The Master and Margarita - Likewise Book Reviews

"One of my favorites. Such a surreal book! It is extremely funny, ridiculous, satirical, fantastical, rollicking, just a masterpiece. You’ll enjoy it if you’re just reading on the surface (although it may seem very strange and nonsensical) or if you’re doing thesis level analysis on all the symbolism throughout. This is a book where rereadings reveal new secrets you missed on prior reads, a gift that keeps on giving."

"Could not finish. I'd expect that my enjoyment was hampered by the fact that I've never lived in the USSR. If I'm right, then, because of this, the only parts I found at all humorous were the end-of-chapter breakdowns. "

"Hilarious and charming satire of life, love, and artistic expression in the Soviet Union. Our characters, ranging from average to absurd, hateful to heroic, wrestle with doing what is duty, what is allowed, and what is right, what is wanted. Even on surface level this story is wildly entertaining, but once you sit back and digest what the book is really saying, it gains so much depth and meaning. I will be thinking about this for a very long time! "

"Somehow reminds me of Edgar Allen poe if we lived in bolchevik russia"

"We-elll...it’s never boring. Madenningly confusing, hilarious, disturbing yes. I’m not sure I understood what was going on but I enjoyed the ride."

"The devil takes offense at not being believed in. Very weird, witty humor, and chaotic. Exactly what you would expect from an author living in Soviet Russia. "

"An absolute masterpiece! I adore all the members of the retinue and I'm very glad that this had a happy ending! Definitely one of my favorite books now!"

"Note: listened to LA Theaterworks abridged version"

"This is a captivating story. If you are reading the English translation, it is a little slow going if you don't also know Russian, but I enjoyed it even having to look up the translation of words."

"The social elite of Moscow -writers, poets, philosophers - are plagued by Satan personified, along with his retinue of evil spirits. They target the muscolit, their collective all housed together where they meet. In parallel to Moscow in the ‘30s, the trial of Jesus of Nazareth takes place, mirroring some of the story. The master turns out to be the author of this trial within his novel he’s writing, and margarita is the master’s lover - is having an affair. She becomes a witch and sells her soul to the devil to bring the master out of the insane asylum to be with him. Moscow has a massive storm, the main group all become spirits, and the master finishes his novel by setting his novel/real hero free. "

"A perfect introduction to Russian literature for a curious mind. Magical work, full of complexity and Soviet-era metaphors. But can you manage to finish it? Reads better in Russian but still marvelous in English."

"I tried really hard to like this one, but I ultimately found it fairly dull and didn't understand the point. The Biblical re-telling was more interesting than the Russian literary plot in my opinion."

"For those who love Russian satire! "

"Simply a MASTERpiece.. "

"5/10"

"If you're not into the random and nonsensical you will not like this book. "

"quite surreal"

"I personally love this book. However, there are a lot of hidden meaning and if you’re not really aware of the Soviet Regime and Orthodox Christianity it will be a little hard to understand what’s going on. You will feel that it’s just nonsense. However, I love it very much - it’s criticism of a lot of things. "

"I have to admit to using some lit notes for the first few chapters to make sure I was getting it all, and I continued to glance at them throughout. I enjoyed the absurdity of the characters and the commentary on Soviet government. It reminded me a lot of the one Gogol book I've read, so I was happy to see that the comparison is frequently made."

"[Source: cnn.com]"