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The Master and Margarita cover art

The Master and Margarita

By: Mikhail Bulgakov
Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
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Summary

The Devil comes to Moscow, but he isn't all bad; Pontius Pilate sentences a charismatic leader to his death, but yearns for redemption; and a writer tries to destroy his greatest tale, but discovers that manuscripts don't burn. Multi-layered and entrancing, blending sharp satire with glorious fantasy, The Master and Margarita is ceaselessly inventive and profoundly moving. In its imaginative freedom and raising of eternal human concerns, it is one of the world's great novels.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Master and Margarita

Average customer ratings
Overall
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Story
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Moskva River

This book should be on the bucket-list of all readers of great fiction. A stinging critique of the communist system and it's tenets wrapped up in a wild and uproarious fantasy. Julian Rhind-Tutt's sardonic delivery draws us into a normal day in 1930's which rapidly spirals out of control. The world seemingly turns upside down as we travel back to Biblical times, get involved in a passionately tender love story and meet the Devil himself.
"WHY NO FIVE STARS THEN"? you ask. "What's wrong"? Once again it's the translation. Us Brits (60+million of us) are not deemed important enough to have our own translation so what we have this one using American English which grates on the ears. Usual stuff: "bills" for "notes" "pants" for trousers etc. It spoils an otherwise fine recording narrated by an excellent British reader. The result - we are transported to Russia by a fine British voice reading American English and we are stuck between the Devil and the Deep Blue Moskva River.

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52 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Splendid

This went to my top five favorite audiobooks by the first twenty minutes, absolutely wonderful reading of this weird, funny, scary, profound satire/whatever it is. The dryly sarcastic narrative voice is pitch-perfect, the huge cast of characters wonderfully done. Not often a book this good gets and equally great performance. Fantastic!!

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51 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good fun but a bit too long for me

I enjoyed this book - particularly the narration which is a real tour de force and makes the book for me - but I confess that I did find it rather long and tending to go around in circles towards the end. It is also quite difficult to keep track of all the multifarious characters with strange Russian names and I did get quite confused at times! Some brilliant and laugh out loud funny set pieces though particularly in the first half which the narrator really brings alive - I can see why the book is regarded as a masterpiece.

Overall, four stars for me.

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A pinnacle

This novel is a rare experience - compelling, moving, bizarre and enlightening. One of those novels where you find yourself wondering "how can anyone write this kind of thing?" There will be times where you find yourself shrinking from the savagery and times when you find yourself laughing out loud. Julian Rhind-Tutt's performance is just about perfect.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great reading of a fabulous book

A number of people have named this to me as their 'favourite book'. It would certainly feature in my top ten; it is a rich work that rewards careful reading and consideration but can also drag you along with its surreal story.

The reading is excellent, and the narrator conveys the air of mystery and fear that pervades the Moscow of the novel.

I have read the translation by Michael Glenny (as opposed to this one by Michael Kabulson). There are some things that sounds better me to in the Glenny translation - for example the transaltion of Ivan Bezdomny to Ivan Homeless, just sounds a bit wrong. However, this is a minor point, and there is no other translation available on audible.

Overall, a fantastic book and a great reading.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Mysterious, Hysteric and Fascinating Novel!

No-one pins an accurate description of Russian Society under Stalinist rule in a novel as well as Bulgakov! I truly didn't expect such a complex and touching novel when I bought this, let alone such a well-matched narration of it. The novel follows a handful of unique, mysterious and often grotesque characters, and a mix-matched connection with the biblical story of Pontius Pilate (all will make sense at the end!) Julian Rhind-Tutt does a really good job of simplifying what I was really worried would be a difficult read. I laughed, I cried and I found myself really thinking philosophically about the novel, even when I wasn't listening. If you're willing to be open-minded as you start reading, then this book really is wonderful; it's bittersweet, but it leaves you with questions about life, death and everything in-between and a metaphor for what living under Stalin meant for novelists and other artists. I really recommend this read; you'll enjoy it, it will make you question things around you and you will definitely learn something new!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Madness where it matters

Wonderfully surreal story by one of my favourite authors. A satire on life in Stalinist Russia, this is a fantastical classic work of literature and read sympathetically. Enjoy.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Marvellous story

What a captivating story this one is. I loved it from the fist hour to the last. Thanks Julian for telling this story in such a lively manner. All the characters were really a joy to listen to.
I'm sure I will listen to this audiobook more often.
The story is witty, sarcastic and funny with a dark undertone.
This is one of my favorite stories to read/listen.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best audiobooks out there

Julian Rhind-Tutt brings every character to life in his perfect reading of this amazing novel. A must-listen for everyone.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Worth a listen

Well written and captivating book - though I think would be all the more enjoyable if I had a more complete grasp of Russian history at this point, the broad strokes of the satire I get, but I am sure some of the more subtle nuances are being missed by me. On the whole, interesting, vivid and colourful, worth a listen.

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5 people found this helpful