Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

18 reviews

bokslukaren's review against another edition

challenging medium-paced

2.0

The writing stood out to me at once - both modern and classic. There were chapters where I was completely inside the book, and others where I was completely lost, and still others where I felt personally pointed out and wondered “is it talking to me?”. It's worth mentioning that I would've enjoyed the book more if it had embraced and developed the horror themes. Behemoth was my absolute favourite, so much that I'm naming my newly adopted cat after him. This was an entirely surrealistic experience which at times felt like an incomprehensible fever dream - I'm a firm believer that those who understand everything in this book are lying and that Bulgakow’s satire is really poking fun at the readers who are pretending to understand. I've got no experience whatsoever when it comes to Russian culture and Russian names, which made my head a complete mess while reading this. No, I did not know whom Bulgakow was referring to at any given time, but I should've taken some responsibility and written the names down at least. The only reason I didn't DNF was because I was hoping that I would understand when I finished it, but alas.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Mental illness, Blood, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

kmhst25's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

1.5

While the first sections are extremely promising, the book ultimately devolves into male fantasies and fever dreams. I don't know how anyone can take this novel seriously. For example:

• There is one main female character, and she is naked for more than half of all of her appearances.
• There is one secondary female character, and she is naked for all of her appearances. 
• In fact, most of the background women in the book are also naked. Female nudity is basically a theme. Theoretically, a lot of it can be explained by the association of witches with nudity, but there are so many non-witch naked women floating around that that explanation proves flimsy.
• The "Master" is a man who writes one novel that his (barely fleshed out) lover reveres so much that she only calls him Master from then on, and he adopts the name as his own. (He still calls her by her name though, and her defining characteristics are that she's beautiful and that she's devoted to him.) If anyone asks him who he is, he only says, "I'm the Master." The Master conveniently shares several traits and life experiences with the author of this book.
• Later in the novel, it becomes clear that some of the chapters that we have been reading are actually excerpts from the Master's brillaint masterpiece. So not only is he similar to the book's author, but the book's author decides that he is also qualified to write the Master's genius work.

Need I go on?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Blood

Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

syliu's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I'll admit there's something darkly tantalising in The Master and Margrita's style, rhythm, and strange twists. Satan's banter with Behemoth is fun, and the subject matter is unique.

But Bulgakov is (to quote Théoden) a lesser son of greater sires. Nowhere does he delve into questions of morality and social responsibility with particularly startling depth, breadth or clarity. Instead there are far too many same-ish middle-aged male characters that muddle the narrative. And his treatment of women is extremely disappointing if not somewhat abhorrent. 

I can appreciate the book for what it is -- an intriguing and quaintly absurd time capsule from the Soviet Union. But my appreciation for it as a piece of literature does not stretch quite so far.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Gore, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Murder

whats_sophie_reading's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

that was a weird read…

talking cats, disappearing clothes, the Devil and Jesus, magician and lots of chaos 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Minor: Antisemitism

elessahr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

sammelito's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

Crazy book with unclear plot. Would probably enjoy more if I had a better understanding of the historical context.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Murder

biobeetle's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Alcohol

lisztaffe's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Abortion, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

rchatterjee188's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

marianneiriss's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Did I understand what was happening for most of this book? No, not really. But did I enjoy being confused by it? Oh yes. 

Satan comes to Moscow to throw his annual ball, and in the process of organising this his entourage makes mischief across the city. Woven between chapters describing the effects of this devilry, there are chapters set in Biblical Yershalaim -Jerusalem- capturing the internal turmoil of Pontius Pilate as he pronounces judgement on criminals brought before him.  In addition to these two strands of the novel, Bulgakov incorporates a third theme- the romance between a woman called Margarita and the man who she calls the Master, a struggling writer. As the book progresses, these three stories intertwine in a surreal, and often humorous, but still at times extremely poignant, tale. 

I can understand that this book is not for everyone: the satirical portrayal of the literary and bureaucratic circles in Bulgakov's Moscow does not make for easy reading. I would recommend taking the time to check the footnotes if your edition includes them, as without the context they provide (unless you are an expert in '30s Soviet intellectuals) some of the humour may go over your head! 

In contrast, the tomfoolery between Satan's cat Behemoth, who has a penchant for vodka and primus stoves, and Koroviev, the man who organises most of the mischief in the devil's name, is amusing even without flipping back and forth to the footnotes - I thought the chapters focussing on them were some of the best in the book (alongside the story of Pontius Pilate, which whilst entirely different in tone, is also extremely well portrayed) 

Overall, an extremely strange book, but  well worth the effort it requires to understand it. If you enjoy Russian literature, surrealism, satire, talking cats and naked witches, and even a bit of Biblical retelling, you will enjoy this!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail