A Fine Balance
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Get 3 months for £0.99/mo
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Narrated by:
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Vikas Adam
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By:
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Rohinton Mistry
About this listen
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. The time is 1975. The place is 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 uprooted from his idyllic hill station, and two tailors who have fled the caste violence of their native village - will be thrust together, forced to share one cramped apartment and an uncertain future.
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.
©1995 Rohinton Mistry (P)2018 Audible, Inc.Loved the history of India in this period and the wonderful noble and tragic characters.
Wonderful mix of history and story!
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This is the best audible book I have ever listened to, the narration was absolutely amazing, all the characters came to life so beautifully.
The story centres around 4 main characters and how their lives intertwine.
It also provides a great history of India under Indira Ghandi.
What a hard act to follow, I would highly recommend this masterpiece of a book.
Outstanding piece of literature
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Excellent book on the reality of life in India
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All of this provides the canvas for Mistry’s novel which charts the fortunes of four people attempting to navigate the social upheaval. The two central characters, tailors Ishvar and his nephew Om, are part of the Chamaar caste and considered ‘untouchables’. In their quest for employment they encounter Dina, a relatively wealthy widow who gives them work and also provides lodging for student Maneck. While the deeply embedded protocols of the caste system play out in their expectations, interactions and individual fates, watching the group’s initial distrust develop into cautious understanding, friendship and ultimately love is just beautiful. But make no mistake. Given the social context, what transpires is brutal and shocking and cruel and devastating.
I should add that it’s also very funny. ‘Flirting with madness was one thing; when madness started flirting back, it was time to call the whole thing off.’
Yes, I laughed but mainly I crumbled. Damn you Mistry. Damn you and your devious ways. You broke me. Tragedy heaped upon tragedy. If this novel doesn’t destroy you, you’re officially indestructible.
‘Remembering bred its own peculiar sorrow. It seemed so unfair: that time should render both sadness and happiness into a source of pain.’
A Modern Classic
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In the end the book is a bit long and would have benefitted from removing or condensing the last 3/4 chapters but nevertheless it is still a great listen.
Immersion into Indian daily life
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