With a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of Charles Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism, of India. The time is 1975. The place is an unnamed city by the sea. The government has just declared a State of Emergency, in whose upheavals four strangers–a spirited widow, a young student uprooted from his idyllic hill … hill station, and two tailors who have fled the caste violence of their native village–will be thrust together, forced to share one cramped apartment and an uncertain future.
As the characters move from distrust to friendship and from friendship to love, A Fine Balance creates an enduring panorama of the human spirit in an inhuman state.
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Great writing and storytelling though somewhat depressing.
One of my favorite books.
Takes place in India, involves people of different economic levels and their interactions. It was a long time ago that I read it, so some details escape me, but I was very disturbed by how complacent the less fortunate were. They merely accepted their lot, not trying to make better lives for themselves.
Gives you a birds eye view of another culture that is totally different than ours. One of my favorite books.
The caste system in India explored in depth with characters you’ll never forget. Great interweaving of various plots.
A Fine Balance takes you into India and the cast system. The culture is so different than what I anticipated. The characters are interesting and it’s well written.
An original story of a country in transition and how it affects everyone. Lots of lessons to be learned.
Fantastic book!!!
Interesting characters
Excellent!
The characters were well developed. Very well written story right up to the end. But then it just just sort of lost me. It felt to me like the author couldn’t decide how to explain what happened to her characters so she just ended it. I felt somewhat cheated at the end.
Beautiful writing! The author engages the mind and the emotions.
We were on our way to India and “A fine Balance” was our next read for Book Club. I learned a lot about India from the book. It was a great read and I saw things the book talked about. Not always pleasant, but very informative.
This story was very inspirational for me. It reminded me that it is possible for
people to overcome there prejudices and really relate to others as fellow human beings.
This story haunts me. Tragic characters struggle to survive in an unjust, crushing social system we privileged Americans cannot fathom. Books like this portray a hopeless world where even the upper caste carries too heavy a burden. A shocking finale left me heart broken in a way that challenged me to confront my life of more than my share of the world’s necessities.
Brilliant writing!
Set in india, the sorrow and joys of four characters, beautifully interwoven
One of the best books by R. Mistry. A must read book !
A story about life. Affecting three families/persons of life events and dealing with them. A moving story!