Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: This book was beautiful prose, humor, and intelligent reading all wrapped into one. It has so many layers and so many little details that I'm glad I went out and bought it, for I'll definitely be reading it again! I fell in love with it, and the only thing I'm sad about is that I can't read Russian, so I can't read the original. I have no doubt that so much was lost in the translation, which is a shame. A beautiful book, definitely worth the time and money!
Rating: 
Summary: so much lost in the translation
Review: Russian is one of my native languages and this has been one of my favorite books; I must have read it a few dozen times since adolescence. I had never read an English translation of this book and having bought it for a friend of mine, borrowed it from her out of curiousity. I can't believe how much is lost in this translation! Partly, it may be because the translator did not have a good grasp on the idiomatic English, as I found far too many "word for word" translations that loose the smooth flow and the humor of the original. In all fairness, though, this book would be a nightmare to translate, precisely because so much of its magic comes from Bulgakov's style and choice of words. In this translation, much of the nuance is sadly and irrevocably lost.... solution: learn Russian and read the original.. :-) -Alain.
Rating:
Summary: Master's Masterpiece
Review: I have read "The Master and Margarita" three times, and I am sure that I will read it again. I was very lucky because all three times I read it in Russian, and even the best translation can not compare to the original. Every time I would find something new in the book, it would turn to me by different facets. "The Master and Margarita" is deep, very well written book with unforgettable characters. In fact, it is not one novel but three. First, about the adventures of Devil and his entourage in the 1920-th Moscow; second, about Pontius Pilatus and Jesus in Jerusalem, and the third one, about the Master, the writer who wrote the second novel, and his eternal and true love, Margarita. The story about Master and Margarita is the story of Bulgakov and his wife and muse, Elena. All three stories are connected and intertwine. All three of them end with the exactly same phrase. So, what is the book about? Good, evil, betrayal, talent, love, forgiveness? Yes, it is. But it is so much more.
Rating:
Summary: No Pit Stops Allowed
Review: So much wonderful literature from the 1920s and 1930s is not given the attention it deserves. "The Master and Margarita" is one such book. Bulgakov, who finished the book in 1938, died in 1940 (I think) and so never knew how the world finally came to love his masterpiece. Like other Russian authors of his time, he was plagued with censorship and none of his works was published in Russia during his lifetime. "The Master and Margarita," a satire of Stalinist Russia, remains as fresh and funny and ultimately, as sad, today as it no doubt did when Bulgakov wrote it. To say that this novel is multi-layered is putting it mildly. This book is a madcap tour de force; something akin to a Grand Prix auto race with absolutely no pit stops allowed. In my opinion, only "Lolita" can match it for its scathing hilarity. As the book opens, magazine editor, Belioz and poet, Bezdomny sit on a park bench near Patriarch Ponds discussing the nonexistence of God (this is Stalinist Russia, so they certainly wouldn't be discussing His existence). During the course of their discussion, they encounter an ominous third person, someone who is definitely not from Moscow, who begins to question them regarding their nonbelief. He assures them that God is very much alive and, as if to prove his assertion, he predicts the very manner of Berlioz' death...a prediction that comes true all too quickly. Is this well-dressed stranger who knows too much God, Himself? Hardly. I don't want to give away the plot of this rollercoaster of a book, so I will just say that the stranger is going by the name of Woland and claims to be a practitioner of black magic. "The" practitioner of black magic. He is not alone in his visit to Moscow; he has, in fact, a retinue (one of the best of these characters is Azazello) and he and his followers propose to put on a public show. (This show, incidentally, is one of the highlights of the book and there are many, many highlights.) Entertwined with this narrative is a second narrative, seemingly quite different, but really a parallel. This second narrative is the story of a certain Roman Procurator and his reluctance to crucify a man called Yeshua. The second narrative is written in a completely different style than the one that takes place in Russia, which is just one more proof (if anymore are needed) of the genius of Bulgakov. We soon learn, however, that the narrative of Yeshua is being written by a psychiatric hospital inmate known only as "The Master." Driven insane (or almost insane) by the inequities of the times and the resulting despair, "The Master" has burned his manuscript and deserted his mistress, the charming Margarita. Woland proves to be very good at drumming up business for a madhouse. The asylum, run by a Dr. Stravinsky, no less, begins to welcome new arrivals on an almost daily basis, new arrivals who all had the misfortune to cross paths with Woland. While Moscow goes insane, however, Woland proceeds with his plans to give a Grand Ball and he begins his search for a hostess...a hostess who must be named, "Margarita." As anyone who has ever read Faust will know, Margarita is a Faustian reference and, in this book, she is a reference in more than name only. The beautiful Margarita has never forgotten her beloved Master and as she attempts to locate him, her path crosses with Woland's. I won't give away the story, but I will tell you that Woland's Grand Ball does take place and a grand ball it is. The denouement of this book is a display of skill and wit that I have yet to encounter in any other book so far. So many books are guilty of hyperbole when they say the ending will "leave the reader breathless." This books comes as close to that as any I know. Don't think you absolutely must have a knowledge of Russia or of Russian politics to understand and enjoy this book. You don't. You simply have to be an intelligent reader. There is, however, a subtext in this book that only those with some knowledge of Stalinist Russia will "get." I have only read the Mirra Ginsburg translation of this novel, so cannot comment on translations, but I do know that some of the other translations come with extensive annotations and there is a companion guide for this book that can be purchased separately. I certainly didn't do this wonderful book justice in this review, but then I didn't expect to. I don't think any review can do it justice. It's just that spectacular.
