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tamara_joy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Gore
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Body horror, Child death, Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Blood, Alcohol, and Religious bigotry
jaimemt_reads'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, and Confinement
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
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
liaandersson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
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.
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, and Infidelity
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Religious bigotry