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whats_sophie_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
talking cats, disappearing clothes, the Devil and Jesus, magician and lots of chaos
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Minor: Antisemitism
elessahr's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Murder, Mental illness, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death
sammelito's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Graphic: Murder and Gore
biobeetle's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Sexism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, and Gun violence
lisztaffe's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.75
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Violence, Ableism, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Gore, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Torture
rchatterjee188's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Gaslighting
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Classism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gore, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Slavery, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Violence
marianneiriss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Satan comes to Moscow to throw his annual ball, and in the process of organising this his entourage makes mischief across the city. Woven between chapters describing the effects of this devilry, there are chapters set in Biblical Yershalaim -Jerusalem- capturing the internal turmoil of Pontius Pilate as he pronounces judgement on criminals brought before him. In addition to these two strands of the novel, Bulgakov incorporates a third theme- the romance between a woman called Margarita and the man who she calls the Master, a struggling writer. As the book progresses, these three stories intertwine in a surreal, and often humorous, but still at times extremely poignant, tale.
I can understand that this book is not for everyone: the satirical portrayal of the literary and bureaucratic circles in Bulgakov's Moscow does not make for easy reading. I would recommend taking the time to check the footnotes if your edition includes them, as without the context they provide (unless you are an expert in '30s Soviet intellectuals) some of the humour may go over your head!
In contrast, the tomfoolery between Satan's cat Behemoth, who has a penchant for vodka and primus stoves, and Koroviev, the man who organises most of the mischief in the devil's name, is amusing even without flipping back and forth to the footnotes - I thought the chapters focussing on them were some of the best in the book (alongside the story of Pontius Pilate, which whilst entirely different in tone, is also extremely well portrayed)
Overall, an extremely strange book, but well worth the effort it requires to understand it. If you enjoy Russian literature, surrealism, satire, talking cats and naked witches, and even a bit of Biblical retelling, you will enjoy this!
Minor: Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Death, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
urfavpunk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, and Sexism
pythonesque's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
lisa_m's review against another edition
3.5
I 100% understand why people love this book. It has just been extremely tedious to read and I had to motivate myself a lot to get through it all.
The first 200 pages are basically just world building/ giving the readers all the knowledge they need in order to understand and enjoy the second half. It got really boring for me to the point where I would literally fall asleep after reading 3 pages (multiple times!!). I did not enjoy the first half. There were some very funny bits but most of it was exhausting.
Minor spoilers ahead
When I got to the second half though my opinion changed completely. I still think it's funny that the main protagonist (after whom the book is named!) Only appear halfway into the book. But as soon as we got to meet Magarita I started liking the book. I really enjoyed her character and story. Also the whole Satans Ball was super fun. I also finally felt like I understood Woland and the others.
The whole becoming a witch thing was entertaining and I finally understood why you need the first half because I wouldn't have understood anything in the second part if I hadn't read the first part.
Still I think it's ridiculous that you need to get through 200 pages(!!) to get to the really good part.
I want to give this book 4 stars but I really can't so 3.5 will have to do.
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Classism, Murder, Blood, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Kidnapping