I loved this book. Many of the reviews here said that it was too depressing. While many of the events that happened to the characters could certainly be deemed depressing, for some reason I didn't find it so. This book is very beautifully written, and I found myself devouring every word, unable to put it down. The author really depicts "the fine balance between hope and despair" in his story.

This is one of the most depressing books that I have read in a long long time. The main characters in this story go though one trouble after another for seemingly no reason. In fact they hardly have anything good going for them. Surprisingly they behave really well for their circumstances.People unfamiliar with India may believe that this is the norm, which isn't true. This is a fictious story created by amalgamating the worst conditions possible for different people into the lives of all the characters of this book.The story about the beggar master having a step brother is one of the most dramatic fiction created to bring out some more NEGATIVITY.

This is one of the best books I have read. Mistry has proved to be a master story teller. For his characters, life is a fine balance between hope and despair. Only one of the characters, Maneck couldn't maintain that balance. But the story is masterfully narrated. This book reminded me of other great books like "One hundred years of solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and "The good earth" by Pearl S. Buck because it captures the lives, culture, political climate etc. in all its richness.

I obviously missed the point of A Fine Balance. Other readers here have raved about how this novel captures "that fine balance between hope and sorrow," etc., but what I read was an incredibly depressing story about a few characters with hopeless lives who are subject to endless acts of pain. In the beginning it wasn't so bad -- I thought, "Okay, here are a few nasty things that these characters have to deal with. It's all part of the character and plot development." But IT NEVER ENDS, and eventually any progress that the characters or the story actually achieve comes crumbling down under the weight of the ridiculous events that the characters are made to endure. Near the end, I started skipping the acts of torture out of sheer annoyance. I wish someone would enlighten me about what really makes this book so wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoyed the honesty portrayed in this book. I felt for the characters. I enjoyed the life they all shared and felt educated after reading it. I honestly knew nothing of this culture prior to reading it and feel differently now that I've completed it. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy reading about different cultures. The only thing I can say is it was not necessarily the best book to read on my vacation on the beach in Antigua.

Contrary to other people's beliefs, this book is easy to turn: sure the details can be gruesome, or a little hard to stomach (it's probably the best way to experience the sounds, sights and smells of the slums of India short of actually going), but the way it is written is exquisite: Mistry is a brilliant writer, and his prose is at once evocative and expressive. Read it for the inherent humanity that underlines every terrible event, and they way it's all brought together. You will love this book, even if you have trouble stomaching it.