It was selected for oprahs book club 8 in november 2001 and sold hundreds of thousands of additional copies throughout north america as a. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a fine balance vintage international. The writing is excellent and the storytelling is perfect. Firstly by a friend laura who i interned with at the beginning of my time in london, then by one of my best friends sarah, who was taught english by mistrys wife when living in tortonto. A fine balance vintage international kindle edition by. What do indians think of the book a fine balance by. About the book set in india at a time of internal emergency, travel back to 1975 and experience distrust, friendship and love alongside the characters. It is a book to savour rather than to gallop through. The books homepage helps you explore earths biggest bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 603 pages and is available in paperback format. It was selected for oprahs book club 8 in november 2001 and sold hundreds of thousands of additional copies throughout north america as a result. Through days of bleakness and hope, their circumstances and their fates become inextricably linked in ways no one could have foreseen. A fine balance vintage international paperback lake. As close to perfect as a novel can get, raves booklist.
Free download or read online a fine balance pdf epub book. The pace is steady, perhaps a bit pedantic at times but definitely worth the time it takes to read. His second novel, a fine balance 1995, concerns four people from bombay who struggle with family and work against the backdrop of the political unrest in india during the mid1970s. Learn more about a fine balance, an oprahs book club selection. A fine balance vintage international and millions of other books are available for instant access. A fine balance vintage international kindle edition by mistry, rohinton. Pdf a fine balance book by rohinton mistry free download. From the author of the highly acclaimed a fine balance, comes a brilliantly evocative novel that confirms mistrys reputation as one of the finest writers of our time. Yet it was intrinsically canadian because the author was a canadian. The first edition of the novel was published in 1995, and was written by rohinton mistry. But these are not the reasons i love the book so much. At the beginning of the book, the two tailors, ishvar and omprakash, are on their way to the flat of widow dina dalal via a. Mistry, whose second novel, a fine balance, had just been published, didnt feel in the least like a member of this group.
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. A fine balance discussion oprah sat down with author rohinton mistry and others for a conversation about the novel. The corrupt and brutal government has just declared a state of emergency, and the country is on the edge of chaos. A fine balance vintage international paperback diesel. Buy a fine balance by rohinton mistry from waterstones today. Ive been recommended rohinton mistrys a fine balance manyatime over the past few years. Set in an unidentified city in india, initially in 1975 and later in 1984 during the turmoil of the emergency, the book concerns four characters from varied backgrounds dina dalal, ishvar darji, his nephew omprakash darji and the young student maneck kohlah who come together and develop a bond. Published november 30th 2001 by vintage first published 1995 more details.
Family matters, published in 2002, was shortlisted for the man booker prize, the international impac dublin literary award, and the james tait black memorial prize. Discover other books like this, author exclusives, and more. Buy a cheap copy of a fine balance book by rohinton mistry. A fine balance is, in many ways, a total mess of a novel. With a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of charles dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity. A fine balance by rohinton mistry book club discussion.
The author charts the transformation of an empty apartment into a. But this book is a very good and a very different historical fiction book. A character in the book describes the fine balance between hope and despair. A fine balance by mistry, rohinton and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Meet the group members the discussion particpants give their own last word on a fine balance. Two are tailors who are forcibly sterilized, one is a student who emigrates, and the fourth is a widowed seamstress who decides to hang on. Set in the mid1970s in india, a fine balance tells the story of four unlikely people whose lives come together during a time of political turmoil soon after the government declares a state of internal emergency. A fine balance book hillsborough county public library. Since 1997, bookfinder has made it easy to find any book at the best price. The death count includes cows and street dogs, in ad. A tale of cruelty, political thuggery and despair by an indian from toronto, author of such a long journey.
The bookclubinabox discussion guide to a fine balance, the novel by rohinton mistry bookclubinabox by. In these precarious circumstances, four characters form an unlikely alliance. But dina and the tailors, who have learned to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair, keep going. His new novel, family matters, will be released by knopf in 2002. What effect is achieved by the novels mildly comic ending, with om and ishvar clowning around at dinas door.
A fine balance by rohinton mistry my enjoyment of this brilliant, thronging novel was enriched by reading it in india, and it in turn deepened my appreciation of the country. A fine balance is the second novel by rohinton mistry. The god of small things by arundhati roy a fine balance by rohinton mistry the white tiger by aravind adiga. Firstly, the extreme misery content makes it close to being farcical. Reading guide for a fine balance by rohinton mistry.
