I bought this copy in the thrift store today. I have another copy of it on my TBR pile. I am offering this in a bookray!

What’s a bookray and how does it work?

A bookray is when a book passes from person to person based on the list of members involved. Preferably a bookray book is never released into the wild.

To join this bookray (or any other bookray of mine) please private message me. I will be glad to add you to the list. New members are added all of the time so be sure to check the list of participants before you mail the book to the next in line just in case!

Once you are a bookray member you will receive the book from the person listed before you. When you receive the book please make a journal entry stating that you’ve received it. Then read it as soon as you can (no absolute hurry, just be reasonable please :o), and journal again with your thoughts. You’ll then need to private message the person on the list after you for their address. Mail the book by media mail (it’s cheaper!), and make release notes on the book only if you’d like to. Then sit back and watch the continuing journey!

The members are as follows:

LeapingLizzards (Florida)
bluenoser (Canada)
tutmarie (Denmark)
Majosim (Denmark)
katayoun (Iran)
Hawkette (Australia)(currently has ownership)
kangaroo

Released on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 at Bookcrosser's home in postal release, postal release USA.

Enjoy the bookray!

I got this in the mail on Monday. I am about 1/3 through. Reallly like it so far.

A very well written book. I am always intriqued by Indian culture. As crafted as the book was, unfortunately, I found it depressing.
I was left feeling the way I did when I finished Angela's Ashes. Even though there are some truly bright spots in the story, it
wasn't enough for me. But you know what they say about opinions. There were so many more people that loved Angela's Ashes,
just as I am sure there will be many more people that love A Fine Balance.

It will soon be on it's way to Canada and bluenoser. (probly either Tuesday or Wednesday)
Thanks so much for sharing the book.

This was in my mailbox when I got home from work yesterday evening. Thanks to pgsahm for starting this ray and LeapingLizzards for sending it on to me.
It's over 600 pages of small print, so will take a while to read. I've been listening to another of Mistry's books serialized on the radio ("Family Matters") and am looking forward to reading this.

I have to agree with Leaping Lizzards, this is an awesome story but oh so depressing, some passages are very graphic and should definitely not be read while eating!
The characters are beautifully described and are so real and although I haven't visited India I'm sure the culture and very hard lives led by the poor people of that country are very accurately portrayed here. As the story takes place a few decades ago one can only hope that justice, politics and living conditions have improved somewhat for the poorer citizens of that country. If nothing else it makes me more appreciative for the benefits we have living in Canada.
I'll be sending this off to Denmark on Thursday.
It's a long book but hard to put down once you start it. Enjoy.

After about a month in the mail, this one finally arrived in the mail yesterday with a lovely postcard from Nova Scotia. I've read a few pages of it and I think I like it so far. It's huge, though, so it'll probably take a while for me to read. I'll be back with more later.

Finally! It took me forever to finish this book. Not because I didn't like it, but because I've been busy with lots of other stuff (such as moving house). And because it's not a pageturner - but it's very well written and extremely depressing. The last 100 pages were awful - such horrifying things the characters go through. I was only 8 years old when Indira Gandhi was killed and all I remember about her was the cremation which I saw on tv. My impression was that she was popular among the people, but it seems I was wrong. Very interesting for me as a European not knowing much about Indian society and the caste system. I'll pass the book onto Majosim as soon as I see him. Thanks, pgsahm for sharing this scary book.

Thanks, tutmarie! Looking forward to many hours of reading!

Yesterday I finished this well written yet very disturbing book. I am very pleased with having learned so much about the Indian society and especially the caste system. But I am very sorry I did not know just how bad the lowest caste is treated and how the religious system makes it impossible for these people to break away from their predestined path. I wonder if it has become better over the last twenty years?
For the past two weeks the book went along with me on the train and ferry on my almost daily commuting trips between Copenhagen in Denmark and Helsingborg in Sweden. So it was swallowed in hourlong bites.

Sending it on to katayoun in Iran today. Enjoy.

I got a bit delayed so it was not sent until December 4'th.

the book is here (it's snowing and the postman had an umbrella on one hand. our postmans rides a motorcycle and i was just too excited about the parcels to see how he managed an umbrella! and so now i'll always wonder. well just HAD TO share this :)) got 2 books before this but will try to start this as soon as i can, maybe try reading two simultaneously? yet i don't think this book will leave much feelings and brain power to read another along side it. will journal when i start it.

starting, either today, or tomorrow, see you in a week or most likely two
made a small dent in the book, i'm currently reading another book also and this one you can't carry around, so it's only for bedtimes and sometimes days can be so exhausting that nights tend to be short!
will be back!

this book was lovely, great writing, so beautifully written and i didn't finish it. it was so sad, and the writing just gripped you, i couldn't go on. well i could but then i would have been unbearable for a month. i definitely want to try it again, at a time when i'm stronger and can stand all that beauty and sadness.
so it's on it's way hawkette, and thanks alot pgsahm for the this ray.

"Brown paper parcels tided up with string, these are a few of my favourite things" is what came to mind when I found this in my mail box this evening. Although it wasn't brown paper, and hey, if it wasn't for the string I suspect this book would have been out in the wild!
Thanks for this one, have been watching is progress as it has travelled to me. Looking forward to it.

The foods, various Indian names and words throughout this book has fed my growing India travel desires!

This story follows four rich characters, tracks their journey to meet each other, watches them bond together, and sees them each go through unimaginable hardships - some so shocking! I was stunned! The political context of their times together, with governmental and authority corruption rife, the poverty - but also the amazing spirit in people who are sharing the same hard life, the kindness and richness of characters in such times. This book was both lovely and despairing at the same time.

I loved Om's description of the quilt and it's patches, and what it meant to them all.

One passage in particular that I wanted to remember...

'"God is dead," said Maneck. "That's what a German philosopher wrote.
She was shocked. "Trust the Germans to say such things," she frowned. "And do you believe it?"
"I used to. But now I prefer to think that God is a giant quiltmaker. With an infinate variety of designs. And the quilt is grown so big and confusing, the pattern is impossible to see, the squares and diamonds and triangles don't fit well anymore, it's all become meaningless. So He has abandoned it."' (p.334)

kangaroo has acquired her own copy of this one, and so the ray ends here. I will release it, take it to meet up, or send to a friend...

Book is alive and well in Phnom Penh Cambodia, will probably circulate the wilds here for a while. Made its way over from Australia. I have yet to read it, but have another copy, so I am passing it on to friends.

Hooroo