Rohinton Mistry - A Fine Balance

Pros: Wonderfully written compelling story.
Cons: Darkest side of humanity on display.

~=~ Cautionary Tale ~=~

Before picking up Oprah's current book selection, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, consider whether you have the time. If you let Mistry's characters take up residence in your head or heart, you...

Pros: Very thought provoking, and excellent characterization
Cons: None

Rohinton Mistry, an Indian born author who now lives in Toronto, Canada has been compared to Charles Dickens and Leo Tolstoy for the realism of his novels. In a glowing introduction to this author, The New York Times said:

"Those...

Pros: A page-turner that you won't be able to put down.
Cons: none.

It's easy to be put off by the 600-plus pages of Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, but this is that rare kind of book that comes along, keeps you awake long into the night and after reaching the final page, leaves you still thinking about the...

Pros: Beautifully written, historically interesting, fascinating plot, wonderful characters
Cons: It doesn't go on forever!

I love being swept away into another country, world and/or reality. Reading for me is not only for entertainment but for education and blissful escape. Rohinton Mistry gives me satisfaction on all these levels with "A Fine Balance."

The...

Pros: The Great Indian Novel, Rich, Vivid and Moving
Cons: None.

"Sometimes you have to use your failures as stepping-stones to success. You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair. In the end, it's all a question of balance."

Uttered very nonchalantly by Vasantrao Valmik, a lawyer...

Pros: Eloquent, passionate, political, human
Cons: Bleak end, for me, had impact but lost humanity.

A fine balance represents a substantial achievement. Although it is a book about issues gripping an entire nation, and although it depicts a culture, and a nation in candid, rich style, it never seems anything other than human in its style and approach....

Pros: deep, rich, full of truth, believable characters
Cons: very, very dark and sad; full of unpleasant images that will stay with you

This book is the most depressing book I have ever read, but I'd still recommend it to you if you asked me. The author masterfully sketches a number of characters living in India whose lives are slowly drawn together throughout the novel. It begins with ...

Pros: good read: draws you in fast, keeps your interest; makes you think/care about broader world
Cons: parts are painful you're emotionally involved with the characters' struggles

I wish everybody in America would read this book, and then maybe we could all benefit by living in a country which displayed its considerable compassion and love of justice more rather than less (hope that doesn't sound too granola...). I read it 2.5...

Pros: Fast-paced, Funny, Informative overview of Indian recent history
Cons: At 600 pages, many will be put off by the length. I wished it were longer

Modern India is beginning to export a tremendous number of fine English language writers. Rushdie, Seth, Jhabvala, and Mehta are a few of the writers who have made in roads in the last two decades. Rohinton Mistry, in A Fine Balance, proves himself to be...

Pros: Story captures India well
Cons: Almost unbearably depressing, like the country itself

A friend recommended this to me a while ago after I told her that I enjoyed this other book because of its kalaidescopic view of a society. This book seems more focussed on the story of individuals whose lives intersect, how these different individuals'...

Pros: A great fictitous novel about a real event.
Cons: none

A Fine Balance is a great novel. It is written by Bohinton Minstry. Who I believe to be a great writer. It is a tale about 2 men and the twists and turns; both good and bad, that they encounter due to the state of emergency in India. This book was...

Pros: Wonderfully written. Hard to put down
Cons: Too short! Couldn't get enough of this brilliant book!

This was one of the best books I have ever read. It was definitely a page turner and I literally could not put it down. I realize I am reading a really good book when it starts to interfere with everyday life. The story revolves around four main...

Pros: Beautifully Lyrical Prose
Cons: Hard to leave these characters behind

I first picked up this book because it was an Oprah Book Club selection. I thought that I'd be hip and read it along with everyone else. Of course, I didn't get around to it until months later. But when I actually picked up the book, I could not put ...

Pros: Exquisite portrait of humanity.
Cons: none

A piece of work so moving that it will make you shudder. The way Rohinton Mistry describes the characters makes your heart cry. I read this book many years ago and his characters still haunt me to this day. A friend of mine was visiting India for the first time and for once decided to take a reading recommendation from me. She chose to read A Fine Balance on her first trip to India in India. I was getting married and with all the commotion and festivities she was still so drawn to it-she had to finish it! A beautiful piece of work that I never get tired of recommending.