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Summary: A Great Book !
Review: I had never read English Novels written by Indian Authors before. I casually picked up this book from the town library and once started, I just couldn't put it down. The realistic settings and language used by Rohinton Mistry also make interesting reading. It also gives a great insight in to the corruption and poverty in Indian Life. A Great Novel !
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Summary: i saw a world i never knew existed
Review: I have always been interested in India, so when I came across this book, I decided to read it. I am happy to say that it is quite possibly the best book that I have ever read (and I have read a lot!) Mistry's prose, and the way the book is laid out is flawless - he captures the characters perfectly by letting the reader get to know them individually, then collectively. Then, he lets the reader into India, sometimes beautiful, often quite corrupt and poverty-stricken. I found a lot out about castes and corruption in India. I am eager to read his other two books!
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Summary: Eye-opener to a world of less fortunate
Review: I had just finished reading Such a long Journey by Mistry, which was highly recommended to me, but I came away rather disappointed. Half heartedly I began to read A Fine Balance and was hooked after the first half hour. Having visited India several times and seen the poverty, corruption and caste-ism. I began to see life from the opposite end of the spectrum, through the eyes of Ishvar and Om. Brilliantly written, I never wanted to put it down. Was disappointed with the ending, expected things to get better for the four characters, but things just seemed to get worse, which illuminated the sad reality that life is hardly ever full of happy endings.
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Summary: Outstanding true-to-life novel set in modern India
Review: Only rarely I read a novel whose characters and story grip my brain like a ghost that won't let go. This is one of them. The author makes only a couple of small errors in ethnography of the broad range of castes and social strata he paints with vibrant colors. Also displays a sensitivity and reticence in the writing that is rare and thoroughly enjoyable.
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Summary: A well written story that stays with me
Review: Mistry's writing is outstanding. His writing placed me right there with his characters; I was seeing through their eyes, taking in the familiar smells from the city's streets, and feeling their joy and pain. I have been recommending it to my friends who are serious readers. (NOTE: The cover of this book is what got my attention and there is an incident in the book that explains it.)
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Summary: One of the best I've ever read
Review: "A Fine Balance" is a poignant and beautiful novel. Mistry is able to capture the horrors of communal violence in India without diluting the inherent beauty of life and the special relationships the protagonists share. The book left me with an intimate knowledge of the characters' experiences - not necessarily their personal situations, but rather the spirit that enables them to survive Partition and Emergency, two of the most traumatic events in Indian history.
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Summary: An improbable affirmation of life through deepening disaster
Review: Despite the novel's unrelenting fatalism, the characters' course into dissolution and tragedy always left me with an improbable sense of affirmation. Mistry subtly connects you to his characters as they make slow progress toward meaningful relationships with each other. Cast in the shadow of repeated inhumanities and offering no protection from any of the vagaries of life, each minor victory seems vastly unequal to the scale of catasptrophe visited upon practically everyone in this story. Somehow even at the book's dismal end, the inequality cannot completely erase life's value. The writing is beautiful, the characters real, and the sense of life discerning. I can't recommend this book too much.
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Summary: Painfully beautiful - Beautifully painful
Review: Mistry's book took me to another place and changed my worldview. His language is crisp, but still beautifully detailed. His peels back the layers of his characters and the cultural landscape of India slowly, dramatically, and completely. These characters are REAL and they stay with you long after you've read the last page. This book made me feel human and connected. It is a wonderful combination of pain and joy. It leaves you feeling a little bruised and shaky but reflective and (somehow) happier for having read it.
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Summary: An engrossing novel that I was unable to put down!!
Review: Prior to reading this book, I had very little knowlege or understanding of India's culture or way of life. Through this beautifully written story, I have seen life around the world. Although the lives the characters were tragic, I enjoyed the richness of their souls. I will never forget their stories or their lives. Hats off to Mr. Mistry for his wonderful work.
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Summary: Long-winded and unconvincing
Review: Having thoroughly enjoyed Mistry's book of short stories, I was expecting a similar treat when I bought this book. Mistry should stick to stories about Parsi communities in Bombay--there he is most convincing, irrepresible, humane and enjoyable. The portraits of the 2 tailors challenge credulity, as does the plot structure; the "lower castes" are basic stereotypes. Since the novel takes about 150 pages (Section XIII) to wind down without any major revelations or denouements, it becomes an anti-climactic tedium.
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