A Fine Balance

By: Rohinton Mistry

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 24 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

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 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.

©1995 Rohinton Mistry (P)2001 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

1997, IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

2011, Neustadt International Prize for Literature

"Astonishing. . . . A rich and varied spectacle, full of wisdom and laughter and the touches of the unexpectedly familiar through which literature illuminates life." --Wall Street Journal

"Monumental. . . . Few have caught the real sorrow and inexplicable strength of India, the unaccountable crookedness and sweetness, as well as Mistry." --Pico Iyer, Time

"Those who continue to harp on the decline of the novel . . . ought to consider Rohinton Mistry. He needs no infusion of magic realism to vivify the real. The real world, through his eyes, is magical." --The New York Times

Good Historical Fiction

Narrator does a great job with the voices of the characters, which because of the length of the book are sometimes hard to keep up with. It is well worth the trouble to keep trying to remember who is who and doing what. Very colorful and unfortunately real depiction of life for these people. One of those books that if you miss a line or two, you have to back it up to hear it again because each line is crucial to the story he is telling - so not good for mp3 players that don't let you back it up a notch. I found I had to pretty much stop everything to listen, just to make sure I didn't miss out on the details that make it so real.

Outstanding

Shame on all the people giving this book low marks for being sad. It has enormous tragedy, but also some beautiful tenderness and incredible depictions of human frailty being the source of our tenderness. Stunning work.

Beautifully written

An engaging, often poignant, sometimes funny journey interweaving the lives of a number of characters. The author does not shy away from showing us some of the horrors and injustices of existence but also highlights moments of beauty, love and happiness. Explores questions of life’s meaning and purpose often using metaphors. Every phrase beautifully written. I will miss the characters.

Incredible Story

By the time I finished this very interesting book, I felt like I really knew the characters and the caste world that they lived in. I did not want the story to end. It provided vivid insight into what life must have been like to live in India in the 70s. It highlighted the differences in opinion concerning the Emergency and how it affected certain lower castes.

Captivating

This story won't leave you anytime soon. Yes it's sad, but there is redemption in it too. I laughed out loud and cried tears. The accents (John Lee is simply amazing! My favorite part is when he went seamlessly from an Indian accent to a quick quote from an Australian...Lee is just gifted) and situations may be foreign to most of us audible customers, but the emotions are not.
Buy this book and get to know these new friends. I will miss them.

loved it!

i must admitt this book was hard to read at times! So much of life in India was/is hard! I am reading as many Indian novels i can preparing for a trip in the fall. A Fine Balance affords such insight within a facinating story.

A 5 - not because I would listen again

Kind of a Schindler's list. This book haunts me. I hope it is not really that bad anywhere. Maybe it is. Maybe I'm naive, probably. We really have a wonderful life here in the USA.

I gave it a 5 because of how it demanded my attention and has kept my thoughts for many months. It is truly a story to ponder.

Perfect

This is a wonderful book, beautifully written and read. An unforgettable experience.

What storytelling! Loved every minute of it.

The narrator was perfect. Loved the storytelling, powerful. the characters are unforgettable. Fine balance indeed.

Simply magnificent!

I was astounded at the breadth and depth both the observations and the insights into the humanity “scape”described by the magical pen of Mistry. The writing skill exceeds anything I have read in the past 25 to 30 years. This book should be taught in every high school in America.