Rating: 
Summary: The worst Everyman's novel I've read
Review: Which is to say, I dont think this novel compares to Lolita, Mrs. Dalloway, Gargantua and Pantagruel, Wuthering Heights, and The Stranger in literary quality. The horrific scenes of Satan's taking full advantage of human stupidity and avarice are stunning and entertaining--at least at first. Then they become redundant and tiresome. The second half of this novel suffers from the same flaw that Milton's Paradise Regained suffers. The latter is the story of absolute good winning over evil, the former about absolute evil winning over good. Both stories are deficient in that the forces (either good or evil) are absolutely invincible; there is no question of their success, thus no tension, thus really no reason to go on reading. I found it difficult to plod through the second half of the novel, principally because I knew that Woland would succeed, would free the Master and Margarita, would drive half of Moscow insane, yadda, yadda. This did not make for very interesting reading. Evil has a huge potential to be interesting, because it is imaginative and energetic. Woland is imaginative and meticulous, but after the first several hundred people he kills/drives mad fails to interest me in the second half of the book. Also, the others of his retinue fail to develop beyond their initial presentations; they become repetitive rather than increasingly intriguing. How many times do we need to hear about Koroviev's check suit and flawed pince-nez, or Azezallo's one fang? And I didnt think much of Behemoth's antics, either; at first they were amusing (like his attempting to board a tram) but again it gets redundant after several chapters of the same. The structure of the novel is intricate, but flawed in my opinion. For instance, the epilogue was rather dry and unnecessary. I enjoyed the fanciful scenes of Margarita flying over the city and later on horseback, the devil and his retinue flying through the cosmos. I especially enjoyed it after having to endure the seventy-fifth destruction of some part of Moscow by Woland and his band. Don't get me wrong, I do think highly of Bulgakov's attempt at an intricate and ambitious novel. For the most part it is provoking, especially when considering the atheist, Stalinist Russia in which it was written. But I expected more of a crescendo. I didn't care for Woland. He was as interesting as one of the many MacBeth rambling soliloquy's. His ball was about as scarey as a typical halloween costume party. In fiction, Satan can (and has) been much more interesting. The Master and Margarita's tale begins as touching, but ends rather stale and predictably. To sum up, the book succeeds and fails wildly. I would give the first half of the book five stars, the second one and a half. Thus, the final tally of three.
Rating: 
Summary: Manuscripts don't burn
Review: This was Bulgakov's masterpiece and it spawned a cult in Russia which is alive to this day. If you're ever in Moscow, visit the apartment near Mayakovskaya metro station where Bulgakov used to live, and you'll see what I mean. It's a place of pilgrimage, and the staircase outside is covered in respectful graffiti - a section of which was used as the front cover for a British edition of the book. What's all the fuss about? Well, it's a book that tries to do many very different things at once and actually succeeds. It brings the reader tantalisingly close to a religious revelation of world-shattering importance. It is a hilarious satire on Soviet life. It is a valiant defence of the intrinsic value of literature. And it is a deeply moving love-story. The cult was also nurtured by rumours that Bulgakov was still trying to finish the book on his death-bed, dictating alterations and additions to his wife. But you don't have to believe Bulgakov was a prophet to fall in love with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: shocking and revealing
Review: IN the arena of 20 th century world literature Bulgakov is certainly an important writer. His masterpiece novel "master and margarita" is a shocking reality. When man becomes irrational in life and thought nobody would believe anything and you could find no solace in anything. Soviet regime under Joseph Stalin had created a nightmarish experience of hell. For imagination and emotion, it was a terrible revelation of what not civilization.When Satan appears with his associates in Mosco theatre, everybody was deceived. The women from all classes in a moment found themselves in costly garments and in another moment allon sudden, they found themselves naked in the middle of streets. Once people forsake faith in goodness and love, they will become victims of beastial instincts, in short, all are devils. Master and Magarita was warning from the totalitarian society.From artistic point of view the novel was an amazing success. Once started reading, you will be carried away on the wings of imagination. It is definitely a must read for all lovers of fiction. suggesting for students also, who study the history of soviet union.
Rating:
Summary: 20th century masterpiece
Review: Much is made of the symbolism and metaphorical imagery contained in this novel; it's true that it can't be separated from the time in which it was written and where - Soviet Russia in the 1920s. However, trying to deconstruct this masterpiece at its many levels takes the pleasure out of what is otherwise a fantastic and original story. Perhaps the best way to view it is the author's very personal satirical fantasy in which the narrow-minded and vain literary and theatre critics (among others) of his day get their just desserts, and the Master (obviously Bulgakov's alter-ego) finds peace with the woman he loves. In other words, you don't have to know too much about Soviet society during the early Stalinist period or even understand all of the symbolic allusions in "The Master and Margarita" to thoroughly enjoy this novel. It is a work that easily transcends the bounds of "Soviet dissident literature" (a category much more suited to someone like Solzhenitsyn) Also, anyone who has ever had a cat can appreciate Bulgakov's characterization of the obnoxious yet likable demon cat Behemoth. Although one could hardly say that "The Master and Margarita" is a feminist tract, Bulgakov's portrayal of women in the novel is uniquely progressive: Margarita, who boldly goes through the story either naked or partially clothed, largely dictates her own destiny, perhaps the only character in the book to do so. Since much is made of the novel's satirizing and criticism of the Stalinist purges and terror, I think the most poignant reflection of this is in the epilogue, when a large number of innocent black cats are tortured and/or killed in the wake of the devil's visit to Moscow. "The Master and Margarita" can be thoroughly enjoyed at so many levels, making it without a doubt one of the 20th century's greatest novels.