The narrative structure for the first half is awkward and unsatisfying. A fine balance by rohinton mistry, signed abebooks. Not just for indians or people interested in india, this novel is a delight to read for anyone even mildly interested in literature. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. Whether you want the cheapest reading copy or a specific collectible edition, with bookfinder, youll find just the right book. Such a long journey 1991, a fine balance 1996, and family matters 2002. And other stories from firozsha baag, a collection of short stories. Through the dramatic and often shocking turns their lives take, we get an intimate view not only of their world but of india itself. It won the kiriyama pacific rim book prize for fiction and the canadian authors association fiction award. A fine balance book by rohinton mistry thriftbooks. A rich and varied spectacle, full of wisdom and laughter and the touches of the unexpectedly familiar through which literature illuminates life. Nov 20, 2008 the book a fine balance strikes an amazing balance between the thought processes and the actions of the characters.
Mistrys second novel, a fine balance, is a long, complex work, with four protagonists and a variety of settings. Worth book to read and i can see why it is highly rated. Apr 26, 2002 mistry, whose second novel, a fine balance, had just been published, didnt feel in the least like a member of this group. Rohinton mistry writing styles in a fine balance rohinton mistry this study guide consists of approximately 86 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a fine balance.
Rohinton mistry is the author of a collection of short stories, tales from firozsha baag 1987, and three novels that were all shortlisted for the booker prize. A fine balance was also one of the first canadian books to bring about a dialogue in what canadian writing was. Many say that the mark of a good book is that it stays with you. A fine balance by rohinton mistry my enjoyment of this brilliant, thronging novel was enriched by reading it in india, and it in.
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. If you are into the fiction books then the books we are talking about is going to be the best book for you. Mistry is also the author of swimming lessons, a collection of short stories. In 2002, a fine balance was selected for oprahs book club. Times book award for fiction, the commonwealth writers prize, canadas prestigious giller prize and was a 1996 booker prize finalist. A fine balance by rohinton mistry penguin random house canada. A novel set in india during the emergency, by the author of such a long journey. I loaned out my first copy and never got it back so i have gotten a second copy and am reading the book again. Such a long journey 1991, a fine balance 1995, and family matters 2002. This work falls very short of its acclamation as a classic for lots of reasons. A fine balance, rohinton mistrys stunning internationally acclaimed bestseller, is set in.
Rohinton mistry is the author of three novels that were all shortlisted for the booker prize, and a collection of short stories, tales from firozsha baag. A fine balance by rohinton mistry texts and theories. Im glad i read it but i wont be reading any other books by this author. Meet the author since immigrating from bombay to toronto in 1975, rohinton mistry has written a number of awardwinning novels, including such a long journey. A fine balance by rohinton mistry a fine balance is well written and achingly evocative of the period, the second half of the twentieth century in india. Mistry s subsequent novels have achieved the same level of recognition as his first. A fine balance vintage international paperback island books. A fine balance, rohinton mistrys stunning internationally acclaimed bestseller, is set in mid1970s india. The government has just declared a state of emergency, in whose upheavals four strangersa spirited widow, a young student uprooted from his idyllic. A fine balance not only are its characters subjected to like, the bleakest set of circumstances ever, but then those circumstances are presented to the reader with such an alarming degree of authorial detachment that you almost have to wonder whether mistry himselffed up with the unending series of hardships his characters are required to enduredidnt just raise his arms in the air and say, oh, fuck it. The wall street journal about this guide the questions, discussion topics, and suggested reading list that follow are intended to enhance your groups experience of reading rohinton mistrys a. Mistrys second novel set in india in the mid1970s, a fine balance is a richly textured novel which sweeps thereader up into its special world. Moreover, although most of the events in the novel take place in the mid1970s.
Beige cloth, gilt titling to spine, beige endpapers, author s signature to title page, 748 pages. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A fine balance by rohinton mistry oprahs book club. Set in an unidentified city in india, initially in 1975 and later in 1984 during the turmoil of the emergency, 2 the book concerns four characters from varied backgrounds dina dalal, ishvar darji, his nephew omprakash darji and the young student maneck kohlah who come together and develop a bond.
A fine balance brims with such cleareyed, tragicomic, dickenslike observations of the indian fabric. To ask other readers questions about a fine balance, please sign up. Very much a literary loner by choice, he was disconcerted to find amit. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are maneck kohlah, omprakash darji. There are many things making a fine balance a very different book from all the others. Does a fine balance show peoples vulnerability, or their fortitude. Though mistry is too fine a writer to indulge in polemics, this second novel is also.