Rating: 
Summary: A Fine Work Of Literature
Review: "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry was quite possibly one of the best books I've ever read. I belong to a book club and due to the very sensitive souls in our group, I was hesitant to bring this book to the table. The fact that it was highly recommended by someone I have a great deal of respect for gave the courage to put it on the agenda. To make a long story short, "A Fine Balance" was a hit, and I'm very happy that I was able to persuade our club to choose it. Everyone that participated in our discussion brought a different and fresh perspective to the table. The book explores the fine line between living and merely existing, loving and being in love, hate and ignorance, wanting and needing. In the face of irrefutable horror, the main characters emerge showing each persons vulnerabilities along with their incredible strength of character. When you cut through the cruelty of this book, you can't help but marvel at by the acts of kindness, bravery and generosity. Human nature with all it's ugliness and all it's beauty hits you in the face. It is a story about love, friendship, coping, betrayal, life, death and survival. My advice? Be strong. Brace yourself for a tragic epic. Read this book, and share it with your friends. Sincerely,
Jeanette Thums
Rating:
Summary: Even better while reading it in India!
Review: I am currently studying abroad in India and I picked up this book at a bookfair in Calcutta. I can't put it down! This book IS India. Other reviewers complain that the book is depressing because of all of the horrific things that happen throughout the novel, but these things HAPPEN and it's amazing how Mistry has been able to document it all. India isn't about covering up the sad aspects of life because they exist and they must be recognized and accepted as part of life along with the positive.
Rating: 
Summary: curious
Review: I don't tend to analyse a writer while I'm absorbing a story unless their style is distracting...but I'm really stunned that I read 600 pages of horrors and couldn't put it down. Mr. Mistry makes you want to know his characters and care what happens to them even while it's breaking your heart.
Rating: 
Summary: 1 star might be harsh, but...
Review: I feel that I need to balance the scale a bit (There are way too many 5-star ratings for this book!). Mistry is a fine writer who creates memorable characters with great depth...however, this book left me utterly numb. I've read books about sad, depressing subjects before (i.e., other Oprah books), but Mistry definitely takes the prize. As one reviewer puts it "...what the hec else can happen to these people?? And, sure enough, worse things kept coming. Became rather funny in a sick way." This is absolutely my thought. I can remember coming to work while reading this book and telling my officemate the latest misery. He was so amused that to this day he still asks me about the beggarmaster. I'm amazed to see that so many people enjoyed this book. To each their own....
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful book / ugly resolution
Review: I read this book from start to finish in pretty much one sitting. Its four leading characters were full of compassion, hope and courage. Despite countless trials and tribulations, these characters succeeded in standing tall and thriving where others should have failed. I found this book empowering beyond words. Why only three stars? The last section of the book was probably the worst thing I've ever read. Without giving anything away, I was left with the feeling that I would have better off never having "met" these characters. It became almost comical and, in my opinion, rather trite, how Mistry made all of his characters -- both major and minor -- come full circle. The last impression I had is that this is one of the worst books I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly one of the best books I have ever read
Review: If you like Austen, Balzac, Dickens, Zola, Twain, Trollope, Wharton, etc., you'd like this book. If the afore authors disturb you, you'd feel the same.
I think this book will soon (and should) be a required standard of any secondary school and/or University syllabus.
I read a great deal and am pretty much cynical when authors try to tweak emotion but at the end of this book????
Additionally, if ya wanna see "real India", see Nair's movie "Salaam Bombay" (and "Monsoon Wedding").
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: India, a country I knew little about, haunts me since reading this book. The author captures on paper the feeling of India on every page. The sounds, the smells and the people stay with me well after the last page was turned. Unforgettable characters that evoke every type of emotion! Rohinton Mistry meshes the lives of four people of diverse backgrounds into a bond that lasts a lifetime. The in-depth look at a culture and a people that I knew little about has brought about an understanding that I previously lacked. Dina Dalal, widowed and determined to make it as an independent woman in a world where women have little value, becomes the unwilling glue that supports 3 other lives. Maneck Kohlah is a student, sent by his parents from his mountain village to attend school in the city. Ishvar Darji and his nephew Omprakash are tailors escaping the terror in their village by moving to the city to look for work. This unlikely group of people become dependent on each other out of necessity, their lives entangling to create the basis of the story. This book is written with much sadness as well as humour and has touched a place in my heart. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: This book took my breath away.
Review: Once in a very long time you may come across a book which has the power to change the way you think. For me, "A Fine Balance" was just such a book. I read it months ago and I cannot leave it behind. As I step into the shower; turn on the tap to fill the kettle; open my well-stocked fridge and cupboards;a hundred times a day I am reminded of the book and the characters. I am horrified by how mistaken we were about Indira Ghandi. If you want a book which will hold you in its spell long after you have finished it...by all means...this is THE book.
Rating:
Summary: if you like crying
Review: read this book. i recieved this book as a going away gift from an old co worker. i CRIED ... heavy book... i hated the thickness of it, but, i couldn't put it down. it was all too familiar. the emotions ...equisite description of the human experience. i felt like i read about the character's lives every single day of THEIR lives from birth to death... its heavy. its deep. its worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: IF YOU LIKE READING ABOUT MUTILATION,
Review: starvation, hopelessness, mistreatment, and abuse, then you will love this book. It makes Les Miserables seem light and fun.
I appreciated the skillful writing and learned a lot about India but towards the end of the book, I was thinking to myself, what the hec else can happen to these people?? And, sure enough, worse things kept coming. Became rather funny in a sick way.
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