Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Mistrz i Małgorzata

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Mistrz i Małgorzata by Mikhail Bulgakov

32 reviews

elessahr's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

tamara_joy's review against another edition

1.0

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Truly bizarre.

Content Warnings

biobeetle's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

sunn_bleach's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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.

edit: is now a 5-star book for me

Content Warnings

ms_sarah621's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Okay, I have been putting this one off for years because Russian classics intimidate me. But, I regret doing so! This was phenomenal. The story itself was wildly entertaining and had me just blowing through certain chapters. Then, when you take a moment to analyze the story and relate it to the point of history when it was being written, it just makes it so much better. It says so much about the secret police, dictatorship, and the ways we define good and evil. I am left with a lot to think about. Also, the way it’s written and the storytelling makes the book feel more accessible. Some fear the language and background knowledge used for classics, but I didn’t experience that with this book. Now, you’re wondering why I’m not giving this five stars since I seemed to have loved it. Well, this book has two parts, and part one is beautiful. *chefs kiss* However, part two was extremely fantastical and difficult to follow at times. The entertaining bits were stripped away, and it started to feel more and more incoherent. I was enjoying Woland going around Moscow driving everyone to madness and the secret police being at a loss of what to do. It was crazy to see how everyone was affected and their reactions. Then, in the second half, I believe it focused on good and evil much more. I lost the feeling that I had in part one. I feel that part two could have been cut down and integrated into the plot of part one more. I understand that part two is important and is the reason for the book title itself, but it just didn’t go well with me and was difficult to get through. This can just be a case of my reading preferences, but, overall, I really enjoyed this book. Would definitely recommend to classic lovers or someone interested in trying out some Russian literature.

Content Warnings

jaimemt_reads's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is a very unique book. I recommend reading Gogol before attempting this one.

Content Warnings

lisztaffe's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

rchatterjee188's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

sas_lk's review against another edition

3.0

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

I honestly just did not care. At first it was fine, then i enjoyed it for like 2 chapters, and then I just wanted it to end. I was bored. I got so confused about which character was which, and did not bother trying to understand because I was bored. Just felt meh...

Content Warnings

readingsponsoredbybts's review against another edition

4.25

dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

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