Dava Shastri's Last Day
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- Create Date：2021-12-27 06:51:17
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kirthana Ramisetti
- ISBN：1538703866
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Summary
In this thought-provoking and entertaining debut novel about of a multicultural family， a dying billionaire matriarch leaks news of her death early so she can examine her legacy--a decision that horrifies her children and inadvertently exposes secrets she has spent a lifetime keeping。
Dava Shastri， one of the world's wealthiest women， has always lived with her sterling reputation in mind。 A brain cancer diagnosis at the age of seventy， however， changes everything， as she decides to take her death—like all matters of her life—into her own hands。
Summoning her four adult children to her private island， she discloses shocking news: in addition to having a terminal illness， she has arranged for the news of her death to break early， so she can read her obituaries。
As someone who dedicated her life to the arts and the empowerment of women， Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work。 Instead， her "death" reveals two devastating secrets， truths she thought she had buried forever。
And now the whole world knows， including her children。
In the time she has left， Dava must come to terms with the decisions that have led to this moment—and make peace with those closest to her before it's too late。
Compassionately written and chock-full of humor and heart， this powerful novel examines public versus private legacy， the complexities of love， and the never-ending joys—and frustrations—of family。
Dava Shastri， one of the world's wealthiest women， has always lived with her sterling reputation in mind。 A brain cancer diagnosis at the age of seventy， however， changes everything， as she decides to take her death—like all matters of her life—into her own hands。
Summoning her four adult children to her private island， she discloses shocking news: in addition to having a terminal illness， she has arranged for the news of her death to break early， so she can read her obituaries。
As someone who dedicated her life to the arts and the empowerment of women， Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work。 Instead， her "death" reveals two devastating secrets， truths she thought she had buried forever。
And now the whole world knows， including her children。
In the time she has left， Dava must come to terms with the decisions that have led to this moment—and make peace with those closest to her before it's too late。
Compassionately written and chock-full of humor and heart， this powerful novel examines public versus private legacy， the complexities of love， and the never-ending joys—and frustrations—of family。
Reviews
Jaclyn
，
Beautiful and moving。 Also a bit slow at times， to the point that I thought it may make for a more entertaining movie than book。 But then the last few chapters。。。 from the moment Dava gets to spend alone time with Sandi and the grandkids， all the way to the final resolutions for the family members。。。 are an absolute tearjerker。 In a good way， but I wouldn't recommend reading it as a feel-good vacation tale。 Beautiful and moving。 Also a bit slow at times， to the point that I thought it may make for a more entertaining movie than book。 But then the last few chapters。。。 from the moment Dava gets to spend alone time with Sandi and the grandkids， all the way to the final resolutions for the family members。。。 are an absolute tearjerker。 In a good way， but I wouldn't recommend reading it as a feel-good vacation tale。 。。。more
pawsandpagesbyannie
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Thank you to @netgalley @grandcentralpub @hachetteaudio for the ALC and a for a copy of the book in return for my honest review。 。My thoughts…Thought-provoking。 This was a really good debut novel from Kirthana Ramisetti。 I’m not a big fan of family dramas， but I enjoyed this one。 It helped that I listened to it。 Because， reading it would have annoyed me， since pretty much all the characters were selfish。 But， that made the book good， because the characters were developed well。 Also， there were m Thank you to @netgalley @grandcentralpub @hachetteaudio for the ALC and a for a copy of the book in return for my honest review。 。My thoughts…Thought-provoking。 This was a really good debut novel from Kirthana Ramisetti。 I’m not a big fan of family dramas， but I enjoyed this one。 It helped that I listened to it。 Because， reading it would have annoyed me， since pretty much all the characters were selfish。 But， that made the book good， because the characters were developed well。 Also， there were many characters in here that you need to keep tracked。 I was hoping we could listen to the original song， lo and behold， it was in the epilogue。 That was great。 。。 。。。more
Meghan McNamara
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An excellent choice for my end of year book！ The characters were all so compelling and fleshed out， I felt I knew them。 I loved the stories this novel told about family， siblings， mothers， love， partners and relationships。 Highly recommend！
Katie
