Set in mid-1970s India, A Fine Balance is a subtle and compelling narrative about four unlikely characters who come together in circumstances no one could have foreseen soon after the government declares a 'State of Internal Emergency'. It is a breathtaking achievement: panoramic yet humane, intensely political yet rich with local delight; and, above all, compulsively readable.
A Fine Balance
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Amazon Review
In 1975, in an unidentified Indian city, Mrs Dina Dalal, a financially pressed Parsi widow in her early 40s sets up a sweatshop of sorts in her ramshackle apartment. Determined to remain financially independent and to avoid a second marriage, she takes in a boarder and two Hindu tailors to sew dresses for an export company. As the four share their stories, then meals, then living space, human kinship prevails and the four become a kind of family, despite the lines of caste, class and religion. When tragedy strikes, their cherished, newfound stability is threatened, and each character must face a difficult choice in trying to salvage their relationships.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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"'One of India's finest living novelists.' Observer" --Observer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
191 of 192 people found the following review helpful
By E. Hardy
Format:Paperback
This is a truly great book. It chronicles the story of 4 individuals from very different sectors of the Indian Caste system.
Not only does it accurately portray the political and social situation in India in the 1970s,it reflects the predudices within the upper castes and the fatalistic attitude of the lower castes, formed from their religious beliefs that suffering is their destiny and the reward will be in the afterlife.
This story is overwhelmingly sad and also shocking as the reader can identify the ethical question of human suffering for a possibly laudable goal (in this case it is population control). However, the novel is also uplifting in a peculiar way; that individuals who struggle so hard to exist in appalling conditions can find joy in their lives is humbling. It also allows the reader to identify with the predudices and to see a situation from another side. Maybe at the end of the book, the reader feels that they have grown a little in spirit and have the capacity to be a 'better' person as a result.
For me, the mark of a great book is one that remains with you long after the back page is read. This is such a book.
Not only does it accurately portray the political and social situation in India in the 1970s,it reflects the predudices within the upper castes and the fatalistic attitude of the lower castes, formed from their religious beliefs that suffering is their destiny and the reward will be in the afterlife.
This story is overwhelmingly sad and also shocking as the reader can identify the ethical question of human suffering for a possibly laudable goal (in this case it is population control). However, the novel is also uplifting in a peculiar way; that individuals who struggle so hard to exist in appalling conditions can find joy in their lives is humbling. It also allows the reader to identify with the predudices and to see a situation from another side. Maybe at the end of the book, the reader feels that they have grown a little in spirit and have the capacity to be a 'better' person as a result.
For me, the mark of a great book is one that remains with you long after the back page is read. This is such a book.
59 of 59 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
By far the best novel I have ever read. It is a joy to envision the milieu for this epic novel. You cannot help but be drawn to the characters and their plight. An often moving and emotional insight into the lives of India's street beggars and an excellent reminder of how deeply the caste system is embedded in this lost society. The portrayal of corruption, inherent at every juncture of 1970-80's India, leaves the reader with a sense of injustice and an added impetus to read on in the hope things may get better. A marvellous and compelling book, and a must on any bookshelf!
68 of 70 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Perfect Paperback
This novel is really fabulous. Mistry is a spectacular storyteller with a wonderful way of writing about the minutiae of daily life and weaving it into a wider picture of what was happening in India in the mid 1970s. The story is incredibly depressing - I kept turning the page in the hope that things wouldn't get any worse, but they inevitably did - but the ending provides some sort of closure and a sense of the main characters gaining some happiness in their lives. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. Please read it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read and informative
I haven't finished this book yet, but I'm really enjoying it - the characters are diverse and well-described, the scene setting is colourful and takes you there, to parts of and... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Ms Karen A Gurney
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fine balance by Robinson misrty
Enthralling read .great insights to life in India . Became engrossed in each character's life and fortunes. Read more
Published 16 days ago by s k madan
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Indian tale.
A beautifully written novel charting the lives of four characters through the trials and tribulations of life in India. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Mrs. Debbie Charlton
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my favourites
I took a little while to get into it, but once I did, there was no turning back. A great book with so many vivid characters. Read more
Published 1 month ago by RosieT
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read, well written and amusing too
I really loved this book. It tells the story of India by 2 tailors, ordinary men who extraordinary things happen to - probably because this is excellent social commentary and their... Read more
Published 1 month ago by JudiH
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provokingly brilliant
This is the first book I have read from this author and I think about it and its characters almost daily. Such is the way Mistry introduces them into your life. Read more
Published 1 month ago by JasFlora
1.0 out of 5 stars
A truly depressing read
I found this book utterly depressing! There is not a shred of hope in this book and I seriously wonder how someone can inflict this kind of view of the world on his fellow humans. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr C Oschatz
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant but depressing
We read this for our book group. It was so well written but I think the last bit of the book was just a bit too much. Read more
Published 1 month ago by LoverOfGreatBooks
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Balance by R Mistry
Recommended by a friend - enjoying reading it so far (81 pages) but need a holiday to read it in full!
Published 1 month ago by Anne Linford
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the best books that I have read
The author knows how to tell a story and how to link all the characters together.
Shows real life in the poorer side of India and the unimagineable caste system. Read more
Shows real life in the poorer side of India and the unimagineable caste system. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Angela Silverman
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