Rating:
Summary: Running around confused in Moscow
Review: Okay, so it's a classic. Writers had a different idea of delicate plot building in those days. And it's Russian. Being bored in a long cold night might provide the right mindset for detailed descriptions of bewildered citizens running around Moscow. To me it all seemed a bit pointless. If the point is to show Satan is omnipotent, this was clear after a couple of pages of chaos. Omnipotence makes a boring story. Limitations or motives give a story a soul. It starts getting interesting when Margarita and the Master and their love affair are introduced. At first I suspected this was just another intro to a devious humiliating scheme, but no, great, finally a story starts to unfold. From that moment on I was hooked. Beautiful prose and imagery, funny situations, food for thought. Some minor points aside, like, what exactly was the function of Satan's party? And why did he need a Margarita for it? Bulgakov will not immediately be my favorite writer, but the book was well worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting.
Review: I struggled with trying to find a title for my review. Although not the first book I read for Bulgakov, could be classified as the last. An amazingly skilled writer who got lost in what he was trying to say. A great book that could have been, unfortunately wasn't because of a confused plot. Very much like a Chagal painting that has too many focal points and still does not draw attention. It seems bulgakov had strained himself in trying to be strange that the story seemed very forced and the excessive detail had somewhat transformed into a long nightmare.
Rating:
Summary: A Translation Among Translations
Review: I loved this translation of the book. It was extremely helpful in terms of the endnotes and projected the magic, the desperation and the playful havoc of this truly mischievious group that Woland (Satan) heads. This has to be my favourite book of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Bad Translation
Review: I had this version of the book in a Soviet literature class in the university. There were other students who had different translations but Mirra Ginsburg, for some reason, leaves out whole sections of the book, filling in with suspension points. I read the other translation (the first that was on this list) with the red cover and a cat and it was much more extensive, in terms of the end notes.
Rating:
Summary: "Cowardice is the most terrible of vices"
Review: Take these as essential ingredients: Satan, Jesus, Stalin, Pontius Pilate and Caesar's Empire, assorted literary critics, a great Artist and the woman who loves him, life in 1930s Moscow, a poet on the bitter road to truth, and various demonic henchmen including a big black cat. They add up to one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century, and one of the handful of most moving books I've ever encountered. The fundamental purpose of Bulgakov's magnum opus is to hold up the harsh light of truth to the sins and hypocrisies of Stalinist Russia. There are three storylines here: one of them concerns the misadventures of Satan's retinue as they wreak havoc on Muscovite literary society, and presents some of the most penetrating satirical writing you'll ever come across; the second storyline centers around the fifth procurator of Judea, the equestrian Pontius Pilate, and his fateful encounter with Jesus leading to the latter's crucifixion; the final story presents the fates of a great writer (the master), and his lover (Margarita). Bulgakov brings the three stories together in a demonstration of narrative genius, to bury the oppressive fallacy of Soviet society and ideals beneath the combined forces of good and evil, of love, of freedom, and of magic and mysticism. One brief note about available translations: after sampling most of the available English translations, I am firmly convinced that the Pevear/Volkhonsky version is far and away the best. The notes are excellent, and the introduction by Richard Pevear gives invaluable insight into the history of the novel and its ideas. But most of all, they give the narrative much greater vividness and depth, especially in the wonderfully lyrical Pilate chapters. This translation of Bulgakov's most remarkable novel is enthusiastically recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Translation
Review: For anyone interested in this book, and ALL of you should be, this translation is THE one to get. The language throughout flows... it is pure poesy. Beautiful, intriguing and downright amusing.
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