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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
absurdism at its finest, delivered by a severed head, a man with a pince-nez, and a black tom cat.
This book kept seeming like it ought to be interesting right around the corner, but simply wasn't compelling.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Ohhhh my goodness I loved this book, it is bloomin’ FANTASTIC . It is now right up there in my favourite books ever. Highly recommended!
I have always been put off reading it because the blurb at the back didn’t inspire me.... (Satan and a walking, talking cat visit Moscow during the worst days of Stalin reign).. but that really does not even begin to describe the surreal satire in this book.
It is a brilliant love/horror/Dali-esque story but has many themes that could take a whole lot of rereads to get to grips with. The themes of courage and cowardice being central with cowardice described as the greatest sin of all. An idea I came to understand as I read the book.
Courage is personified in Margarita who, without fear, selflessly gives her very soul for what she believes. Margarita has to be one of the greatest women in all literature. She has the best role in the book!
Also important is the ambiguity of good vs evil. Satan in the novel feeds evil and wickedness back to citizens who do bad things. He is a mirror really. Light is only truly understood because shadow exists.
While the book is definitely not an adult Harry Potter, I can see how much JK Rowling was influenced by it ( for example, the idea about living chess pieces was directly taken from Bulgakov).
Also, Eyes Wide Shut (a Kubrick film I like because of the play between reality and make believe), has imagery that must have come from Satans Ball in Master and Margarita.
Not saying that is at all bad, we are all influenced by what we read, watch, experience etc. Certainly Bulgakov was indebted to Faust here.
I would only say, if you read it, it is good to look a little bit into the history of Stalins time in power to understand a bit more about what Bulgakov is saying. Oh and watch The Death of Stalin (2017) maybe (hilarious but shocking film).
I have always been put off reading it because the blurb at the back didn’t inspire me.... (Satan and a walking, talking cat visit Moscow during the worst days of Stalin reign).. but that really does not even begin to describe the surreal satire in this book.
It is a brilliant love/horror/Dali-esque story but has many themes that could take a whole lot of rereads to get to grips with. The themes of courage and cowardice being central with cowardice described as the greatest sin of all. An idea I came to understand as I read the book.
Courage is personified in Margarita who, without fear, selflessly gives her very soul for what she believes. Margarita has to be one of the greatest women in all literature. She has the best role in the book!
Also important is the ambiguity of good vs evil. Satan in the novel feeds evil and wickedness back to citizens who do bad things. He is a mirror really. Light is only truly understood because shadow exists.
While the book is definitely not an adult Harry Potter, I can see how much JK Rowling was influenced by it ( for example, the idea about living chess pieces was directly taken from Bulgakov).
Also, Eyes Wide Shut (a Kubrick film I like because of the play between reality and make believe), has imagery that must have come from Satans Ball in Master and Margarita.
Not saying that is at all bad, we are all influenced by what we read, watch, experience etc. Certainly Bulgakov was indebted to Faust here.
I would only say, if you read it, it is good to look a little bit into the history of Stalins time in power to understand a bit more about what Bulgakov is saying. Oh and watch The Death of Stalin (2017) maybe (hilarious but shocking film).
adventurous
fast-paced
challenging
funny
mysterious
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is by far the strangest book I have ever read. The plot is about what would happen if the devil visits 1930s Soviet Russia. It’s a surreal take on classic Russian literature based on the themes of Faust. However, that makes it sound sophisticated, which it absolutely is not. By turns it’s comedic, depressing, insightful, and ridiculous. It will take me a while to parse through this one. But it’s definitely worth the read if you want to try something completely unique.