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I enjoyed this book but I think it would have been better if it were 50-100 pages shorter。 In the middle it began to drag and lose my interest， but I did still like learning about Dava， her history， and watching how her children interacted with each other reminded me of the dynamic I have with my own sibling。If you love character-driven novels then you'll love this one。 It was a beautiful story。 I enjoyed this book but I think it would have been better if it were 50-100 pages shorter。 In the middle it began to drag and lose my interest， but I did still like learning about Dava， her history， and watching how her children interacted with each other reminded me of the dynamic I have with my own sibling。If you love character-driven novels then you'll love this one。 It was a beautiful story。 。。。more
Lauren
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Eh。 Way too much of a beach read for me。
stacie
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Maybe 2。5 stars？ Dava publishes her obituary a couple of days before she dies so she can read what others say about her。 During this time， she is in her large home with her children and grandchildren。 It tells the story of her kids learning some secrets that occurred in her life。 I didn't really enjoy the main characters， but I gave it 2。5 stars because it made me think - what would other say about me after I die， as well as the messages to us all: be generous with your time， talent， money， leav Maybe 2。5 stars？ Dava publishes her obituary a couple of days before she dies so she can read what others say about her。 During this time， she is in her large home with her children and grandchildren。 It tells the story of her kids learning some secrets that occurred in her life。 I didn't really enjoy the main characters， but I gave it 2。5 stars because it made me think - what would other say about me after I die， as well as the messages to us all: be generous with your time， talent， money， leave a legacy behind， and be honest with those around you。 。。。more
Becky
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When self made billionaire Dave Shastri gets a terminal brain cancer diagnosis， she announces her death to the media a day so she can read her obituaries。 She anticipates the obituaries will go glowing as she has devoted her life to phiianthropic causes， and her a foundation to prove it。 Her idea backfires when secrets from her past surface which she must resolve before her death。 Her four adult children and their children are horrified when they read the news of their mother's death in the pape When self made billionaire Dave Shastri gets a terminal brain cancer diagnosis， she announces her death to the media a day so she can read her obituaries。 She anticipates the obituaries will go glowing as she has devoted her life to phiianthropic causes， and her a foundation to prove it。 Her idea backfires when secrets from her past surface which she must resolve before her death。 Her four adult children and their children are horrified when they read the news of their mother's death in the paper， with imaginable results。 In many ways， this was an entertaining book which could have been better if the author was a better writer of characters and made the story a little more believable。 Still。。。。a good read。 。。。more
Yashodhara
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I picked up this book since it was a GMA pick， and the fact that the picture of the woman on the cover resembles the Indian actress ‘Rekha’; but I just could not get past the flaws to enjoy the story。 This was a disappointing read。
Angie Aikens
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I really enjoyed this book。 The story was about more than just Dava and allowed insights into how we handle grief and happiness， what makes us who we are， and that just because we see ourselves a certain way doesn’t mean others do as well。 Once I started， I struggled to put it down and have recommended to others。
Brynn | readyourworriesaway
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This debut novel by Kirthana Ramisetti blew me away。 The writing was phenomenal。 The story was multi-faceted。 The characters were complex… the list goes on。 I also love a good setting — Dava’s last day was spent with her family at her secluded island house。 The Dava Shastri， one of the world’s wealthiest women， had to navigate life in the public eye — so it was no surprise that secrets would be revealed。 The story had both funny and heartbreaking undertones at times。 My only dislike was that I d This debut novel by Kirthana Ramisetti blew me away。 The writing was phenomenal。 The story was multi-faceted。 The characters were complex… the list goes on。 I also love a good setting — Dava’s last day was spent with her family at her secluded island house。 The Dava Shastri， one of the world’s wealthiest women， had to navigate life in the public eye — so it was no surprise that secrets would be revealed。 The story had both funny and heartbreaking undertones at times。 My only dislike was that I didn’t really connect with any of the characters。 However， I loved reading a book with a main character in their 70s。 Dava Shastri’s Last Day explores wealth in the public eye， love， loss， and family。 。。。more
Sharada Sridhar
