A review by deaconlenny
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

funny mysterious reflective medium-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

5.0

Phenomenal!!! Among the best depictions of the supernatural, and certainly of the Beast and his retinue. Amazing characterizations, so many literary (mostly Russian) references that I definitely didn’t clock but loved anyway, and now I need to read Pushkin and Gogol and definitely Faust. Not much else to say that hasn’t already been said better by others, but this is a wonderful, trippy, zany rollercoaster with a bunch of fucking circus freaks who are instantly endearing and hilarious. Behemoth is the obvious choice for a favorite, but every time someone described how much they hated Koroviev’s pince-nez, I also lost it. The Man Himself was also a delight, and the whole posse made me almost wish this was one entry in a long, long series. But then, part of the magic is that this is truly one of a kind.