Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enthralling. Devastating. Humiliating. Wonderful.
Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance is a masterpiece of storytelling, a heartbreaking, mesmerizing tale of characters, woven together with a level of beauty and complication matching that of Dina Dalal’s quilt, a patchwork of moments, arranged by circumstance and sewn into permanence. These characters will long inhabit a place in my heart, their joys bringing me comfort and their tragedies feeling like my own. In nearly 600 pages, Mistry seems to have wasted nary a line, every word, every interaction, every utterance of political jargon offering insight to these characters I came to love so deeply, so quickly.
This is a book people should read. Regardless of one’s background in the cultural and political history of India, there is something to be learned about humanity from Mistry’s treatment of the human psyche. Every moment is a crossroads, a confrontation among the past, the present, and the future, and every decision, or even a moment’s hesitation to decide, can seal the next sequence of moments in consequence. Our friends’ decisions throughout Mistry’s brilliant narrative seem to bring trauma more often than celebration; our mourning and rejoicing on their behalf serving to enforce our cognizance of our own moments of decision, of hesitation, and of seemingly simple interaction.
Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance is a masterpiece of storytelling, a heartbreaking, mesmerizing tale of characters, woven together with a level of beauty and complication matching that of Dina Dalal’s quilt, a patchwork of moments, arranged by circumstance and sewn into permanence. These characters will long inhabit a place in my heart, their joys bringing me comfort and their tragedies feeling like my own. In nearly 600 pages, Mistry seems to have wasted nary a line, every word, every interaction, every utterance of political jargon offering insight to these characters I came to love so deeply, so quickly.
This is a book people should read. Regardless of one’s background in the cultural and political history of India, there is something to be learned about humanity from Mistry’s treatment of the human psyche. Every moment is a crossroads, a confrontation among the past, the present, and the future, and every decision, or even a moment’s hesitation to decide, can seal the next sequence of moments in consequence. Our friends’ decisions throughout Mistry’s brilliant narrative seem to bring trauma more often than celebration; our mourning and rejoicing on their behalf serving to enforce our cognizance of our own moments of decision, of hesitation, and of seemingly simple interaction.
I've never read a book that left me so... depressed? Tired? Exhausted of the total weight of the human condition? Sad? It is hard to explain, but after I finished this book, all I could do was stare at the ceiling and try to comprehend and work through all the pain, suffering, and misfortune in this book, and try to decide if the love, compassion, care, and luck actually balanced it all out. Is it that a small bit of good can outweigh much more bad? Or is it that we should let it outweigh the bad, as there is much more bad than good in this world, and if we focus too much on the bad, we won't be able to stand life? I fell asleep pondering these thoughts and had dreams of misfigured beggars slowly losing everything they had. This book will stay with me, and may even change how I look at things in life. While I'd recommend this book to anybody and everybody, it is emotionally heavy, and I'd warn those same people to be prepared with a lighthearted book lined up after to ease the burden.
3.5 stars. I am so torn at how I feel about this book. It was probably one of the most depressing books I have ever read, just when you think the characters are starting to have some luck it comes crashing back down, my heart was broken so many times, it was often a struggle to read. On the other hand, that's the sign of a good book isn't it? The fact that I was so engrossed in the characters that my heart broke for them. Mistry gives an excellent education in India's far too recent, violent, history and is an exceptional story teller...this may be cliche but once you pick this book up you will struggle to put it back down.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Oh, my my! This book moved me in such a profound way.
[Audiobook/ Print Mixed Review]
The author developed the characters, and let you live through their lives for decades. By the end, I was so invested in the characters -- not just the four main protagonists, but every side character too -- that despite the misfortune that life is (and the author makes sure you experience that!), I wanted to read on and know more. These characters will stay with me long.