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This is the 1。 Best2。 Most moving 3。 Most readablenovel I have read all year， an honestly one of the best I've read in a long time。 Characters were so well drawn that even when we only got a snippet， it felt clear that decision was deliberate。 And the plot！！ The plot！！！ There are so many ways this story could have been derailed but it was actually perfect。 I genuinely am going to *buy* myself a copy that's how much I loved it。 This is the 1。 Best2。 Most moving 3。 Most readablenovel I have read all year， an honestly one of the best I've read in a long time。 Characters were so well drawn that even when we only got a snippet， it felt clear that decision was deliberate。 And the plot！！ The plot！！！ There are so many ways this story could have been derailed but it was actually perfect。 I genuinely am going to *buy* myself a copy that's how much I loved it。 。。。more
Jessica Frank
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I enjoyed this book， but you have to be in the right mindframe for it。 It's very heavy。 I'm not sure if I liked Dava or not。 There were things to respect about her， there were interesting aspects， but I'm not sure about her relationship with her kids。 I enjoyed this book， but you have to be in the right mindframe for it。 It's very heavy。 I'm not sure if I liked Dava or not。 There were things to respect about her， there were interesting aspects， but I'm not sure about her relationship with her kids。 。。。more
Pnot
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This was a depressing book 。
Laura
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This book has a great beginning。 I really wanted to love it， but as the book evolved I realized that I couldn't love the main character。 Dava Shastri has decided to end her life and invited her 4 children to her private island。 The kids are a mess: living through their mother's dreams， they all carry the scars of her ambition。 Their father's death at an early age has impacted each of them in various ways。I also don't understand why the setting is a futuristic 2044。Well-written with good characte This book has a great beginning。 I really wanted to love it， but as the book evolved I realized that I couldn't love the main character。 Dava Shastri has decided to end her life and invited her 4 children to her private island。 The kids are a mess: living through their mother's dreams， they all carry the scars of her ambition。 Their father's death at an early age has impacted each of them in various ways。I also don't understand why the setting is a futuristic 2044。Well-written with good characters and a tight plot， I would definitely try another one by this author。 。。。more
Jennifer Philbrook
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What do you get when you cross an extremely narcissistic mother with her kids that just want to get out from under her shadow？ This book is what you get。 It was sad and pathetic。
Stephanie
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A fun mix of family drama/history and rich people problems， both of which greatly appeal to me。 It's interesting that the setting is in the future rather than being set in today and looking back over the past ~forty years。 A fun mix of family drama/history and rich people problems， both of which greatly appeal to me。 It's interesting that the setting is in the future rather than being set in today and looking back over the past ~forty years。 。。。more
Renee Hawkins
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This was a fine story and message but， I couldn't get invested in the characters。 it just didn't grab me。 This was a fine story and message but， I couldn't get invested in the characters。 it just didn't grab me。 。。。more
Michelle Walters
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3。75
Erin Charpentier
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I really expected to love this book， but it never clicked。 The characters for whatever reason were hard for me to differentiate。 The names were confusing and honestly， not a one was fleshed out in anyway that made them memorable or interesting。 Including Dava herself。
Kasa Cotugno
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Wish I'd liked this more， but it didn't deliver for me。 Wish I'd liked this more， but it didn't deliver for me。 。。。more
Janet Sydnor
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unique family dramaSometimes I find contemporary novels to be full of very unlikeable characters （aka The Nest）。 As if， creating them is a hallmark of modern literary fiction。 The family in this story is flawed but not so awful I wanted to know why they behaved or felt a certain way。 I liked how the story unwound， great pacing and I liked how the grandchildren are the catalyst in bringing them all together。 Many plot lines to unpack—would be a good book club book。
Melanie
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Too many characters。 Some names were similar。 Could not keep track of who was who。
Will Singleton
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More than 50% done but I think I will be DNFing this。 Really disappointed because the premise sounds so fun and interesting but the book itself just didn’t hold my attention。 It started slow and then got better， but then I just felt like it didn’t go anywhere else for the longest time and I found myself getting removed from the story a lot。 One other thing that I didn’t quite understand was the decision to set the novel in 2044。 For some reason it just made the details of the book a little less More than 50% done but I think I will be DNFing this。 Really disappointed because the premise sounds so fun and interesting but the book itself just didn’t hold my attention。 It started slow and then got better， but then I just felt like it didn’t go anywhere else for the longest time and I found myself getting removed from the story a lot。 One other thing that I didn’t quite understand was the decision to set the novel in 2044。 For some reason it just made the details of the book a little less clear to me。 。。。more
