Stopping in for a few more brief comments . . .

I apologize for not mentioning anything about cowardice being the greatest sin as the central theme. I wrote my response out before reading Toomanybooks's suggestion regarding that. I have to say that I did not see that as the particular central theme of the book, but then I obviously did not see some things in it that others did. I would agree that Margarita could be the bravest character in the book, though I would be more inclined to use the word reckless in her case.

I don't know, I just didn't see the book as some brilliant masterpiece in the canons of literature. I can't speak to whether or not this is Bulgakov's masterpiece as I have never read anything else by him. In fact until he was nominated for this month I had never even heard of him. ? The surreal aspect of the book did not put me off. Anyone who loves Kafka's writing as much as I do can appreciate the surreal. It is just that I always got something out of Kafka, even if it might no be what anyone else might. This book though I really got no more out of than what I have already stated. And I did not find it greatly humorous.

So I guess I do not see reading it again in an alternate translation, not with such a long TBR list, and other books once read that I would choose over this for reading again.

I am quite interested in what others not yet heard from will have to say. In the run-off this book received 22 votes. By my count at most a third of those have commented so far.