Rating:
Summary: totally bulgamorphic.
Review: If I was allowed only one sentence to summarize this book, I would frame it thus: Here is a fictional account of what happens when the devil comes to visit a city that does not believe in him! I just finished reading M & M an hour ago, and I must say, there is much philosophical depth strewn throughout its constant morphings and manifestations. It should be read for what it is, a comic masterpiece that defies any genre placement... it is like no other book I've ever encountered, and can only somewhat be likened to the supernatural thrillers of Charles Williams.In M & M, Bulgakov has us marvellously believing in a huge vodka-drinking talking cat; a woman (Margarita) who becomes an invisible, broom-riding aeronaut; a man who turns into a supersonic flying hog... an animated suit with no-one in it... there is no end to the Bulgamorphic inventiveness. It is no wonder that half of his Moscow ends up in an insane asylum at one point or another. I could never give a better synopsis of the book than the official amazon editorial review by Mary Park, (as seen above) so I will refrain from an attempt... but I will say that at no less than 25 different passages I did some cross-referencing with a different translation (the Pevear/Volkhonsky) and always felt that the Burgin/Tiernan-O'Connor was superior in readability. It is such a unique book that there are many plausible/valid interpretations of who the main character really is. In my opinion, it is Ivan Bezdomny, the disillusioned poet who seems to have internalized the best conception of who Woland (the devil) really was. Bezdomny is a sort of "parenthesis" to the story, he's there on the first page and he's there on the last, and though he is not on stage (so to say) as much as the others... when the curtain falls, it seems that he is the one who best understands what has happened to Moscow. The only one who seems to know more is the full moon overhead... Read the book. It's truly ominous.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book!
Review: I just reread this after about 7 years since I first discovered it while living in Eastern Europe, and it was as amazing as the first read. This book is required reading in high school in Hungary, and is well known throughout Europe, yet unfortunately it remains little known among my American friends. Truly one of the great novels of all time, a magical, wild ride.
Rating:
Summary: Sci-Fi before it was called that...
Review: a friend of mine reccomended this book to me when i was living in maine...and i read it out of curiosity...bulgakov takes on religion, atheism, the arts, dilletantes, and puts them all on shish-kebob...to me the romance between the novelist and his woman, was the loveliest part of the book. of course, if you like biting sarcasm and satire, you will treasure this also; approach this book with an open mind, and get a good translation...
Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: As a reader, I loose interest quickly unless a book moves at a decent pace. When this book was recommended to me I had my doubts as I thought the book dealt with a rather dry topic, but boy was I wrong. The characters are great and the story, though contemplative, is quite engaging. The books purpose is to let the author spread his views on communist Russia, though at the heart of the book is a story about two lovers who have been seperated. Do they get back together? Well, you'll have to read to find out. The book is also quite humerous. First there are the characters Satan brings along with him. They're quite the eclectic crew considering one of them is a large talking black cat. The problem is, though they're in league with Satan, they're so quirky, you can't help liking them. Then their antics. You can't help but thinking people are getting what they deserve. At the same time all of this is going on, Bulgakov is getting his point on communism across. One point I particularly liked was the fact that communism extinguishes religion, so the Russians are not able to explain all the strange happenings by linking them to Evil. There are so many other points, enjoyably written that this book just has to be read.
Rating:
Summary: Goodness and forgiveness
Review: Master and Margarita is a riotous fun spree of a novel. It's also more, Bulgakov's masterpiece is also a statement about the essential goodness of people and the healing of forgiveness. From Yeshua saying "goodman" to everyone and his belief that there are no evil people on earth to Margarita at the ball letting all the ages past killers kiss her knee, the themes of essential goodness of people and forgiveness sound out from Bulgakov's prose. There has been much discussion of translations in the reviews at Amazon. The Glenny is a translation while the Ginsburg, Burgin, and Pervear versions are more like transliterations. True, Glenny mis-translates mineral water as lemonade and makes a few minor mis-steps but his translation flows. The other versions are good word by word accurate efforts. If you can't read the original Russian don't get hung up on finding the perfect translation, there isn't one. Grab a copy and read.
Rating:
Summary: Why are you reading this review?
Review: OK. I can think of only two reasons: 1) You still have not read this book 2) You have read this book and even written a review and now you wish to see your own review on the Internet (kinda makes you proud ;)). So then, if it is (1), please read some of the 100+ reviews and if you still can not make up your mind, don't worry, some people even punch two holes on the presidential ballots case (2), (and you all know who you are out there!), I empathize, sympathize, consent, assent and endorse. Spread the Word! And yes, it is much better in Russian, but any translation is kind of forgery, better or worse, don't you think?
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