Ashley Durkee Hester
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I really didn’t like this book at first。 I thought it was kind of boring and that the characters lacked depth。 BUT！ About 100 pages in， the narrative shifted away from the present and into Dava’s past， giving tons of insight into her business， her relationships， and her flaws。 And she was so damn relatable。 I adored this part of the book， where I got to really be in Dava’s life and experience the ups and downs through her eyes。 Up until the last 100 pages or so， I was always less invested in the I really didn’t like this book at first。 I thought it was kind of boring and that the characters lacked depth。 BUT！ About 100 pages in， the narrative shifted away from the present and into Dava’s past， giving tons of insight into her business， her relationships， and her flaws。 And she was so damn relatable。 I adored this part of the book， where I got to really be in Dava’s life and experience the ups and downs through her eyes。 Up until the last 100 pages or so， I was always less invested in the present timeline with Dava’s adult children。 They took a long time to get fleshed out and often felt a little one dimensional to me。 Though part of me wonders if this was intentional， as until late in the book the siblings really don’t know each other。 By the end， though， the characters learned important truths about each other and themselves， resulting in an emotional， heartwarming read。 All in all， though it has its flaws， this is a solid debut。 I’ll definitely check out whatever Ramisetti writes next。 3。5 Stars CW: cancer， death of a parent， death of a spouse， infidelity， emotional abuse， postpartum depression 。。。more
Brianna Haufman
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Written in a fictional autobiographical style， this book tells the story of an Indian Elitist who has strived to make a name for herself and the legacy she wants to leave behind。 While celebrating the holidays with her kids and grandchildren on her private island， Dava is pronounced dead and she and her family are forced to read and listen to the stories written about her life and career as many family secrets are uncovered。 But honestly， while a sentimental story about being a woman， immigrant Written in a fictional autobiographical style， this book tells the story of an Indian Elitist who has strived to make a name for herself and the legacy she wants to leave behind。 While celebrating the holidays with her kids and grandchildren on her private island， Dava is pronounced dead and she and her family are forced to read and listen to the stories written about her life and career as many family secrets are uncovered。 But honestly， while a sentimental story about being a woman， immigrant and self starter， most of the characters including Dava were pretty selfish and I didn’t side with any of them。 I listened to this as an audiobook and it was way more enjoyable than if I were to read it， I could just imagine scenarios instead of having to keep track of characters names; also there were some fun moments including an original song that was actually played at the epilogue of the book which was pretty cool。 Thank you Netgalley for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Gerry
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Interesting family drama surrounding one woman’s life of ambition， philanthropy and expectations for her adult children。 3。5 stars。
Michael Johnston
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Kirthana Ramisetti has accomplished something rarified with her book Dava Shastri's Last Day。 She has a written a book filled with complex nuanced characters。 Individuals created out of whole cloth who are realistic and complete in their insecurities， narcissism， kindness， joys and sadness and who capture the full complexity of familial relationships。It is rare in my experience that authors are capable of crafting a comprehensive cast of complete characters。 No human being I have ever met is one Kirthana Ramisetti has accomplished something rarified with her book Dava Shastri's Last Day。 She has a written a book filled with complex nuanced characters。 Individuals created out of whole cloth who are realistic and complete in their insecurities， narcissism， kindness， joys and sadness and who capture the full complexity of familial relationships。It is rare in my experience that authors are capable of crafting a comprehensive cast of complete characters。 No human being I have ever met is one dimensional。 We can all be arrogant， insecure， petty or magnanimous in turn and we are all deeply influenced by our upbringing， family relationships and childhood history （for good and bad）。 We are complex human beings and it is difficult to capture this complexity in its full glory in writing。