Kirthana Ramisetti Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Kirthana Ramisetti is a fiction and contemporary writer who worked in the Media for more than ten years before writing. She was awarded an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College, and her work was featured in The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, The Atlantic, among other platforms.

Her first novel is Dava Shastri’s Last Day, published in 2021.

Dava Shastri’s Last Day
The novel is a multigenerational story about family, our decisions, and the consequences of those decisions. Dava Shastri is a philanthropist who has spent most of her life helping people, especially women and the arts. She has an outstanding reputation, but everything changed in her life after she was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer at seventy.

After learning that her time on earth is coming to an end due to the long-term terminal illness, she calls her four adult children and their families to tell them the news and spent some time together during her last days. She chooses to take things concerning her life into her own hands.

She invites them to come to her remote private island. She’s one of the wealthiest women who have lived with a clean reputation, and cancer has changed her life entirely. The doctor is on standby for waiting for the final day to end to assist with terminating her life.

To their shock, they find that Dava has already spread the news to the world through the media for her to see how the world will react and the legacy she’ll leave behind. She wants to read her obituaries before her final day. She wants to know what people will say after her death and how she’ll be mourned. She’s one of those people who’ve always imagined attending their funeral and understand how people will talk about her after she’s gone

Being someone who dedicated all her life to arts and women’s empowerment, she expects to read positive comments of her excellent and philanthropic work. As you all know, every decision come with consequences and secrets related to Dava start uncovering, forcing her to reckon with. The news of her death brings out shattering secrets, and the things she thought she had buried forever are now out for the world to hear.

She thought the obituaries would be full of praise for her good heart, and work immediately turns into a scandal and gossip after a rumor of her affair with a rock singer is spread on the day of the announcement. Dava’s so shocked when the old secrets are all over the news, and instead of listening and reading the good tributes she expected, she has to deal with the rumors that she isn’t able to deny.

The most devastating thing is that the whole world is now aware of the secrets, including her children. The time remaining before her death, she’s to reconcile with the people close to her. As the story moves on, her children try coming into terms with Dava’s legacy and her relationship with them as their hardworking, powerful and mostly absent mother.

In her devoting life to serving others, family and home life have always come the second. Even though she raised her children to devote themselves to family and charitable causes, she encourages them to do their soul searching and find their purpose in life while figuring out whether they want to emulate or rebel against their mother.

In the book, there are numerous lovely moments as the siblings enjoy their connections, marriages and relationship as they figure out their position in the world. The grandchildren also have their roles to play as this’s their last chance to connect with their grandmother better and the paths she chose to follow.
Sandi, her newest daughter-in-law, takes all the grandchildren to Dava’s room to spend their last moments with her. Dava offers the grandchildren to ask her one question, which she’ll give an honest answer but on the condition that it never leaves the room.

The author has also given some information about the musician and other details about their affair. It’s refreshing how Dava opens to her grandchildren in a way that she’s never done before, even with her kids.

The novel is a gripping and satisfying story of a woman’s tremendous life and how she created her legacy. It’s a real page-turner with humor, heart and lots of music. The story questions how society values women, celebrity culture, and the legacies people leave behind after they are gone.

Kirthana Ramisetti has woven a saga and poignant story on sacrifice, and the price one has to pay for keeping secrets. The story is more about family and love and can be read by anyone. It also discusses ambition, wealth, heartbreak and hope. Be sure to experience a hilarious and heartfelt story about legacy, privacy and power as you read about the journey of a character that’s willing to do anything it costs to make correct the wrongs she did to other people.
The author has drawn fascinating characters that are entertaining and introspective. Dava Shastri’s last Day’s a compassionately written novel filled with humor as it examines public versus private legacy, love complications and joy and frustrations that come with a family.

Dava is a fascinating character, an independent and self-made woman whose life comprises challenges and success. She’s most inexplicable, and at first, you may think that she’s a lady who puts a lot of emphasis on luxuries but later, we soon realize that there is more to her than being powerful and successful.
The characters are lovable; their relationships, secrets and unique story are evident. The story starts slow as it builds up to a fantastic novel. Ramisetti has done a superb job creating Dava’s memorable character as she takes her reader on an emotional ride. There are so many beautiful scenes that will have you shedding a tear as the family cherish their last moments.