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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
ive never wanted to dnf a book so much in my life...and i think i have a permanent line between my brows now from the perpetual frown i had the whole time i was reading this book. the master and margarita was a warbling, droning slog that was 250 pgs too long. filled w/ needless description and endless tell-not-show, im so perplexed at how hundreds of pgs could be full of nothing.
also idk if my strong dislike for the writing was bc it's a 'classic' written almost a century ago, but ive never had the same gripe w/ other classics ive read?? such a wasted opportunity bc this had such an amazing premise, w/ brief brilliant moments here and there, the titular master and margarita were actually delightful, and the end tied things quite well tgt. off to read 5-star reviews to see what others saw in this book.
also idk if my strong dislike for the writing was bc it's a 'classic' written almost a century ago, but ive never had the same gripe w/ other classics ive read?? such a wasted opportunity bc this had such an amazing premise, w/ brief brilliant moments here and there, the titular master and margarita were actually delightful, and the end tied things quite well tgt. off to read 5-star reviews to see what others saw in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, and Infidelity
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Religious bigotry
woahnelly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? N/A
5.0
It's been a few days since I finished this book and I still can't quite put my finger on what at all just happened. This is possibly the wildest story around, and yet is so accordingly captivating. There is clearly a lot of commentary on the communist Russia at the time Bulgakov was writing, and the context is even more interesting when you look at it from his artistic perspective. Anyways, point is I'm glad my friend Kat got this for me because it was like a breath of fresh air (albeit fresh air possibly laced with a lil bit of the devil's lettuce.. quite ironically so, considering one of the main characters in this novel)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Domestic abuse
It's just banging and you've gotta read itfyre_flies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-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
3.0
Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita was my choice for a book club because I'd heard loads about it. It's vivid characters and beautiful descriptions captured my attention and I was intrigued.
Written between the 1920s and 40s, this classic was published posthumously due to the strict censorship of Soviet Russia.
The story follows the devil, Woland, and his peculiar entourage, which includes an enormous talking cat with a penchant for vodka and ill timed humor, in a visit to Russia.
Bukgakov combines supernatural elements with a layer of dark comedy and satire, flawlessly them playing off each other. The eponymous characters, however, only come into play in the latter half of the narrative after Margarita brokers a deal to be host, "Queen Margot", at the Devil's Ball in return for finding her missing lover - the unnamed Master, who has written an interesting tale of the history of Pontius Pilot...
Here is a very quick review:
The characters were vibrant, the descriptions magnificent and the action and dialogue was well constructed but the flow was bitty and all over the place. It appeared to me more like a set of short stories about the devil making trouble in numerous hilarious, satirical and at times serious ways. The ending too, felt a little underwhelming to me.
I also believe that readability and, in turn, enjoyability for this work depends a great deal on the translation and the format you read it in. I struggled through sections when reading certain translations but thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook experience (the one I chose was a Naxos edition read by Julian Rhind-Tutt which I really recommend).
Due to this, it didn't get my highest review, but it has definitely made me interested in reading more of Bulgakov's works in the future. I really enjoyed how he managed to blend humour with serious subjects in a way that doesn't clash and doesn't take away from the importance of the subject he is discussing.
Read if you like slow-paced yet action filled stories that are slightly wacky and very satirical, with sprinklings of seriousness and humour. It is literally the definition of a wild ride.
Written between the 1920s and 40s, this classic was published posthumously due to the strict censorship of Soviet Russia.
The story follows the devil, Woland, and his peculiar entourage, which includes an enormous talking cat with a penchant for vodka and ill timed humor, in a visit to Russia.
Bukgakov combines supernatural elements with a layer of dark comedy and satire, flawlessly them playing off each other. The eponymous characters, however, only come into play in the latter half of the narrative after Margarita brokers a deal to be host, "Queen Margot", at the Devil's Ball in return for finding her missing lover - the unnamed Master, who has written an interesting tale of the history of Pontius Pilot...
Here is a very quick review:
The characters were vibrant, the descriptions magnificent and the action and dialogue was well constructed but the flow was bitty and all over the place. It appeared to me more like a set of short stories about the devil making trouble in numerous hilarious, satirical and at times serious ways. The ending too, felt a little underwhelming to me.
I also believe that readability and, in turn, enjoyability for this work depends a great deal on the translation and the format you read it in. I struggled through sections when reading certain translations but thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook experience (the one I chose was a Naxos edition read by Julian Rhind-Tutt which I really recommend).
Due to this, it didn't get my highest review, but it has definitely made me interested in reading more of Bulgakov's works in the future. I really enjoyed how he managed to blend humour with serious subjects in a way that doesn't clash and doesn't take away from the importance of the subject he is discussing.
Read if you like slow-paced yet action filled stories that are slightly wacky and very satirical, with sprinklings of seriousness and humour. It is literally the definition of a wild ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death and Body horror
bryonyporter's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Mental illness, and Death
fyre_flies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Forced institutionalization, and Infidelity
Minor: Gore
clairvoyant's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, and Death
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Suicide attempt
allisoncc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I finished this book weeks ago and I still don't really know how I feel about it.
It's definitely Russian Literature and may be a difficult read. It is certainly slow paced in one sense and extremely fast in another. Part One of the novel feels very disjointed and each chapter is essentially a vignette, Part Two is more cohesive in the narrative, and I'm not certain Part One is edited down to it's best ability. This is a book about The Devil so be sure to check out any content warnings.
It's definitely Russian Literature and may be a difficult read. It is certainly slow paced in one sense and extremely fast in another. Part One of the novel feels very disjointed and each chapter is essentially a vignette, Part Two is more cohesive in the narrative, and I'm not certain Part One is edited down to it's best ability. This is a book about The Devil so be sure to check out any content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Gun violence, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Cancer
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