A review by hildegard
The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov

4.0

In many ways, I enjoyed this book. Some parts were thought provoking; others were outright hilarious (the suit, for example). But I will admit that it was so apocalyptic (on account of its having been written under a repressive government and not infrequently alluding to people of the time that the non-specialist would never pick up without an outside guide), that it felt in some ways a bit dated/too specific to a *particular* régime rather than speaking to a broader audience.

I also found the appropriation of some religious figures to be decidedly odd in terms of characterization. However, given the little bit I know about Stalin's long term affects on Russians' memories/perception of the period's events (see The Unquiet Ghost), maybe this makes sense after all.