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jasonfurman's review against another edition
2.0
(Note, I read the title novella and the first set of stories, but skipped most of the "Feuilletons").
I was excited to find a Bulgakov book that I hadn't yet read appear in translation. But the excitement did not extend to the actual reading, which explained why these are not very common. The title novella Notes on the Cuff is about a doctor/writer (much like Bulgakov), focusing on a series of incidents during the civil war, and not nearly as good as A Dead Man's Memoir (aka Black Snow), which itself was not so great. A number of other stories are in a similar vein. The second part of the book is "Feuilletons" which describe Moscow, other cities, in somewhat satirical terms. I only dipped into these and found them less interesting than the first half.
I would have been better of reading Master & Margarita a third time.
I was excited to find a Bulgakov book that I hadn't yet read appear in translation. But the excitement did not extend to the actual reading, which explained why these are not very common. The title novella Notes on the Cuff is about a doctor/writer (much like Bulgakov), focusing on a series of incidents during the civil war, and not nearly as good as A Dead Man's Memoir (aka Black Snow), which itself was not so great. A number of other stories are in a similar vein. The second part of the book is "Feuilletons" which describe Moscow, other cities, in somewhat satirical terms. I only dipped into these and found them less interesting than the first half.
I would have been better of reading Master & Margarita a third time.
sophiesvs's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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
unbyronically's review
funny
informative
medium-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
3.5
shusha's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
my favourite book ever even though i was depressed after i've read notes on the cuff
jen_richardson19's review against another edition
5.0
I could not have loved this book more. I had to brush up on my history of the Russian Civil war so that I could actually understand some of the specific events he narrates, especially those happening in his beloved Kiev. But the chaotic style of narration forced the reader to feel the utter chaos these citizens experienced from seemly endless violence and from constantly changing hands, as well as the hunger and desperation that defined the period. This would have been a very difficult and perhaps even pointless read without the footnotes, though, which explained/contextualized a lot of the fine-tuned cultural subtleties that so define Bulgakov's style (which would have otherwise been completely lost on me). I had to immediately go out and buy his novel The White Guard in hopes to find more of the same!
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
3.0
Whilst I love Bulgakov's work, this was far too similar to A Country Doctor's Notebook; I stopped reading for that reason alone.
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