The book hinges on the theme that one of the side characters, Vasantrao Valmik, puts very well -
This book feels like you're bobbing along a wave. There is hope, the waves rising up. Yet, you know, there is always the wave down, the ride of despair that awaits you. There was rejoicing on my part, there were tears shed too. Despite vaguely hearing about some of the many events that the book incorporates into the protagonists' lives, I got a real burst to my bubble, while reading about the way in which caste discrimination, migration to cities, partition, Emergency law, slum dwellings, political programs (sterilization, beautification, work camps ...), modernization and urbanization of small towns all affects people in various ways. And yet, the book has hope. Hope for better lives, hope for a newer, more democratic government, hope for communal peace. One of terms that most sent a chill down my spine (thanks to having watched Slumdog Millionaire) is the "professional modifications" Shankar had undergone, unaware, for his profession. In the end, I had grown to see the human behind all the atrocities that people's jobs required of them.
It is a sad, sad book. But I do highly recommend it anyway! Once I was into the thick of it, the size/ font size of the book was not at all a deterrent.
[Audiobook/ Print Mixed Review]
The author developed the characters, and let you live through their lives for decades. By the end, I was so invested in the characters -- not just the four main protagonists, but every side character too -- that despite the misfortune that life is (and the author makes sure you experience that!), I wanted to read on and know more. These characters will stay with me long.
The book hinges on the theme that one of the side characters, Vasantrao Valmik, puts very well -
"You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair. In the end, it's all a question of balance".
This book feels like you're bobbing along a wave. There is hope, the waves rising up. Yet, you know, there is always the wave down, the ride of despair that awaits you. There was rejoicing on my part, there were tears shed too. Despite vaguely hearing about some of the many events that the book incorporates into the protagonists' lives, I got a real burst to my bubble, while reading about the way in which caste discrimination, migration to cities, partition, Emergency law, slum dwellings, political programs (sterilization, beautification, work camps ...), modernization and urbanization of small towns all affects people in various ways. And yet, the book has hope. Hope for better lives, hope for a newer, more democratic government, hope for communal peace. One of terms that most sent a chill down my spine (thanks to having watched Slumdog Millionaire) is the "professional modifications" Shankar had undergone, unaware, for his profession. In the end, I had grown to see the human behind all the atrocities that people's jobs required of them.
It is a sad, sad book. But I do highly recommend it anyway! Once I was into the thick of it, the size/ font size of the book was not at all a deterrent.
Epic. I fell in love on the first page.
I had gotten several books at the same time from the library. This lingered on the night stand for a few days wondering when I was going to get to it. I stared at the cover, wondering if I should just return it without starting. Recently I had read a bunch of books that were 400 or fewer pages and somehow 600 pages and a hardcover seemed weirdly intense and intimidating at that moment. I opened the first page and was immediately hooked by the setting. I berated myself for not picking this up sooner.
The characters are so fully formed I had to remember that it was not a memoir. I find words failing me on how to describe the beautiful words and sweeping plot. I will only do a disservice to Mistry's story. It is Dickensian, so be prepared to be fall in love and have your heart break into a million pieces again and again.
I had gotten several books at the same time from the library. This lingered on the night stand for a few days wondering when I was going to get to it. I stared at the cover, wondering if I should just return it without starting. Recently I had read a bunch of books that were 400 or fewer pages and somehow 600 pages and a hardcover seemed weirdly intense and intimidating at that moment. I opened the first page and was immediately hooked by the setting. I berated myself for not picking this up sooner.
The characters are so fully formed I had to remember that it was not a memoir. I find words failing me on how to describe the beautiful words and sweeping plot. I will only do a disservice to Mistry's story.
Exceptionally powerful and exceptionally bleak. This book is not a page turner it’s a beautiful yet tragic tale of despair. Mistry transported me to India during the time of the Emergency, vivid descriptions create both moments of utter tragedy and horror but also moments of true joy. The interwoven story’s between the four main characters are held together by a thread of hope and community, offering a chance to explore so much of the cultures and time Mistry writes about. This book will tear you apart but will also offer the hope of building up again, there is a feeling of mutual love between the four characters that you hold onto throughout even as the horrors keep building. I finished this book feeling despair and sadness, but it is one that I cannot stop thinking about and will never forget.
dark
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes