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spaces_and_solaces's review
4.0
I want us to take a moment to marvel at this absolutely breathtaking book! I know I’ve already mentioned this book once in my list of ‘10 books to read if you are interested in philosophy’, but I am bringing it up again to talk about it a bit more.
Russian Literature never lets down! Case in point, The Master & Margarita. Initially banned, a censored version was published after the author’s death though a full unofficial version was making it rounds in the literary circles underground giving it a cult status.
There is no way I can do justice to this book by giving a ‘summary’, but here it goes:
An editor of an anti-religious literary journal & a poet hired by him to write anti-religious stuff are sitting in Moscow Russia at the Patriarch’s Ponds discussing an atheist poem, when they are interrupted by a mysterious Professor Woland who challenges their atheism with his own story.
He insists that Jesus did exist, and he was present for his crucifixion. These two timelines – Moscow 1930s and Jerusalem at the time of Jesus form the basis of this novel. As if that wasn’t strange enough, the professor also predicts the exact manner of the editor’s death.
Woland, is the name given to the devil by the author. And as the story continues, we are witnessed to the strange & evil happenings around the devil, but we also see the good that the devil does.
This juxtaposition will make you reexamine the age-old question of evil and is one of the central ideas of this novel as is the idea of moral ambiguity.
There is so much more to write about this book, maybe one day I’ll have a blog in which I can post but this book is not to be missed!
Through magical surrealism, the author invokes a powerful sense of terror, joy, madness, and awe.
Russian Literature never lets down! Case in point, The Master & Margarita. Initially banned, a censored version was published after the author’s death though a full unofficial version was making it rounds in the literary circles underground giving it a cult status.
There is no way I can do justice to this book by giving a ‘summary’, but here it goes:
An editor of an anti-religious literary journal & a poet hired by him to write anti-religious stuff are sitting in Moscow Russia at the Patriarch’s Ponds discussing an atheist poem, when they are interrupted by a mysterious Professor Woland who challenges their atheism with his own story.
He insists that Jesus did exist, and he was present for his crucifixion. These two timelines – Moscow 1930s and Jerusalem at the time of Jesus form the basis of this novel. As if that wasn’t strange enough, the professor also predicts the exact manner of the editor’s death.
Woland, is the name given to the devil by the author. And as the story continues, we are witnessed to the strange & evil happenings around the devil, but we also see the good that the devil does.
This juxtaposition will make you reexamine the age-old question of evil and is one of the central ideas of this novel as is the idea of moral ambiguity.
There is so much more to write about this book, maybe one day I’ll have a blog in which I can post but this book is not to be missed!
Through magical surrealism, the author invokes a powerful sense of terror, joy, madness, and awe.
alicebme's review
2.0
I am never going to finish this book. I chose it because it was on Daniel Radcliffe's READ poster, and I really enjoyed it at first. Then I got confused a bit, and I put it down for a while. You know how you need your book to be relaxing sometimes? So, I need to pick it back up and try again. In the meantime...this ridiculous review.
amaia92's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cmarieha's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
b_e_stuart's review
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
It was hard for me to follow what was going on and maybe I should have brushed up on Soviet history first. It's funny and surreal which I liked but I also lost the plot several times and found the writing to be so heavy that I couldn't always envision what was happening or why. There were a lot of characters and I struggled to keep them straight, especially as I only had time to read this in small bits over a few weeks. The second half was easier to follow and it did all sort of come together in the end. Also, I really enjoyed the Pontius Pilate parts.
elessahr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Mental illness, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death
nekomata's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
- 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? Yes
5.0
Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely! The satirical and comedic notions are *chef's kiss*
The story itself was whimsical and cleverly written. However, I must state that the best part was reading reviews & literature papers about the book. Amazing stuff!!
The writing is so mesmerizing! I find myself writing in the same fashion. I pity my penpals; they will be reading their letters and wondering why it sounds so weird.
My knowledge about Russia's history is limited, so a lot of the satire and commentary went over my head. It was thanks to reading up on the author's history did I truly appreciate it.
The themes and moral dilemmas' of human nature resonated a lot especially with everything that is going on right now in the world.
High recommend. This will be on my re-read list.
The story itself was whimsical and cleverly written. However, I must state that the best part was reading reviews & literature papers about the book. Amazing stuff!!
The writing is so mesmerizing! I find myself writing in the same fashion. I pity my penpals; they will be reading their letters and wondering why it sounds so weird.
My knowledge about Russia's history is limited, so a lot of the satire and commentary went over my head. It was thanks to reading up on the author's history did I truly appreciate it.
The themes and moral dilemmas' of human nature resonated a lot especially with everything that is going on right now in the world.
High recommend. This will be on my re-read list.
katiesettle16's review
4.0
in a year or two i will re read this in late summer/early fall when i have an apartment with a balcony. with a whiskey cocktail like an old fashioned