Rating: 
Summary: Best Novel
Review: A Fine Balance, is simply the best novel that I have ever read. Mistry allows the readers to escape the real world, and join this story as an observer. The novel was beautifully written. I could never put this novel down, and I urge everyone out there, that A Fine Balance is a book that is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: Simply "unputdownable
Review: The one thing that strikes most while reading this book is the reality of everything - the characters, the situations presented, etc. I could not stop reading this book once i started it. The description of every scene is very vivid and you feel that you are actually seeing the scene / situation enacted for you as a private performance! One of the best books i have read in recent years.
Rating:
Summary: This book stands alone
Review: A Fine Balance is a remarkable book. As some of the other reviewers have observed, it has its faults. In places, the story seems a bit too elegantly constructed for its own good: coincidences that are too neat, plot developments that are bit too "soapy," and tragedies that fall one upon the other a bit too quickly and heavily. So, flaws, yes - but the same complaints could be leveled against Dickens or Tolstoy. Other people have already compared him favourably with the great 19th century novelists and I concur; Mistry is THAT gifted. And while it is true that his deftness with plotting and language bring to mind the 19th century greats, what really elevates him into their company is the profound sympathy and love he has for his characters, their world and their fates, easily matched by his unalloyed outrage against their oppressors. His depiction of the lives of India's poor is unforgettable because he has grounded that portrait in characters who are so intimately and lovingly detailed and alive -- not simply the main characters but also the host of minor ones who populate this book. Om, Ishvar, Dina and Maneck are real to me, but Shankar, Rajaram and Beggarmaster are no less so. Mistry puts into words the worlds captured by Sebastiano Salgado on camera. Read this book and you will understand why the political ideals of revolution might still have legs in the coming century. My only regret is that it took me so long to discover this book.
Rating:
Summary: an outstanding novel
Review: This is a beautiful novel, totally engrossing, written from a profoundly humane perspective on the human condition. Terrible things happen - that's life - but throughout Mistry is careful to tell the truth about people: that even in moments of despair and degradation, human beings differ dramatically in their ability to love, to share, to recognize others as equals. My only regret was when the novel ended - I could have kept reading forever.
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't cry....
Review: I picked up Mistry's book after being recommended it by many, most importantly by my sister. I started to read it while taking the Statton Island Ferry into Manhattan and became engrossed in the novel. The book is well written, quite simplistic and to the point, as a result of Mistry's use of basic, colloquial language, unlike Rushdie who tends to clutter his novels with supposedly elegant vocabulary that is too often unnecessary and incomprehensible. Hence, I gave the book four stars, for such writing is difficult to come by in these days of constant battles for the Booker Prize. I did have some problems with the book, however. First, it seemed to be extremely constructed, premeditated, as it is divided too clearly into distinct sections. I question its originality as a result. Second, I couldn't cry, though I, and anyone, should cry after reading this book. I wondered why I couldn't, and found myself trying to force tears out of my eyes to save some face (with myself that is) but they wouldn't budge. I thought about it for a while and realized that Mistry trains the reader to expect something traumatic to happen at every page of the book, perhaps because his novel is a compilation of sensationalistic events. Eventually, the next grotesque and terrible story within the story stopped surprising me, as I expected worse, worse than the worst you can think of. This is a mean trick that Mr. Mistry plays on his readers, for his writing has the power to dull one's emotions, to freeze them, leaving the reader wondering whether they will ever thaw. Admittedly, that is powerful, but a bit too easy.
Rating:
Summary: What a long and eventful ride!
Review: Rohintry Mistry has written a cleverly imagined novel set in turbulent India of the 1970s and brimming with unforgettable characters whose daily battle against the travails of life honour the toughness of the human spirit. Depressing is one word to describe this long journey as the four main characters - a hard-headed divorcee struggling for her independence, two tailors from the "untouchable" caste seeking a better life in the big city and a young middle-class student uprooted from a close-knit family - overcome one hurdle after another only to face a higher one. They eventually come one full circle to meet their cruel, yet, inevitable fates that they had struggled a lifetime to avoid. The irony is perhaps the central theme of this book that is written in lucid prose that keeps the reader glued as events unfold. The book's length may appear daunting but perseverence will be richly rewarded. A literary triumph indeed!
Rating:
Summary: My oh My!
Review: What a pleasure it was to read this book.. I am an impatient reader, oft unable to complete a book -- this book raced through, and I was as sad for myself, for having finished the book, as I was towards the beautifully built characters.. A hallmark of a great writer, build characters soundly... Rohinton Mistry - I salute you! To any reader: Worth every second of your time reading this book -- whether you are aware of the political and social turmoil of the times, or not... I love this book, and will most probably read it many times over...
Rating:
Summary: In A Class of Its Own
Review: I believe there is no other book within Indian litterature like A Fine Balance. Be prepared to take the emotional roller coaster ride of your your lifetime and the ending is truly unforgettable. I picked up this book in Toronto when it was first published and I have just re-read it with no less enjoyment the second time around. I cannot reccommend this book enough.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating insight into five unforgettable characters
Review: This book was a selection of my Book Club and all of us agreed that this was indeed a memorable book. The author has created some of the most memorable characters (not necessarily likeable) that have ever held the attention of a reader. The work is fully deserving of all the kudos that have been reaped on it. It is a fascinating view of a whole other life and you are there in every sense. India with all its blemishes is presented in an astonishing way.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful prose and intriguing characters
Review: The author draws the reader in with the first pages and with each interaction of the characters the reader is drawn more to their story. This is an insightful presentation of characters facing unusual circumstances.
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