Product Description
In the India of the mid-1970s, Indira Gandhi's government has just come to power. It institutionalizes corruption and arbitrary force, most oppressive to the poorest and weakest people under its sway. Against this backdrop, in an unnamed city by the sea, four people struggle to survive. Dina, Maneck, and two tailors, the Untouchables Om and Ishvar, who are sewing in Dina's service, undergo a series of reversals, punctuated only by small mocking advances, that start them on a trajectory towards unhappiness and despair. Yet, in choosing what they will do, they exhibit a basic dignity and humanity that belies their mistreatment as part of the underclass. By merely surviving until their load becomes unbearable, and then living on past that point, they have accomplished something. In the India of the mid-1970s, Indira Gandhi's government has just come to power. It institutionalizes corruption and arbitrary force, most oppressive to the poorest and weakest people under its sway. Against this backdrop, in an unnamed city by the sea, four people struggle to survive. Dina, Maneck, and two tailors, the Untouchables Om and Ishvar, who are sewing in Dina's service, undergo a series of reversals, punctuated only by small mocking advances, that start them on a trajectory towards unhappiness and despair. Yet, in choosing what they will do, they exhibit a basic dignity and humanity that belies their mistreatment as part of the underclass. By merely surviving until their load becomes unbearable, and then living on past that point, they have accomplished something. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Well-portrayed protagonists felled by meandering storyline
"A Fine Balance" is an ambitious but ultimately disappointing novel. Mistry plants five protagonists in a pitiless city, heaving with constant undercurrents of unrest. One of the strengths of the novel is Mistry's ability to develop interesting characters, and portray their socio-demographic situation, in a way that is accessible to the reader. The lives of his protagonists are liberally strewn with misfortune, and indeed the novel is, in part, a tale of their daily struggle in a seemingly hopeless existence. Nevertheless, Mistry gets brownie points for attempting to capture and encompass the drama and tragedy of the shared human experience set during the emergency (1975-1977) in India. Yet somehow, the novel fails to pack a punch. Often overly sentimental, the prose somehow starts to get lethargic, even while Mistry's characters remain interesting. The chief failing of the novel is that the characters resonate but the storyline simply meanders.

John Lee, I am sorry to report, is dreadful. Maybe he is good at Indian accent impersonations at parties, but he simply cannot pull off the differences in a parsi accent versus a generic Indian accent. The Shroffs need to sound different from the Guptas. He does well enough as narrator, but is woeful as any of the protagonists. A lot of details are missed or butchered. Monginis should be pronounced Mon-jee-nees not Mon-guineas, Mascarenhas is Mask-aren-has. Any entry-level director should be able to catch these gaffes, but they seem to have been missed. ... Read more

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Product Description
These studies of Canadian authors fulfill a real need in the study of Canadian literature. Each monograph is a separately bound study of about 55 pages. Each contains a biography of the author, a description of the tradition and milieu that influenced the author, a survey of the criticism on the author, a comprehensive essay on all the author's key works, and a detailed bibliography of primary and secondary works. ... Read more

Product Description
This set of three books by Rohinton Mistry includes: "Such A Long Journey"; "A Fine Balance"; and "Tales From Firozsha Baag". It forms part of Faber's "Threebies" series, which offers different sets of three titles, each set written by a best-selling author. ... Read more