Mistrys prose is alive with enduring images and a cast of unforgettable characters. Meet the group members the discussion particpants give their own. Through days of bleakness and hope, their circumstances and their fates become inextricably linked in. What effect is achieved by the novels mildly comic ending, with om and ishvar clowning around at dinas door. Set in mid1970s india, a subtle and compelling narrative about four unlikely characters who come together in circumstances no one could have foreseen soon after the government declares a state of internal emergency. This discussion companion for a fine balance has been prepared and written by. A fine balance audiobook abridged listen instantly. We deeply engage on two frontswith the meaning of the text and with the minds of the future readers. View notes a fine balance book report from iaff 100 at university of nevada, reno. Rohinton mistry was born in bombay and now lives near toronto. Pierce county library system offers special book group discussion kits for book discussion groups. Why has mistry chosen not to name the prime minister or the city by the sea, when they are easily identifiable.
The questions, discussion topics, and suggested reading list that follow are intended to enhance your group s experience of reading rohinton mistrys a fine balance. A fine balance by rohinton mistry oprahs book club. Features discussion forums, blogs, videos and classifieds. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. It 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.
It was one of the only two canadian books selected for oprahs book club, and was one of the selected books in the 2002 edition of canada reads. Meet the group members the discussion particpants give their own last word on a fine balance. A fine balance assessing the quality of governance in botswana edited by karin alexander, gape kaboyakgosi. A fine balance, rohinton mistrys stunning internationally acclaimed bestseller, is set in mid1970s india. I doubt the book can be understood as a whole if you cant understand the ending. A fine balance reading group guide knopf doubleday.
A fine balance discussion oprah sat down with author rohinton mistry and others for a conversation about the novel. The novel gives us a vivid picture of life for members of the untouchable caste in remote villages. Ive spent a long time trying to figure it out since i finished reading, because i think that it has to be central to mistrys goals in the book. But these are not the reasons i love the book so much. A fine balance by rohinton mistry announced november 30, 2001 discussion questions 1. The government has just declared a state of emergency, in. A fine balance by rohinton mistry book club discussion. Most of a fine balance takes place in 1975, but the novel also offers a. Please be aware that this discussion guide may contain spoilers. Indexing is actually a highly engaging activity, isnt it. The a fine balance study guide contains a comprehensive summary and analysis of a fine balance by rohinton mistry. This magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism, of india.
The writing is excellent and the storytelling is perfect. Does a fine balance show peoples vulnerability, or their fortitude. Reading guide for a fine balance by rohinton mistry. The corrupt and brutal government has just declared a state of emergency, and the country is on the edge of chaos.
Such a long journey 1991 was shortlisted for the booker prize and won the governor generals award, the com. Published november 30th 2001 by vintage first published 1995 more details. My solution is to take inspiration from the title of rohinton mistrys novel a fine balance from 1995. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Mistrys second novel, a fine balance, is a long, complex work, with four protagonists and a variety of settings. 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. This inaugural democracy index for botswana is intended to set a benchmark for democracy to be measured against. We may not even have a single facetoface conversation all day. A fine balance rohinton mistry and other kinds of academic papers in our essays database at many essays. Tips on how to run a successful book discussion group. The tool, developed and honed by idasa over many years, assesses the depth of democracy in a country through five focus areas. Read on for the best ways to find book discussion questions as well as my top ten generic book discussion questions that will work for anything you may choose. A fine balance v a fine balance displays a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of charles dickens. I loaned out my first copy and never got it back so i have gotten a second copy and am reading the book again.
A fine balance amnesty international book club canada. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. A fine balance like pax said, the suicide hit me hard, but didnt disappoint me. A fine balance is a book that will stay in my memory forever. His first novel, such a long journey, was shortlisted for the booker prize and received, among other awards, the governor generals award and the commonwealth writers prize for best book of the year. Rc groups the most active radio control model community. We hope they will provide many interesting angles from which to approach this sweeping and magnificent novel by one of the most powerful of contemporary writers. The pace is steady, perhaps a bit pedantic at times but definitely worth the time it takes to read. 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. It tells the story of four unlikely people whose lives come together during a time of political turmoil soon after the government declares a. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Moreover, although most of the events in the novel take place in the mid1970s. The questions, discussion topics, and suggested reading list that follow are intended to enhance your groups experience of reading rohinton mistrys a fine balance. A fine balance by rohinton mistry my enjoyment of this brilliant, thronging novel was enriched by reading it in india, and it in.
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. 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. Rohinton mistry is the author of a collection of short stories, tale from firozsha baag 1987, and two internationally acclaimed novels. A fine balance is the second novel by rohinton mistry. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a fine balance. Set in mid1970s india, a fine balance is a subtle and compelling narrative about four unlikely characters who come together in circumstances no one could have foreseen soon after the government declares a state of internal emergency. Does your book club need a little help in creating conversation. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. Through the dramatic and often shocking turns their lives take, we get an intimate view not only of their world but of india itself. The story starts in the same year the emergency was declared, 1975. This 43page guide for a fine balance by rohinton mistry includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 16 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. A fine balance culture vultures lonely planet forum.
A fine balance, rohinton mistrys stunning internationally acclaimed bestseller. In these precarious circumstances, four characters form an unlikely alliance. The government has just declared a state of emergency. I have a couple of chapters to go yet, so will join in a fine balance culture vultures lonely planet forum thorn tree. Understanding the roles educators and children play as intentional teachers and intentional learners within the early years learning framework. Here we meet a young middle class widow, her friends student son and two lowcaste rural tailors who end up in the same apartment during the emergency in the 1970s, and who try to find a balance between hope and despair, corruption and. A fine balance book report sundance bauman iaff 100 book. The bookclubinabox discussion guide to a fine balance, the novel by rohinton mistry book. I have one copy on my bookcase at home but am yet to get round to it. Here is the place to start the book club discussion on a fine balance by rohinton mistry. Times book award for fiction, the commonwealth writers prize, canadas prestigious giller prize and was a 1996 booker prize finalist. Though mistry is too fine a writer to indulge in polemics, this second novel is also. It is a book to savour rather than to gallop through. It is set in india in the mid1970 and shows how the lives of four ordinary people are overturned by the emergency, a period of political turmoil and violence.
In mistrys a fine balance, indira gandhis emergency era is the backdrop of tragic events befalling the four protagonists, who, despite the utter hopelessness and anxiety surrounding them, find comfort in each others company. The bookclubinabox discussion guide to a fine balance, the. But as we get into reading the book in front of us, we go beyond being absorbed. His new novel, family matters, will be released by knopf in 2002.
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