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tamara_joy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Truly bizarre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
sunn_bleach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A spectacular addition to my "where'd the funny parts go?" heuristic in books chock-full of hilarity that become all the more poignant toward the end where the humor falls away and the true heart of the book comes forth. My Eastern European friends say it was never funny to begin with; the early Soviet happenings are simply too close to home.
I finished this half a year ago and am still thinking about it. This could be a 5-star book in time. Impossible not to recommend to anyone even remotely interested in fantasy/magical realism, religious fiction, and Russian/USSR fiction.
I finished this half a year ago and am still thinking about it. This could be a 5-star book in time. Impossible not to recommend to anyone even remotely interested in fantasy/magical realism, religious fiction, and Russian/USSR fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty and Child death
little_librophile's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia
Many characters end up in mental hospital The homophobia tag is for that one of the characters has the alias f*ggot. From research I found that the word used in russian sounds like that but more accurately means buffoon, but I guess my edition translates it as that 🙃fyre_flies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita was my choice for a book club because I'd heard loads about it. It's vivid characters and beautiful descriptions captured my attention and I was intrigued.
Written between the 1920s and 40s, this classic was published posthumously due to the strict censorship of Soviet Russia.
The story follows the devil, Woland, and his peculiar entourage, which includes an enormous talking cat with a penchant for vodka and ill timed humor, in a visit to Russia.
Bukgakov combines supernatural elements with a layer of dark comedy and satire, flawlessly them playing off each other. The eponymous characters, however, only come into play in the latter half of the narrative after Margarita brokers a deal to be host, "Queen Margot", at the Devil's Ball in return for finding her missing lover - the unnamed Master, who has written an interesting tale of the history of Pontius Pilot...
Here is a very quick review:
The characters were vibrant, the descriptions magnificent and the action and dialogue was well constructed but the flow was bitty and all over the place. It appeared to me more like a set of short stories about the devil making trouble in numerous hilarious, satirical and at times serious ways. The ending too, felt a little underwhelming to me.
I also believe that readability and, in turn, enjoyability for this work depends a great deal on the translation and the format you read it in. I struggled through sections when reading certain translations but thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook experience (the one I chose was a Naxos edition read by Julian Rhind-Tutt which I really recommend).
Due to this, it didn't get my highest review, but it has definitely made me interested in reading more of Bulgakov's works in the future. I really enjoyed how he managed to blend humour with serious subjects in a way that doesn't clash and doesn't take away from the importance of the subject he is discussing.
Read if you like slow-paced yet action filled stories that are slightly wacky and very satirical, with sprinklings of seriousness and humour. It is literally the definition of a wild ride.
Written between the 1920s and 40s, this classic was published posthumously due to the strict censorship of Soviet Russia.
The story follows the devil, Woland, and his peculiar entourage, which includes an enormous talking cat with a penchant for vodka and ill timed humor, in a visit to Russia.
Bukgakov combines supernatural elements with a layer of dark comedy and satire, flawlessly them playing off each other. The eponymous characters, however, only come into play in the latter half of the narrative after Margarita brokers a deal to be host, "Queen Margot", at the Devil's Ball in return for finding her missing lover - the unnamed Master, who has written an interesting tale of the history of Pontius Pilot...
Here is a very quick review:
The characters were vibrant, the descriptions magnificent and the action and dialogue was well constructed but the flow was bitty and all over the place. It appeared to me more like a set of short stories about the devil making trouble in numerous hilarious, satirical and at times serious ways. The ending too, felt a little underwhelming to me.
I also believe that readability and, in turn, enjoyability for this work depends a great deal on the translation and the format you read it in. I struggled through sections when reading certain translations but thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook experience (the one I chose was a Naxos edition read by Julian Rhind-Tutt which I really recommend).
Due to this, it didn't get my highest review, but it has definitely made me interested in reading more of Bulgakov's works in the future. I really enjoyed how he managed to blend humour with serious subjects in a way that doesn't clash and doesn't take away from the importance of the subject he is discussing.
Read if you like slow-paced yet action filled stories that are slightly wacky and very satirical, with sprinklings of seriousness and humour. It is literally the definition of a wild ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Body horror and Child death