I'm confused. Deciding how to rate this book is challenging because my feelings are quite mixed. I don't know what to think about this book. I know I liked parts of it and was left bored or underwhelmed at other parts, but I can't tell whether it's the book's fault or mine. I didn't know whether to give it 4 stars or 2, but I stuck with 4 because "it's not you, it's me". Update: changed it to 3 after sitting with it some more.

The narrative unfolds on three parts: the story of the devil and his associates wreaking havoc in Moscow, the story of the master and Margarita, and the story involving Pilate and his condemnation of Jesus. I found the story of the devil the most fun, the story of the master and Margarita having the most character development in the entire book, and Pilate interesting but a bit boring.

I liked the first half of the book quite a lot, especially the fantastical elements. The sections concerning Pilate didn't quite resonate with me. In the book's second half, the pace slows down noticeably – a likely consequence of Bulgakov not having sufficient time to refine it before his death. It's slower paced, and a bit more boring. The parts about Pilate also increase in number in the second half of the book.

The ending left me confused and wondering if I've missed the point. After finishing the book, I ran to other Goodreads review to check what others felt about it, I even Googled the messages and meanings, and it seems that I haven't missed much, it's just that the book's conclusion simply didn't resonate with me as powerfully as I had hoped.

Despite my mixed feelings about the book's conclusion and certain narrative elements, I get why this novel was considered revolutionary for its time and why it was banned in Stalinist USSR, which is probably what gave this book the status of "classic".