Scan barcode
adamsaxon's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
indeskidge's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
5.0
yeehaw_agenda's review against another edition
4.0
Many of the cultural references obviously went over my head, but enjoyable nonetheless!
gatsby_groupie777's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kyscg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"cowardice is the most terrible of vices"
when I first started reading this, I didn't really know about how the book is a well-acclaimed in literary circles for its satirical take on Soviet life. Coming from finishing the Gulag Archipelago, I wanted some light fiction, and I wow, my choice could not have been more ironic. With that in mind, I struggled with the writing initially, reading the first chapter four times before I got comfortable with the style.
It is not the most accessible of prose, but there is a switch midway when everything beings to click and then reading becomes effortless. The Pontius Pilate arc is simply wonderful, I can't say enough about this, I would love to read that as a standalone novel. There is a shooting scene between a cat hanging from a chandelier and the police, which is written so well that I wanted to copy down the words carefully.
Obviously, the Soviet satire pops up very quickly, and my P&V translation already had a lot of footnotes to nudge me along that direction. The secret police, the sudden disappearances, unexplained misfortunes, the insistence on documentation, the blatant corruption, the slow moving bureaucracy, "manuscripts don't burn" among others.
Sometimes things don't make sense, but I don't think they take away anything from the overall story. But you want to impatiently get over some obviously unnecessary fantastical elements or descriptions. I, for one, didn't really get what the whole thing with the ball was. I haven't read Goethe's Faust, so I couldn't really appreciate that angle, but I gather that it has something to do with making a deal with the devil. Also, this should've had a better title, that focused on Woland, neither the Master nor Margarita are particularly impressive in my opinion.
I would not recommend reading this book like a critic/lit-major would, but rather, read it like a child would, a fairytale from the shelf of the school library.
when I first started reading this, I didn't really know about how the book is a well-acclaimed in literary circles for its satirical take on Soviet life. Coming from finishing the Gulag Archipelago, I wanted some light fiction, and I wow, my choice could not have been more ironic. With that in mind, I struggled with the writing initially, reading the first chapter four times before I got comfortable with the style.
It is not the most accessible of prose, but there is a switch midway when everything beings to click and then reading becomes effortless. The Pontius Pilate arc is simply wonderful, I can't say enough about this, I would love to read that as a standalone novel. There is a shooting scene between a cat hanging from a chandelier and the police, which is written so well that I wanted to copy down the words carefully.
Obviously, the Soviet satire pops up very quickly, and my P&V translation already had a lot of footnotes to nudge me along that direction. The secret police, the sudden disappearances, unexplained misfortunes, the insistence on documentation, the blatant corruption, the slow moving bureaucracy, "manuscripts don't burn" among others.
Sometimes things don't make sense, but I don't think they take away anything from the overall story. But you want to impatiently get over some obviously unnecessary fantastical elements or descriptions. I, for one, didn't really get what the whole thing with the ball was. I haven't read Goethe's Faust, so I couldn't really appreciate that angle, but I gather that it has something to do with making a deal with the devil. Also, this should've had a better title, that focused on Woland, neither the Master nor Margarita are particularly impressive in my opinion.
I would not recommend reading this book like a critic/lit-major would, but rather, read it like a child would, a fairytale from the shelf of the school library.
rgsvro's review against another edition
5.0
eu queria tanto ter lido esse livro em outro momento. é uma leitura verdadeiramente enjoyable e infelizmente não estou no espírito (quem está no brasil de 2021?).
annaliser3ads's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
missai's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
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
3.0
In an atmosphere of lies, secrecy, and alternative facts, what is the difference between fiction and reality? So goes the central thesis of The Master and Margarita. Through a chaotic assortment of vignettes, this book highlights the absurdity of believing in absolutes and the impossibility of reconciling the real with the believable. Life, so often, is stranger than fiction, and stranger still than official recorded history. It is a fun exercise to imagine all of the lost histories in our world, the histories that are not sanitized and neatly packaged.
For all its intrigue, though, The Master and Margarita is too convoluted and self-referential. Those with a degree in Russian history and bible studies may see the book's merits, and laud its brilliance. But I have neither of those things and, admittedly, found myself lost for most of the journey. By the end, I couldn't remember half the character's names nor their story lines. I didn't understand the religious allegories at all, so those parts of the book were a wash for me.
All in all, this was a pleasure to read but only at times. Maybe in 10 years I'll come back with more knowledge of Pontius Pilate and Russian history, and then this book will knock my socks off.
For all its intrigue, though, The Master and Margarita is too convoluted and self-referential. Those with a degree in Russian history and bible studies may see the book's merits, and laud its brilliance. But I have neither of those things and, admittedly, found myself lost for most of the journey. By the end, I couldn't remember half the character's names nor their story lines. I didn't understand the religious allegories at all, so those parts of the book were a wash for me.
All in all, this was a pleasure to read but only at times. Maybe in 10 years I'll come back with more knowledge of Pontius Pilate and Russian history, and then this book will knock my socks off.
chaya_v's review against another edition
I tried and tried and tried but it was just all going right over my head and I wasn’t enjoying myself so I’m putting a stop to it.
busra_dmn's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t know where to start. There was something urging me to keep reading. Some kind of magical aura. The plot can be hard to follow with so many characters but the setting is incredibly beautiful. Or maybe I imagined it to be? I adored the devils’ crew!! Somehow I feel like this could make an amazing anime. The ending, simply majestic. The whole story was wild, dark and fun.