Reviews

The Master and Margarita (Modern Plays) by Mikhail Bulgakov, Edward Kemp

slagathor's review

emotional funny mysterious medium-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

5.0

dlbvenice's review

5.0

Best Novel I read in 2019.

This brilliant and moving novel is the best of the 80+ books I've read this year. Somehow, Bulgakov manages to weave together an utterly fantastical tale of the Devil's visit to 1930's Moscow with the crucifixion of Christ and two doomed lovers into an impossible and moving story of redemption. Two of the first victims of a totalitarian society are truth and compassion; Bulgakov retained both, necessarily refracted through the dark prism that was Soviet life under Stalin. The story he tells has that unique character of being completely invented and full of happenings that never could or would occur, and yet manages to tell some of the secret truths that we hold dear - that love matters, that there is more to this brutal world than the cruelty that we see, and that it is possible to receive the gift of redemption.

therewithal's review

Read the first 80 pages or so and it wasn't grabbing me. Maybe I'll try it again some other time. I tend to find absurdism tedious in long form and in the case of Master and Margarita, I probably need a lot more historical context in order to care about what's going on.

arafferty's review

5.0

"Manuscripts don't burn."

How have I gone this long without ever reading a Russian novel? Written in a time of fear and censorship during Stalin's regime, Bulgakov created a masterpiece that was colorful, hilarious, poignant, contemplative, and at times completely absurd. The stakes were high, which he demonstrates through autobiographical parallels as a writer during Soviet Russia. I will certainly cherish this book and look forward to revisiting it in years to come!


https://youtu.be/miNBicrLiXo

tashachowdory's review

5.0

What an epic masterpiece. It's taken me most of January to read this (a bit every night) but whew! What an amazing read. No one does death and humour quite like Russians, where they go hand in hand to form the blackest comedy ever. I absolutely loved this and it makes me want to read more of his work (especially having watched A Young Doctor's Notebook). I liked that it had a happy ending and I especially like the alternate telling of execution of Jesus - thought that was brilliant. The tales of ridiculousness all over Moscow were delicious and Behemoth and Azazello are probably the best characters.

kst718's review

3.0

Ok, a few caveats... the version I read was an audio version of a theater adaptation of a translation of this book, since that's all the library had (and I don't speak Russian). So maybe I would have enjoyed it more in another format. It was weird, though. Really weird.

mmarvin01's review

4.0

This book reads like a dream in that it is bizarrely continuous - it makes sense until you try to describe it... Soviet Russia, and Pontius Pilate, and a taking cat? It’s a worthwhile experience and I would recommend this Burgin/O’Conner translation.

jenne's review

3.0

I think this book would have been awesome if I had been a Russian person of that era.
As it is, I didn't really get it. I did like the part where she turns into a witch and flies over the countryside. That pretty much ruled.

lilpositivebunny's review

5.0

Szkoda, że "Mistrz i Małgorzata" nie jest obowiązkową pozycją w szkołach średnich, bo wiele przez to uczniowie tracą.
Od samego wstępu pokochałam tą książkę. Przeczytałam ją błyskawicznie, ponieważ wciągnęła mnie od pierwszych stron. Książka ma swój niepowtarzalny klimat. Fascynował mnie opisany świat, fascynowali mnie bohaterowie. Pełna humoru i wbrew pozorom lekka. Podziwiam autora za przedstawienie odwróconych ról u bohaterów. Niestety wskazane tam wady ludzkie przerażają, choć są one praktycznie na porządku dziennym współcześnie dla wielu ludzi.
Postać Małgorzaty mnie zachwyciła. Jej poświęcenie, jej miłość są godne podziwu. Kto w dzisiejszych czasach byłby gotów na takie poświęcenie?
Słyszałam wiele opinii o tej książce, zanim jeszcze po nią sięgnęłam. Nie miałam wątpliwości, że muszę to przeczytać, tak jak teraz nie mam wątpliwości, że "Mistrz i Małgorzata" to cudowna książka! Można by długo pisać o wszelkich aspektach tej książki. Jednak przyznam, że brak mi słów, ażeby opisać całość tak, jakbym chciała, bo słowa nie umieją dobrze wyrazić tego, co czuję po przeczytaniu... Po prostu świetna!

lesserjoke's review

3.0

This subversive Soviet satire, written in secret and only published after author Mikhail Bulgakov's death, is wickedly funny and very creative, but it's all a bit chaotic for my tastes. Given the sarcastic gun-wielding cat, the black magic of the literal devil, the gratuitous female nudity, and all the decapitations and other grotesqueries, I really need more of a coherent plot or even just a single character to root for. I'm sure there are plenty of nuances that I'm missing due to my distance from the original context of Bulgakov's allegories, but the surreal burlesque circus that unfolds across the novel generally leaves me a bit cold. I like the historical flashbacks featuring Pontius Pilate and other biblical figures better than anything set in the present, yet they too wear out their welcome for me before the end.

This is the weirdest book I've picked up in quite some time, and although I don't love it myself, I can see why so many people do. It's worth reading for sheer peculiarity, if nothing else.