Listen free for 30 days

  • A Fine Balance

  • Written by: Rohinton Mistry
  • Narrated by: Vikas Adam
  • Length: 25 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (775 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
A Fine Balance cover art

A Fine Balance

Written by: Rohinton Mistry
Narrated by: Vikas Adam
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $42.99

Buy Now for $42.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

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.

Featured Article: Quotes About Hard Work to Keep You Motivated and Moving Forward

Anything worth achieving is worth working for. Those goals that we reach when we really strive for them, giving it our all, are the most rewarding. Whether it is taking small steps towards your goals, shooting for a new objective, or simply dreaming those big dreams, hard work is what gets us there. Trusting in yourself and your own abilities will allow you to dig deep, put in the time, and get where you want to be. Everything is achievable with the right mindset.

What listeners say about A Fine Balance

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    611
  • 4 Stars
    110
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    11
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    604
  • 4 Stars
    59
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    525
  • 4 Stars
    101
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    8

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Could not be better!

Amazing, deep story with perfect, flawed and very human characters. The narrator has a wonderful voice which pulls you in to the ebb and flow of this beautiful book. I have read the paperback and listened to this Audible version and gained in admiration for the tale. One of the best Audible books I have listened to over the years.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Research before you buy #Audible1

This is a well read story. Vikas has done a great job. With regards to the story on the other hand, great story in depicting the life in rural India in the 70s, but this is a story of sadness getting worst as the story progresses. Eventually when the story took a turn to happiness, i stopped as I could not take the sadness anymore. You may argue that it is the slice of life (which is probably true) but I just could not take it anymore. Do your research about the book, the author, before you buy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A genius work of fiction

How sad I was for this beautiful reading to end. I’ve read it before, but having this soft Indian accented voice whisper this gorgeous writing to me as I worked away in my studio during snowstorms and cold spells was just what needed to keep me at my work. An absolute 10 out of 10 on every level.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poignant, difficult

Hard to listen to how difficult and terrible life was (is?) for many in India. Extremely well written. Had to finish it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hope and Despair

A beautiful novel that rings with the sound of truth. Possibly the best narration I have heard. Vikas Adam captures the listener with his voice and seamlessly depicts each character with subtlety and nuance. Fabulous from start to end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A captivating, but a bit overdramatized story

I was happy to see that this book has finally became available on the Canadian site of #Audible1
I really enjoyed the first part of the book, when you got to know the individual stories of the characters. I still liked the second part of it and it kept me interested the whole time, but towards the end I started to feel that it became over-dramatized. Almost every possible misfortune you can think of had happened to one of the characters. I would still recommend it, just be prepared that it won't leave you with good feelings.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not a light commitment

There was something almost sadistic about this story of horrible suffering. When there light hearted moments, one couldn’t help but steel oneself for an upcoming assault on the conscience. It was a little too much for me.

The narrator was great because he was able pronounce Hindi words without being a hawker of exoticism, which others might be. Unfortunately he read so patiently and deliberately that I ended up listening to the second half of the story at time-and-a-half speed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This excellent book is now an excellent audiobook

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. I was so excited that it was coming out in an audiobook. I had been waiting for a long time for this.
The narration was everything I hoped for. I felt like I was right there with the characters. One of my favourite books, a modern day classic is now one of my favourite audiobooks.
#audible1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heart wrenching

you fall in love with the characters. I had a hard time stopping this book to get on with my days.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great narration

I loved listening to A Fine Balance. The author’s authentic accent enhanced the story. I didn’t expect a history and geography lesson. I looked forward to getting in my car to learn how the characters would develop.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful