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Summary: If you think things aren't going well for you..READ THIS..
Review: ...I had to share this with someone..my friends haven't read the book yet so I can't even begin to describe or explain the emotions that I feel with them. I'm even more grateful for my upbringing..my country....my parents...what a blessing that we can enjoy life..with a sense of civility, normalcy and relative calm compared to life for the four main characters (no fault of their own)...every page I turned anxiously awaiting their fate...with hopes that things would be better...alas it might have been different had they not made some of the choices they had...but that's the beauty of life...you never know where it will lead if you don't take a chance...a hauntingly beautiful, exquisite (Oprah used that word) book..that is bound to show us that sometimes we think we have problems...ha!!! look at someone else's life and our "pity party" will be over in a minute.....A MUST READ.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of time/money.
Review: After reading all the rave reviews I thought this might be a real find-was I mistaken. The book is a very long winded, muddled sob story with no wit or drama and doesn't sustain the reader's interest in the characters. It's as banal as an afternoon soap, but considerably less entertaining. The author tries to inject local colour by screwing about with the grammar, it doesn't really work. I've met lots of Indians and while they do have a characteristic way of speaking English this is not it (setting aside the fact that the kind of people in the book aren't going to speak any, in reality). As for the plot, it may be summarized by 'Rich Person do Bad Thing to Poor People. Poor People Die in unlikely ways', (or worse) hang about for several hundred pages. The setting for most of this is so patently false and seems constructed from various newspaper articles-I wonder if the author actually spent much time in India lately. I've visited several times in the past few yrs., and the poverty, squalor etc. is easily distinguished from the stereotyped stuff here.
However, my greatest complaint is that the book is so totally boring-if a novel can't aspire to art it must entertain. There are many better writers (in fairness, I haven't tried Mistry's other books) about India-R.Kipling, R.K.Narayan, V.S. Naipaul, Amitav Ghosh, for the more serious and thought provoking stuff and if one wants a nice long soap opera of a book Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy (haven't read the whole thing but it was fun and will return to it) does very well. Mistry's book can't be recommended on any grounds.
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Summary: Modern Masterpiece on Present Suffering of the Untouchables
Review: I can vouch for the truth of every horror two Untouchable heroes experience in this masterful novel by Mistry. Having grown up as an Untouchable in a village in India I know someone among my people who has suffered one or more of the unbearable sufferings so vividly narrated by the author. Going through the book I wondered how Mistry knew all these things about my people? The book is not about emergency period of Indira Gandhi. She was just a small blimp on millenia old history of caste system. She offended oppressive upper caste people lot more than the Untouchables. The horrors against the Untouchables persist. All you have to do is read a report from the Amnesty International.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!
Review: Don't start this book unless you intend to finish it. Don't start this book without expecting to be haunted by it. As a South Asian who has travelled to the subcontinent many times, I can safely say that what Rohinton Mistry depicts is very very accurate. This book is probably the closest many Americans will come to actually visiting India. Every single character (and there are many) affects the reader and every single character is unforgettable. Other reviewers have gotten themselves caught up in the despair and the struggle faced by many of the characters on a daily/hourly basis. Looking beyond the horrible things that happen, however, its possible to the see the important message in the book: hope. Oprah should be thanked for bringing this book to everyone's attention. It certainly deserves all the praise its been getting.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Balance
Review: What a beautifully written book! A culture so backwards with a government so very corrupt, yet still human. It teaches you about a different culture and tells you their thoughts, tribulations and joys. I absolutely loved it. To learn how these fellow humans existed and depended upon one another is so very inspirational. It will really make you appreciate your life and the gifts that have been given to you.
AMAZING!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Way too depressing to be enjoyable
Review: Of all of Oprah's picks, this has to be the most depressing -- and that's saying a lot!!! A book doesn't have to be lighthearted and fluffy for me to enjoy it but I wanted to throw myself in front of a train after almost every chapter. I read each chapter cringing in fear of what was to come. That said, the book is extremely well-written and vividly describes life in India during historically tumultuous times. I would give the writing ***** but only gave the book ** because I just didn't enjoy the story.
Rating: 
Summary: A Painful but Enlightening Novel
Review: Rohinton Mistry writes a brilliant story about India in the 1970's. I had little knowledge about the conditions or government policies of the country at that time. My eyes have been opened. I had no idea of the corruption and brutality that became common place for the people there. I learned of the caste system and its circumstances for the untouchables. Mistry brings together four people, Maneck, Dina, Ishvar and his nephew Omprakesh. We see their struggle against horrific circumstances and their ability to persevere with courage and spirit. These people are tough, mentally...their capacity for survival is unforgettable. Ishvar's character was amazing. Despite their hardship he never gave up hope, his good manners nor did he forget the meaning of gratitude. Together they overcame obstacles that ordinary people cannot even comprehend. Mistry has woven together these people and their stories in finely detailed language. Life is indeed a balancing act, for these people it became a way of life.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Balance...
Review: The character plights are thought provoking. The characters from different castes and how they interact with each other will rouse you. It makes you feel grateful for the state of the US government, although we often complain about it. Our worst fears are revealed in this book, as we observe the adventures and survival strategies of these people. Perhaps, because we know that although the story may be fictional, the plights are not. You'll enjoy the relationship between Karma, and how it relates to fate. The story is provocative, sad, and exceptional.
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Summary: WOW!
Review: I have been fascinated by the Indian culture for over a year. I have met and talked to several Indians, and none of them could describe the culture, the people, the politics, as detailed as Rohinton Mistry. I laughed, I cried, and the ending, the last 100 pages or so, I wanted to throw the book out the window. I was so angry, so moved by what all these people experienced, I could not bear to read, nor could I bear not to read, the final one hundred pages. It has been a long time since i have been able to sit down and focus on a book so fully - I read all 604 pages in 4 days, very unusual for me. More than ever i want to visit India, and more than ever I feel such a passion for the culture, the people, and the pain that city life and rural life alike produce. I will read this book again and again!
Rating:
Summary: (4.5) Brilliant writing, stunning in scope
Review: This layered novel of India is a vivid portrayal of hardship, grief, passion and hope. Mistry's love of India shines through even the darkest passages, unflinching. His four main characters carry the entire story: Maneck, a student; Dina "Aunty" Dalal, a widow; and Ishvar and Omprakesh, who have abandoned their caste as tanners to become tailors. The tailors, the most destitute of all the characters, carry a message of hope as they overcome each obstacle life places in their path. These four people live under the same roof for a short time, in the interest of mutual survival. Maneck is near the same age as Omprakesh, and they quickly bond with each other. The most impressive and memorable characters are the tailors. They endure the most incredible hardships every day. Their courage and spirit allow Ishvar and Om to triumph over even the most devastating experiences, and their kindness draws others to them, creating a sense of community wherever they go. Even "Dina Aunty" learns from Ishvar and Om; a stubborn woman, the uncle and his nephew work their magic on her, softening the lines of caste and compassion. A FINE BALANCE portrays the harsh realities of India, always difficult, often appalling. But this writer offers a testament to the human spirit, found in uncomplicated men with extraordinary heart. These people are not the exception, they are the soul of India.
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