couldn’t connect with the characters and I disagreed with 90% of the choices Dava made throughout her life. While she helped thousands of strangers and her name became synonymous with philanthropy, I found her to be extremely selfish and self absorbed and was often frustrated with what I was reading. There were just so many characters and the book jumped between different time periods without a clear roadmap that it became a chore to read at times. Many of the flashbacks Dava had didn’t add to the story and made the book drag for me.
Solid premise and amazing cover, but it could have used a stronger execution.
This expansive family drama from debut author Kirthana Ramisetti follows philanthropist & billionaire Dava Shastri, the matriarch of a big Indian-American family, on her last day alive. Dying of cancer, Dava decides to end her life on her own terms. Before that moment, she alerts the press that she has already died so she can see how she'll be eulogized. She also gathers her children, their partners, and kids at her home off of Long Island. While trapped by a storm, family secrets are revealed and Dava, an Indian woman who yearns for the clout and accomplishments of JD Rockefeller, tries to counteract the media's sensational narratives about her life by inspiring her children & grandchildren to carry on her legacy.
I listened to this audiobook and the narrator, Soneela Nankani, does a wonderful job portraying a large cast. This novel is stuffed with characters, storylines, and conflict. Dava's story, rightly, intrigues above them all...but it's so compelling, I became somewhat bored with all the other characters, who seemed very similar to one another. One other quibble--the story takes place in 2044, but I didn't really get a feel for anything "futuristic" in the details Ramisetti shares in each scene.
That said, Dava is a wonderful character and absolutely the star of this novel. Complex and distinct, she's a force of nature with a complicated core. The stereotypical narrative is reversed--she's the breadwinner and strong personality of her marriage, while her husband is the docile one who handles domestic matters. She makes no apologies for her ambition, which is refreshing. And while she is strong in her convictions, she's still relatable in how vulnerable she becomes when her life nears its end.
I enjoyed this book and the emotive narration by Nankani. Yet, the storylines were still a bit too convoluted for me to be fully invested in the secondary characters and their stories. If you're a fan of messy, dramatic, family-centered novels, you'll absolutely enjoy this debut.
Much thanks to @netgalley and @grandcentral for the #giftedcopies in exchange for an honest review.
I listened to this audiobook and the narrator, Soneela Nankani, does a wonderful job portraying a large cast. This novel is stuffed with characters, storylines, and conflict. Dava's story, rightly, intrigues above them all...but it's so compelling, I became somewhat bored with all the other characters, who seemed very similar to one another. One other quibble--the story takes place in 2044, but I didn't really get a feel for anything "futuristic" in the details Ramisetti shares in each scene.
That said, Dava is a wonderful character and absolutely the star of this novel. Complex and distinct, she's a force of nature with a complicated core. The stereotypical narrative is reversed--she's the breadwinner and strong personality of her marriage, while her husband is the docile one who handles domestic matters. She makes no apologies for her ambition, which is refreshing. And while she is strong in her convictions, she's still relatable in how vulnerable she becomes when her life nears its end.
I enjoyed this book and the emotive narration by Nankani. Yet, the storylines were still a bit too convoluted for me to be fully invested in the secondary characters and their stories. If you're a fan of messy, dramatic, family-centered novels, you'll absolutely enjoy this debut.
Much thanks to @netgalley and @grandcentral for the #giftedcopies in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars. This was a book that dwelled on the last few days of Dava Shastri's life. Dava was a semi-famous, uber-wealthy woman with a large family who she brought together to be with her when she decided to end her life. In it's best moments, this was reminiscent of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo; at its worst moments, I was bored and wanted the author to pick up the pace. If you're into character-driven, emotional stories, this one might be for you!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I almost didn’t read this book because of the subject matter and reviews. I am glad I did.
Philanthropist Dava Shastri is dying, and decides on assisted suicide. She also decides to announce her death before it happens, so she can learn about her impact on the world.
That’s not the real story here. It’s about messy families, decisions that impact others, and dealing with pain. Dava is a complicated woman who often did great things for very selfish reasons. But I still grew to care for her.
I almost didn’t read this book because of the subject matter and reviews. I am glad I did.
Philanthropist Dava Shastri is dying, and decides on assisted suicide. She also decides to announce her death before it happens, so she can learn about her impact on the world.
That’s not the real story here. It’s about messy families, decisions that impact others, and dealing with pain. Dava is a complicated woman who often did great things for very selfish reasons. But I still grew to care for her.
I made it halfway but was bored to tears.
emotional
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Do you like messy family dynamics and drama? Ever think that the deceased would care to know what is said about them after they die? Dava Shastri’s Last Day is for you!
Dava is the matriarch of her family as well as CEO of her multiple philanthropic organizations. As one of the most famous people on the planet, she is too curious to read about her own obituary before she dies from terminal brain cancer. Dava is so obsessed with her legacy after she passes that she has her death announced to the media a few days before her actual death from physician-assisted suicide (which is legal in this reality). She then spends the next few days trying to bond with her children and grandchildren in her secluded winter lodge, but what she really does is assign them unwanted projects for them to continue her philanthropist legacy after she dies.
We get to explore Dava and her children’s backstories through a series of flashbacks during Dava’s final days on Earth. Since the media is more interested in Dava’s relationship scandals and possible secret love-child over her philanthropic legacy, her family naturally wants answers, much to Dava’s chagrin. She laments that “no matter what a woman achieves, she is always reduced to her sex life,” (my favorite line from the book!).
The book takes place over the course of a few days, starting from when the family arrives at their vacation home to Dava’s death. Every member of the Shastri-Persson family is incredibly flawed. I would never choose to be friends with any of them, but that’s what makes the book so interesting to read. If you are looking for a book with non-linear character development, Dava could be for you!
Dava’s four children are surprisingly resentful of their mother, but we come to understand their perspectives as well. My favorite character was Dava, because even though she has selfish and obsessive tendencies, starting with her preoccupation regarding her legacy, she definitely cares about empowering women and raising a happy family. Dava’s children on the other hand, who are half-Indian and half-Swedish, are woefully unaware of their privilege
One of the reasons I couldn’t give this book a higher rating was all the 70s and 80s pop song references throughout the book. I guess I am out of the loop on the popularity and importance of some of these songs. I also got a little bored without a change in scenery. Dava and her kids have many flashbacks as they reflect on Dava’s life, but the entirety of the story takes place over a week at the house. Despite all the scene changes, the book still has a slow pace.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Kirthana Ramisetti for a gifted ARC and eARC in exchange for an honest review. As an Indian-American, I really enjoyed reading my first piece of “literary” fiction by a South Asian woman!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent