Rating: 
Summary: Bulgakov is doing his time now....
Review: Everyone, let's forget about the analogies to Stalinist Russia and all the other subterfuges used to acclaim a book that is nothing more than a devil-worshipping treatise. I simply dont understand how people can give accolades to this novel when it shows innocent people being driven mad, and even has a physically sickening scene of satan rejoicing at the violent and gruesome death of a young child: "He was too young to have sinned." What is that? What does it even mean? I can understand all the clever references Bulgakov makes to Stalinist "purgings" and the like, but what his book boils down to, quite simply, is that Christianity is for the weak and insane, whilst satanism is for the strong and admirable. But how admirable does Woland (aka the evil one) show himself to be when he takes joy in a child's death? Oh, and I really dont believe the Gospel NEEDED to be retold; especially from the viewpoint of one who obviously doesnt believe. The fat old Russian was simply fooling around, dabbling recklessly in witchcraft, and doing all he could to disparage the name of our Lord. I wonder why no one here has noticed the blatant attack on Christianity this book represents. The truth is, however, this book, though trying desperately to invert the Faustian myth, has only succeeded in further establishing it: the devil can only ever be a deceiver, and destroyer, a loathsome creature who hates mankind...such is Woland's character.
Im not here to push my religious views, and I know that my one star stance on this pernicious piece of literature will get me lots of "NO"s as to whether this was helpful (if it is even published). But I felt I had to get this out there, because it appears so many people are missing the essential point of Bulgakov's "classic": to besmirch the Church and anything holy because he, through his black witch wife, was messed up in the occult. But given all the praise heaped on this book, I think I should be allowed to differ, and should be given voice among all these amazon posts.
No matter what the outcome, however, Bulgakov and the Mrs. are doing their time. Justifiably so.
Rating: 
Summary: An admirable novel.
Review: Two parts, 32 chapters and an epilogue, many memorable characters, at least three different stories masterly interweaved... All that is needed for making a cotemporary classic novel is there.While reading it you will laugh and you'll be moved. A very useful site on this particular novel can be found in: http://cweb.middlebury.edu/bulgakov
Rating:
Summary: It's good to be evil.
Review: Bulgakov was obviously a sympathizer to all things diabolique. His masterful novel has the clear-cut intention of inverting the universe, praising the murderers and murdering the praised. That his nefarious tale has spawned a cult in Russia is no surprise. Wolland is just fascinating as a murderer, a leader of slayers, hell-bent on denying the "Sinless One" and being the ruin of those who get in his way. Truly, Wolland is Lord of the universe, with the globe at his fingertips, destroying the innocent and condemning those who dare deny him to an eternity of pain. Obviously, this was Bulgakov's mindset, his paramount objective in his dying years. It's so delightful, it's a shame he only wrote one book like this. A classic of truly Satanic literature.
Rating:
Summary: A Literary Phenomenon
Review: By 1928, Mikhail Bulgakov was already an established, though, due to the harsh party censorship, disreputed writer. That year he ended his volatile second marriage to Lyubov Byelozerskaya and started his great love affair with Elena Sergeevna, who served as the inspiration for the character of Margarita in his masterpiece novel "Master and Margarita" (originally, "A Novel About the Devil"). He worked of M&M for twelve long years, until his death in 1940, and poured all of his great literary gift, and some suggest even his entire soul, into the novel. Master and Margarita is, characteristically for Bulgakov, a delightfully funny, highly inventive and almost diabolical masterpiece of modernist prose. It is, also, a tremendously complex novel, into which Bulgakov included a number of literary archetypes and autobiographical sketches. The novel is at once a metaphysical wandering, a modern telling of the Faustian legend, a retelling of an important episode from the Gospel, a carnivalesque social and political satire of totalitarianism, a wonderful romance and a personal confession. It simply would not make any sense for me to attempt the writing of a short synopsys of the novel, because all the mentioned themes are cleverly intertwined and the novel's compexity makes any systematic analisys seem futile. Master and Margarita was not published in Russia until 1967, and then only in a heavily revised text. The full text was finally published in the late 1980's, and the novel quickly became a cult phenomenon in Moscow, where it seems everyone has read it. Phrases from the novel have actually been incorporated into daily speech. I have not read the English translation of the novel, and seriously doubt that it does any justice to the original. Bulgakov's puns are untranslatable. Still, this is novel I am sure everyone will love, and I warmly recommend it for reading and re-reading.
Rating:
Summary: God, evil is boring!
Review: Unequivocally a heap of putrid, sickening tripe...a collection of overrated, overwritten, underimaginative, repetative fatuousness. Bulgakov is the complete antithesis of Russian greats like Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and Nabakov. Bulgakov's characters are predictable, his plots uninteresting, his descriptions jejune and redundant. If I could I would give it zero stars. Waste of time!
Rating: 
Summary: Second Rate
Review: This highly acclaimed novel doesn't deserve its reputation. As Russian literature in translation it is vastly inferior to Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and even Solzhenitsyn. As magic realism, it lacks the imaginative genius of Borges. As satire on the Communist regime, it pales before Orwell. In depiction of life under Communism, Koestler and Solzhenitsyn surpass it in detail and impact. As fantasy, the plot devices are banal and have been utilized to better effect by many other writers. The translation is sluggish and plodding where it tries to be poetic. The characters are annoying and lack depth. Two stars for a fairly intriguing take on Christ's trial and execution (about 60 pages in the 402 page edition I read).
Rating:
Summary: Imagination and Words in the North End of Salterton
Review: This book was the first piece of literature that I read. It was sometime just after I left high school and I picked the book up in a corner store near where I lived. One of the owner's was a force for good and took it upon herself to make literature available in the neighbourhood. Ours was a university town but our neighbourhood was the poor one and the residents were regarded with genteel contempt by the university and business groups. Robertson Davies lived there and captured all of this in his Salterton trilogy which describes the town and with it its attitude to the 'North End' among other things. (If you have not read the books of the trilogy, I highly recommend them.) The owner insisted that her book rack be stocked with some literature over the protests of the distributors who said that only pulp would sell in the North End. I bought the book and with it I saw what the power of imagination and words could be. I had not been exposed to anything like it previously. In a real way, it did give me the opportunity to change my life. Now that is not bad for a paperback that cost me only a few dollars. I see from the ratings given here that others agree with me that this is a wonderful book full of imagination. It would be a great gift to a young relative or an old one for that matter. I recommend it strongly.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not being pretentious, this review is for a class
Review: Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita has everything: magic, mayhem and a vodka-drinking cat. This book is nothing short of a masterpiece of modernist literature. Bulgakov addresses a slew of themes throughout the novel including life in communist Russia, atheism, Christianity and love. These concepts are constantly running through the plot whether it is evident or not. What is most impressive about the novel is Bulgakov's ability to present the story with a certain surreal and mysterious quality, which at times is Kafkaesque. This is most apparent in book 1 when Woland (Satan) reeks havoc on the citizens of Moscow: neither the reader nor the characters in the novel are exactly sure what is happening, but for the characters the effects are very real. The fantastic elements in the novel, particularly the presence magic are primarily responsible for creating this effect. The rational, atheist citizens of Moscow are vulnerable to Woland's sometimes deadly, sometimes mischievous powers because they refuse to believe their senses. At the same time however, the citizens are willing to accept the impossible when it benefits them (as in the black magic show) and Woland exposes this weakness as well. There is also a strong absurd quality to the novel that helps the reader to understand the flaws in both mankind and society. This is evident in his depiction of Satan, Hell and his demon sidekicks. A talking cat that swills vodka and fights over a chess game is funny anyway you look at it. Satan holds a grand ball in Hell, which is presented as a grand mansion. The reader is not upset when bad things happen to the characters because the devil and his intentions are presented very lightheartedly. The devil even seems have more human qualities than most of the characters in the novel, especially when examining his relationship with Margarita in the second book. Overall this book was top notch. The story was entertaining and funny as well as profound, it drags in a few spots but not many and not for long. Buy the book on Amazon.com and read it. Even if you do not understand it on its most intellectual level (which I admittedly did not) you can still appreciate the work and take something away from it.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining and thought-provoking novel
Review: Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita is a fascinating parody of Russia during the 1930's when Stalin ruled. Bulgakov's hidden symbolism, where ridiculous people and occurrences represent the true reality, provides an interesting view into Russian life, and entertains the reader all at once. An example of this would be the Foreigner, who is a prominent character from the beginning. The Foreigner in the novel is actually Satan, who has come to Moscow to wreak havoc on the city, and drive many people insane. In the novel, the Foreigner has an ominous tone from the beginning, due to the fact that during the 1930's, foreigners were viewed as enemies, and the citizens were extremely suspicious of them. The Foreigner is not one to be trusted, and if one takes a deeper look, Bulgakov is stating that Stalin is this Foreigner; Stalin is actually Satan. The Foreigner is responsible for mass disappearances, just as Stalin is responsible for the same-mass arrests of innocent citizens which led to their mysterious disappearance. The symbolism of Satan representing Stalin is just one of the many symbols of people and events that must be figured out. Once the rest of this intricate web of symbolism is deciphered, it is shocking to realize the statement that Bulgakov is making about Russia and its leader, Stalin. Bulgakov describes the Foreigner (Stalin) as a black magician who makes false promises. For example, at the show that the Foreigner, Woland, and his retinue put on, money falls from the sky to the delight of the audience, but once they spend it somewhere, it turns into useless scraps of paper. Also, Woland dresses the women in lavish clothing, but once the show ends, the clothing disappears and they find themselves naked. Woland is a man of deception, who shows the people what they want to see, but does not provide them with results. The commentary that Bulgakov is making about Stalin is that he is a deceptive leader who makes false promises. The Master and Margarita provides many other comments on Russian life during Stalin's reign, and the most interesting part of this novel is figuring out what these comments are, who the characters represent in both Russia and in religion, and so on. Bulgakov's work is wonderful due to this, which makes reading this novel worthwhile-not only is it entertaining to read, it provides a person with much to figure out once it is over.
Rating:
Summary: A wild ride
Review: What a great book. If Tom Robbins wasn't inspired by "The Master and Margarita", I'd be shocked. Trippy plot twists, serious satire -- overall, a hilarious read. The book starts a little slow, but quickly picks up, and is difficult to put down once the story gets rolling. One of the most delightful discoveries in recent memory.
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