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.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fine Balance Indeed......
Review: Mistry's engrossing novel is a fine balance, indeed, of everything both wondrous and ghastly that made up the fabric of life in India in the '70s. Rich, achingly human characters; events both heart-wrenching and surprisingly laughable; a government so remarkably indifferent to its people that we as readers cannot help but embrace them in our hearts. I read this when the trade paperback was first published, well before Oprah got her hooks into it. Thankful then, that the copy I lend to friends is unmarred by her book club logo.
Rating:
Summary: A bit dark, but a great story
Review: Like many Oprah selections, this book involves human struggle and is a bit depressing. It was a great story, and I really felt that I got to know the characters, especially Om and Ishvar. One thing is for sure, this book made me glad to be an American!
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely stunning, engrossing work of art
Review: As a second-generation Indian-American (my parents immigrated here in their 20s, but i was born in the U.S.), I know that I have lost a great deal of my Indian culture--I listen to Britney Spears, buy my clothes at Banana Republic, and drive my Honda Accord on the freeway. When I first picked up this book, I thought perhaps I could learn a bit more about the culture from which I know so little about. And indeed, much of the language struck a familiar chord in me as I could hear my own parents' voices speaking the same words. But this book is so powerful that it doesn't limit itself to any one particular ethnic group or category of individuals. The characters are so finely detailed and their lives are woven together so intricately that you truly feel like you know them. When tragedy befalls them, it is as though tragedy as befallen someone you know and care for. I literally could not put this book down and read it in less than three days. The other reviews are correct--it can be heartbreaking, but it is well worth it. I guess it's true that even in the face of despair and hopelessness, love and friendship and altruism can blossom and flourish. That message alone makes the book a worthwhile read--the fact that it can present such a message without being cliched and trite makes it all the more amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: Good book, I liked it alot, even though I was forced to read it from school, it was good!
Rating:
Summary: ¿. But rest assured: this tragedy is not a fiction¿
Review: "A Fine Balance" is preceded by a quote by Honore de Balzac from "Le Pere Goriot". Rohinton Mistry seems to be of a similar mind in forewarning his audience of readers that the poverty, misery, disdain for human life, and the inconsequentiality of human rights in a certain level of Indian society (the untouchables), is accurately portrayed. Would-be readers should not, however, be dissuaded from reading this beautiful book, this complex, multi-layered story, because within the characters' misery and the squalor there also lies compassion, humour, patience, and hope. The characters are vivid; some very endearing despite the fact that life is a non-stop, day-to-day struggle for mere survival. Ishvar, especially, never seems to lose his good manners, his sense of gratitude for each kindness bestowed upon him, no matter how meager. And since his nephew's welfare is of primary importance to him, Ishvar is engaged in an endless series of efforts to teach Omprakash good manners, tolerance and temperance. The six-hundred-plus-pages fly by quickly as peripheral characters, including the wily, the greedy, the kind, the struggling and the ruthless, become an integral part of a tightly-woven tapestry representing incredible poverty and a portrayal of the survival of a despised class of people who are treated as sub-humans.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, entertaining, and thought-provoking
Review: Oprah didn't sell this one very well when she announced it on her show. All she said was that it was set in India and that it was good. And it is, but it is so much more than that. I was sucked into it from the beginning, despite having misgivings about whether or not I wanted to read it. Many of Oprah's choices seem to be depressing, so I was wary. Although there are some awful things that happen to the characters in this book, it never left me feeling depressed. I felt for the characters, but I also felt that there was hope and happiness just around the corner. I really liked reading about the daily life of the characters. It was a glimpse into a world that I had never really thought about. It made me grateful for what I have. It made me respect how hard it is just to survive in other places in the world.
Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: I loved this book. Many of the reviews here said that it was too depressing. While many of the events that happened to the characters could certainly be deemed depressing, for some reason I didn't find it so. This book is very beautifully written, and I found myself devouring every word, unable to put it down. The author really depicts "the fine balance between hope and despair" in his story.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Experience!
Review: I picked up this book thinking it would be a good read similar to Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy, but Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance does not only stand head and shoulders above Seth's book but puts to shame acclaimed South Asian authors such as Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Manil Suri.
Mistry's characterizations are brilliantly well-defined, especially the four main characters Ishvar and Om Darji, Dina Dalal, and Maneck Kohlah. The author has the ability to completely immerse you with their lives. You'll find yourself sympathizing with them as they try to make ends meet, laughing at their escapades and hilarious one-liners, and crying at the needlessly heavy injustices inflicted upon their lives. Through getting deeper into the story, you will find yourself developing feelings of initial indifference and skepticism, to trust and fondness for its characters - much akin to the manner in which they themselves grow close to each other.
The crazy hair collector, Monkey Man, Beggarmaster, and Shankar, despite being relatively minor characters, will undoubtably stay in your memory, thanks to their uncanny and almost satirically funny existence.
This book is not just a good read, but an experience you'll likely never forget (I'm already regretting that it's over).
Rating:
Summary: BRUTAL !
Review: ---------------------------------------------------------
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A brutal look at a country which has lost its innocence ! In 1947, there was a dream called India, a dream gone so
horribly wrong that it takes this gut-wrenching book to
awaken us - which it does with a slap to the face ! To call this book depressing is an insult to those millions
of Indians for whom life is nothing but a struggle for
survival and indeed their very survival is a triumph
against abject and crippling poverty. Reading this book
is no more depressing than the unimaginable tragedy of
their lives. Having lived all my life in a city like Bombay, I can more
closely identify with the charecters, but their lives and
struggles have a universal appeal, because ultimately human
aspirations know no boundaries. How even the poorest of the
poor follow their pursuit of happiness in the most brutal of
circumstances is what this book is all about. Read it and it will change your very concept of human life.
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