A Fine Balance

Thorndike Press large print core series

by

Hardcover, 951 pages

English language

Published Nov. 19, 2002 by Thorndike Press.

ISBN:
9780786241965
OCLC Number:
1034674205

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4 stars (1 review)

Reminiscent of masters from Balzac to Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism of India. It is 1975, in 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, and two tailors - will be thrust into one cramped apartment and an uncertain future. As they move from distrust to friendship to love, A Fine Balance creates an enduring panorama of the human spirit in an inhuman state. -jacket

26 editions

reviewed A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Review of 'A Fine Balance' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I first read this book 17 years ago, just before my first trip to India, hoping to get some insight into the the country. Nothing would really prepare me for that place, but it was a powerful book to read, and will remain one of my favourites.

I re-read it on my third visit. My memory is pretty bad, so I didn't remember much of the plot before I started to re-read it, but it came back to me slowly with each memorable line. The writing is fantastic. However I had completely forgotten how funny but also horrendously depressing it was. (And with that ending, I really have no idea why it's still a "favourite".)

Subjects

  • City and town life -- Fiction
  • Apartment houses -- Fiction
  • Large type books
  • India -- Fiction