It is easier， I believe， to craft one-dimensional characters in the pursuit of a more complex plot objective or to create a singular nuanced character surrounded by individuals who play bit parts in a larger more subtle story。 Yet here， Ramisetti has created a full cast of deep and realistic characters as part of a remarkably nuanced plot。The story begins with a simple idea - what if we could be around to hear what people said about us after we died。 What if we could fully understand the legacy that we left the world with our lives。 Dava Shastri is a self-made billionaire with a terminal disease， and she wants to understand the legacy she has left for the world， so she has her lawyers announce her passing early。 The lessons she learns in the aftermath - being able to read her obituary through statements from both the rich and famous and those whose lives she touched - is not at all what she expects and the resulting revelations about her life and family are beautiful and sad。 Ramisetti brilliantly captures her lead character's life and personality unapologetically revealing her arrogance， her preoccupation with fame and reputation and her obsession for being remembered as a self-made billionaire and generous philanthropist。 Yet， we can also see the imperfect human that suffered during her life， found great love and betrayed it， cared deeply for her children （but didn't always know how to show it） and made life altering gifts that changed the lives of people in need。 Her children are reflected in three dimensions as well combining their resentment of their mother's desire to control their lives， their complicated， yet loving relationships with their siblings and even their complicated relationship with their own cultural identities。 Dava Shastri's Last Day turns out to be a sad， insightful and beautiful story of families， fame， wealth， regret， deep love and ultimately the loss of our parents and what that means for our lives。 Most importantly， it is a look into the realistic relationship we all have with our own legacies and our family relationships。 It's a wonderful story and I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Denise Matthew
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When I still wasn’t engaged with plot or characters after listening to 6 of 13 hrs of audible book， I quit， which I rarely if ever do。 No humorous moments as reviews promised。 The way Dava compartmentalized her life， allowing her to think of herself as a woman of high character while lacking it， was disturbing。
Tanya
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Looking for more of a beach read。 This story is moreIntense and slow burning， at least the setup part I got through。
Olivia
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DAVA SHASTRI'S LAST DAY is an interesting look at family， legacy， secrets， and grief/loss。 Dava Shastri is a wealthy philanthropist who has lived a full life to 70， when she found out she has lung cancer which spread to her brain。 Watching her mind and body begin to fail her has been tough for Dava， and she has found a doctor who will help her with euthanasia。 While it is scheduled for the next day， she has gathered her children at her remote home without their devices and leaked the news of her DAVA SHASTRI'S LAST DAY is an interesting look at family， legacy， secrets， and grief/loss。 Dava Shastri is a wealthy philanthropist who has lived a full life to 70， when she found out she has lung cancer which spread to her brain。 Watching her mind and body begin to fail her has been tough for Dava， and she has found a doctor who will help her with euthanasia。 While it is scheduled for the next day， she has gathered her children at her remote home without their devices and leaked the news of her death through her lawyer。Dava is curious about her eulogies and the things that people will write about her - and she is now in the unique position of being able to see them。 As the day continues and Dava monitors the news while reconnecting with her children and telling them the things she wishes them to know before she passes， Dava realizes the secrets she worked so hard to buried are coming to light at a pace faster than she ever could have anticipated。The ability to have a last day， when you can reconcile all your secrets and all the things you wished you could say， is an intriguing premise。 This character-driven story pulls the reader in by the premise and keeps them gripped as the secrets are revealed and the children grapple with what they knew and are learning about their mother。 While many of the characters were not always likable， their stories were compelling。 Each of the children is brought to life， in addition to Dava， making for some unique vignettes as we peek into their lives， wishes， and dreams。 This is a day in which all their lives are changed， and the ability to see these changes and their ripples was particularly gripping。Overall， DAVA SHASTRI'S LAST DAY is a compelling， character-driven story with deep themes around family， loss， legacy， and the things we leave behind。 Would recommend for people who enjoy family drama， slow-building reads， and complex characters。Please note that I received a review copy。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dava Shastri's Last Day
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dava Shastri's Last Day&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft