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viktoriarimski's review
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It has a really Russian humor. Anyone who grew up with Russian culture and media will back me up on this (I hope). It's very funny, but in a smart way, and also makes a person think. It often feels like some sort of a fever dream, and I mean it in the best sense possible.
It feels quite episodic, with chapters often jumping from one character to the other, but in the end it finishes all it's plot lines.
The way it's written feels quite modern and gen Z-ish, if you ask me. Magical realism is used very well too.
It feels quite episodic, with chapters often jumping from one character to the other, but in the end it finishes all it's plot lines.
The way it's written feels quite modern and gen Z-ish, if you ask me. Magical realism is used very well too.
zoepol's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
amjlawrence's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
steve_t's review against another edition
3.0
I love the concept and that were some great and funny scenes, but I just couldn't get into the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation. It was very hard for me to connect with the writing, so that even though I loved the premise, I rarely got immersed. Everything also felt disjointed and had too many characters.
The idea of associating the disappearances caused by the Soviet secret police with the actions of Satan was very clever and well done. I love the focus on Pontius Pilate and the vice of cowardliness. The mix of the supernatural with rational explanations was a really nice critique and the overall themes were great.
A mixed reaction from me, but I really think it was a problem with the translation (although I normally love Pevear and Volokhonsky) rather than with the story itself. I may have to reread again in the future.
The idea of associating the disappearances caused by the Soviet secret police with the actions of Satan was very clever and well done. I love the focus on Pontius Pilate and the vice of cowardliness. The mix of the supernatural with rational explanations was a really nice critique and the overall themes were great.
A mixed reaction from me, but I really think it was a problem with the translation (although I normally love Pevear and Volokhonsky) rather than with the story itself. I may have to reread again in the future.
nichola's review against another edition
4.0
I am not sure if I reslly grasped this narrative the way I should have. I think this translation is much better than the one I had in print and the narrator performed it beautifully, I struggled to follow characters as I was listening and not reading, but I am left feeling strangely bonded to this novel. I think I need time to ponder it more.
weirdbookbookclub's review against another edition
4.0
I first tried reading this in high school, fancying myself an aficionado of weird-and-wacky social satires from the likes of Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller. I remember feeling intrigued by the sheer amount of activity in The Master and Margarita, particularly the antics of everybody's favorite feline demon, Behemoth.
At the same time, I couldn't escape a sense that the humor and pathos in each of Bulgakov's meticulously described scenes hinged on set of references I simply did not get. What does an average American teenager know about the politics of currency speculation in Stalinist Russia or the cutthroat social maneuvering needed to score a sweet apartment in downtown Moscow?
Now, at 31, I feel a bit more urbane (though perhaps a bit too self-satisfied) at being able to parse these... adult experiences. However, there's a lot of emotional meat here, too, that I'm surprised I missed on my first go-round: the joyful liberation of women through witchcraft, the genuine suffering endured by mentally ill people and their loved ones, the nagging sense of irresolution that plagues each character called upon to make a difficult moral choice.
Now, the defining characteristic of this novel for me will be its utterly charming lack of restraint. No subject or style seems beyond Bulgakov's grasp. Urban ghost stories? Slice-of-life character studies? Critiques of the literary establishment? A full-on sub-novel about Pontius Pilate? Sure, why not. We see the title characters for maybe a third of this novel's runtime and they still manage to make an indelible mark. The Master and Margarita is unlike anything else you'll read and only the Devil knows how it all hangs together so marvelously.
At the same time, I couldn't escape a sense that the humor and pathos in each of Bulgakov's meticulously described scenes hinged on set of references I simply did not get. What does an average American teenager know about the politics of currency speculation in Stalinist Russia or the cutthroat social maneuvering needed to score a sweet apartment in downtown Moscow?
Now, at 31, I feel a bit more urbane (though perhaps a bit too self-satisfied) at being able to parse these... adult experiences. However, there's a lot of emotional meat here, too, that I'm surprised I missed on my first go-round: the joyful liberation of women through witchcraft, the genuine suffering endured by mentally ill people and their loved ones, the nagging sense of irresolution that plagues each character called upon to make a difficult moral choice.
Now, the defining characteristic of this novel for me will be its utterly charming lack of restraint. No subject or style seems beyond Bulgakov's grasp. Urban ghost stories? Slice-of-life character studies? Critiques of the literary establishment? A full-on sub-novel about Pontius Pilate? Sure, why not. We see the title characters for maybe a third of this novel's runtime and they still manage to make an indelible mark. The Master and Margarita is unlike anything else you'll read and only the Devil knows how it all hangs together so marvelously.
zsofia's review against another edition
3.0
I really have no idea if I liked this book or not. I enjoyed a lot of it, but it was also plainly evident that no amount of endnotery was going to give me enough context to really understand it. I gave it three stars because I did find the story of the devil coming to Moscow compelling, but I'm not even sure it's possible for somebody who isn't a scholar of the art, literature, politics, and social pressure of Bulgakov's Russia to really feel like they're not missing a lot of this book.
I chose this translation, by the way, because I read the Peavar translation of War and Peace and I really feel it got in the way of my enjoyment of the book. I'm not planning on comparing the two, but I felt that any distance between this book and me is all Bulgakov.
I chose this translation, by the way, because I read the Peavar translation of War and Peace and I really feel it got in the way of my enjoyment of the book. I'm not planning on comparing the two, but I felt that any distance between this book and me is all Bulgakov.
anesh's review against another edition
While Crowley was contemplating the world with Aziraphale, the Devil was having a ball in Moscow. I feel like this is a novel you either completely love or simply admire for its complexity, witty and sly humor as commentary to the times and poetic prose. I'm all in for using Satan as a subterfuge for painting the spirit of humanity, but I think I might have perhaps enjoyed it more were I more familiar with the context of the era. We all know in broad what the times were like, but Bulgakov's writing feels more intimate and many of the insinuated details in the novel have escaped me completely, I'm afraid. Also, because this is a novel where you have no hero and there are many events happening at once as they converge towards the conclusion of the story, you don't really have the time to get attached to any of the characters. For some that might not be a problem, for me, I find that it can make me get attached to a story a lot easier and it also makes me understand it better. I was, of course, drawn to the three knights of chaos, Koroviev, Behemoth and Azazello (as translated in Romanian), who were truly the epitome of the satirical spirit of the novel. With that being said, did you know that they made a Russian mini-series of this novel? I think I might have to check that out.