Rating: 
Summary: Literary Masterpiece
Review: I have read the 1992 Glenny version, and it is Undoubtedly the best book I have ever read. I was laughing and fascinated by the views of the government, the way he poked fun of gossip, and the way he told three stories interwoven and connected. I will read as many versions as I can find.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book
Review: Bulgakov's classic masterpiece is the best read you will find. It can be taken on so many levels, that is hard to make an argument against it's brilliance. It's social inferences, historical references and economic overview of Moscow all lend to a fascinating map of a civilization in despair. Apart from its importance in the understanding of the Russian people, it is one of the most astounding and interesting philosophical works ever written. By using Faust as a central theme and working through both good and evil, Bulgakov seemingly, not directly, presents answers to the eternal questions and tells the tale of eternal struggles that go on within man and spirit alike. It is a fabulous story and it is presented in such vivid and alarming detail, that it creates a timeless and utterly re-readable story. This book is crammed with the supernatural, the natural and the inevitable, and it makes for either a quick and thoroughly enjoyable bedtime story or an in depth read into the rationality and irrationality of man. Buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great political satire, while also funny and touching
Review: The book was written between the two world wars and plays in the Soviet Union. Weirdest things start to happen when Satan with his assistants appears in Moscow. The bureaucrats of the Socialist state just can't handle the confusion that results and a good laugh is guaranteed for you. Back in the 80s, I described the contents of the book as "the triumph of the Dark Forces in the capital of Materialism". But they don't just mess up things - some victims of the Soviet state are actually helped out of their hopeless situations. This book is better read in original than translated. If you are fluent in Russian, you better invest some time and money into finding a Russian version. (I lately found one on the Net.) You won't be sorry. One thing you should note, too, is that there are two versions of the novel. The version released in the Soviet Union was a censored one. It lacks a few phrases here and there and one whole chapter. The original version was published by Russian emigrants in France or Germany or something. When buying a translated copy, you might want to take a look at the title page to see which version it was translated from.
Rating:
Summary: To Russia With Love
Review: This book is wild. It reminds me a lot of Salman Rushdie and Gunther Grasse. It is easy to follow without ever becoming trite, fast paced enough to stay interesting, without losing the plot. Full of imagery, and twists of logic and perception, this book also makes important points about living in the USSR and writing literature under oppression.
Rating:
Summary: One of the worlds most enchanting love novels
Review: The Master and Margarita is my ultimate favorite book. It is an suprising allegory which manages to make one rethink subjects like religion, good and wrong, love and philsophy. Bulgakov lets us enjoy a creative and inventive combination of fantastic litterature and high love in a setting of a burlesque adventure. It has some of the complexity of a Dostovesky novel and a story worthy of Robertson Davies, wherin there lives the same kind of people as in the works of Herman Hesse. It is a very brave achievment, not only to write it, but also to try to publish it in a time whan Josef Stalin governed Russia. It is very difficult not to fall in love with Margarita and to hope for a world where people like her and the Master lives and breaths and where other Bulgakovs are still at their writing. Its a great achevment to be able to create a book that plays itself out on your mind and that for some never will leave it. It is one of those books that may change the reader.
Rating:
Summary: weirdly entertaining
Review: A great big thank you to Professor White, in whose 20th Century Russian Prose class I read this book! The book has many levels - and even if you look no further than the very surface, it is a bizarre yet hilarious story. If you put more thought into the reading, it delves in to themes of good and evil and all that good stuff (and thankfully, Bulghakov is much more eloquent than I am). It was several years ago that I read this so I don't remember many of the details, but I do remember that it was my favorite piece that we read in the course. I lent my copy to a friend and I never got it back, which is too bad because I'm dying to read it again. One of these days when I can justify spending the money on a book I've already read, I'll get myself another copy. Until then, I'll just leave you with my highest recommendation! By the way, you do not at all need an extensive background in all things Russian in order to read this book. I am a scientist, not a historian, and I loved it!
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Summary: Breath - takingly beautiful!
Review: This novel illustrates true mastery of every aspect of literature! It is exceptionally complex and yet amazingly simple and pleasurable to read! This is what makes the writer great! His ability to express difficult ideas and still be able to enchant the reader with the story of the Master and his Margarita. The book is impossible to put down... If you pick it up, do not expect to do anything else until you have reached the end... However, I must admit that the true beauty of the novel can only be seen by those who are capable of reading it in the original language... While it is likely that an english translation will be very enjoyable, unfortunately it does not (and can not!) fully express all of the subtle humor and symbolism of the original version... Nevertheles, READ IT! You will undoubtedly benefit from it and, very likely, fall in love with it like so many others have...
Rating:
Summary: one of five best novels ever written
Review: As far as simple story-telling goes, the Master and Margarita is peerless. Captivating and compelling, this novel is truly one of the most enthralling and inventive I've ever happened upon.
Rating: 
Summary: I didn't see the 'genius' in the writing
Review: I was chatting with a chatroom friend who asked me if I had read this book. The chatmate, who lives just outside Moscow, said this book is very popular in Russia right now. His comment made me curious. I thought I'd read a couple of reviews on this book since I'd never heard of it. The reviewers said this is a great read, so I ordered the book. I really didn't see the genius in this "masterpiece." I could follow the story line, and had no problem with the Russian names, but I wasn't able to even find a central plot to this book. I was really intrigued with Satan's ball in which Margartia was the naked hostess, where all of the guests had to kiss her knee as they entered. After this, I felt the story fell apart. I felt that this was the climactic moment in the story, and this scene was in the middle of the book. I would recommend this book to someone who is studying Russian literature, but this just isn't the kind of book that you will want to wrap yourself in a blanket and read on a rainy weekend.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous, but beware of translations
Review: People seem to love or hate the Ginsberg translation. I love it, BUT, the Ginsberg translation, as I understand, is based on an incomplete Russian text. The more complete (Bulgakov was still working on the novel when he died) version only came out in Russia a few years ago, and thus, the Pevear translation (Vintage paperback, Ardis hardcover) is more complete. In addition it has copious endnotes. If you liked this book, read Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses." He drew a lot from Bulgakov, translating the idea from Moscow and Jerusalem to London and Mecca.
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