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zachf's review against another edition
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
emmiesmith's review against another edition
4.0
I finally finished this a year later. Honestly, at first I did not appreciate this book at all and found it really confusing, but after you accept that the book "not making a ton of sense" is the whole point, you start to enjoy it a lot more. The second half of the novel is when things start to come full circle so don't give up until then.
wilder_tingz's review against another edition
4.0
weird and wonderful, this book does whatever it wants at every turn. i may have lacked sympathy for some of the characters, but i still really enjoyed it. woland was by far the most interesting character and i felt like we did not get enough woland screen time.
islandofgreen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-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
4.0
thad2thebone's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita was a wonderful read. I prefer the Burgin and O'Connor translation to the Volokhonsky and Pevear, but that is just me. The novel is set in the Stalin era of the Soviet Union and the devil has come to town to put on a magic show (amongst many other things). What I enjoyed most about this novel was the meta-fictional feat that Bulgakov achieved in writing, especially considering the context of his own life in relation to his writing of this novel. All together, you get a novel which is a rich culmination of his own fears, beliefs, and takes on the world he was living in and can still see those perceptions today.
pili_pala's review against another edition
5.0
Wow.
This is the first of my 2022 'Read the books I've been meaning to read for years' adventure and it was a great one to start with.
I absolutely loved it. So beautifully written (and/or translated as I obviously don't read Russian). I should note that I can't find this translation on Goodreads (I listened to the Karpelson translation on audiobook, read brilliantly by Julian Rhind-Tutt). I have never read a book like it. I can't summarise it and won't try - but if you haven't read it, it deserves a place on your 'to read' list.
This is the first of my 2022 'Read the books I've been meaning to read for years' adventure and it was a great one to start with.
I absolutely loved it. So beautifully written (and/or translated as I obviously don't read Russian). I should note that I can't find this translation on Goodreads (I listened to the Karpelson translation on audiobook, read brilliantly by Julian Rhind-Tutt). I have never read a book like it. I can't summarise it and won't try - but if you haven't read it, it deserves a place on your 'to read' list.
samsternator69's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25