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Summary: You Will Not be Disappointed
Review: Probably one of the greatest books of the twentieth century, Ayn Rand's "We the Living" is a non-stop course in the early history of society in Soviet Russia. I was extremely thrilled with this novel both in writing and plot. The story is semi-autobigraphical combined with dramatization of the mass sentiment. Rand presents characters the reader can almost feel. Without a doubt the novel exuded depressing elements, but even at it's conclusion you feel a sense of relief. "We the Living" is an easy read, and no matter what your taste you will be glad you read this book.
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Summary: I felt like I was meeting Ayn Rand in person...
Review: Ayn Rand said that "We the Living" was the closest she would ever come to writing an autobiography. Maybe that's why when I was reading WTL I got the impression that I was witnessing real scenes from Ayn's past life under the Soviet system. The uncompromising and highly principled behavior of the main character, Kira is inspiring and horrible to witness when you realize what she was up against(communist rule).Kira is not the superhero type Rand would create so well in The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, but she was as close as you could expect to find in Soviet Russia. And unlike Rand's later fiction, WTL has a sad ending... an ending which really drives home the point of how collectivism's ultimate result is death -- death of the mind, death of the individual, and eventually death of everything good in society. It kept me up nights reading and many more nights pondering what it all meant. A great read!
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Summary: An important reminder of what communism really is
Review: One thing always there but often not noticed in Ayn Rand's other works is an amazing sense of the environment. One really feels like one is living in the worlds Rand creates. This is particularly noticeable in this book, and it gives the reader a great awareness of what it is like to live under communism. Not only are the results of communism evident, but so are clear links to the cause (the absence of human rights). On top of all this, We the Living has great characters whom we get to observe as they change (or not, in Kira's case) under the brutal regime.
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Summary: We The Living Review
Review: We The Living was not the first Ayn Ran book I read, and it would be difficult to say which is the best, but We the Living is a window to the life and thinking of Ayn Rand. Her characters are real people, ones I would have liked to know. Kira is the embodiment of a lover of life, no matter what the odds were against her living it. Rand used her characters to show the brutality of any dictatorship and her words are, sadly, still true today. Rand's writing style is superb and I recommend this book to anyone who believes their life is worth something to themselves and is not to be lived for the sake of others.
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Summary: readable and less than 1000 pages
Review: I picked up a musty old copy from the 1959 recently..being in a glow about Atlas. This book moved me beyond belief with the struggles and harsh realities presented. I probably am one of the few Rand readers that like her clumsy style but in this story, her words flowed well and the American reader did not get all mixed up with long names and places that we could not reference. To quote Ayn: "..is not a novel about Soviet Russia. It is a novel about Man against the State. Its basic theme is the sanctity of human life..." To those who associate Ayn with the defenders of big companies and nazism...remember her semi autobiographical outlet in Kira. People that were Ayn's protagonists were those with life premises, to live and exist for themselves. Be it Dagny or Andrei, Ayn Rand's message was true and bittersweet.
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Summary: An absolutely amazing book
Review: There are a lot of people who dislike Ayn Rand. Whether for the rather didactic and lengthy sermons that populate most of the plots of her novels, or her own theories which tend to be underdeveloped and difficult to understand, she is not the most popular author or person in the philosophical realm. We the Living, however, is a book that one must read in order to change the perception of Rand doing what she does best: writing fiction. The novel is a harsh look at communism in the post-Red revolution of Russia, following three people: Kira, a young, idealistic, woman who bourgeois family was left poverty-stricken following the revolt; Leo, an indifferent young man haunted by the Communists due his late father's war glory; and Andrei, a Communist questioning his own beliefs in the system he has risen up in so quickly. Despite the fact that this novel is set in a far-away time and place to most of its readers, it is a book which I felt an extremely strong connection with. Everybody knows a Leo: flippant, handsome, could get any girl he wants -- but he has serious character flaws, and tends to be abusive of Kira's love for him. And Kira, the novel's protagonist, is very similar to any youth of today: she does not understand the ideals of the Communist party, but she does know what she believes and is wholeheartedly committed to fulfilling the promise she had at birth. The entire novel is beautifully written in moving prose that reflects both the harsh conditions for the people of Russia and the emotions felt between Kira, Andrei, Leo, and others as they attempt to make life better for themselves in a regime that denies them anything good without punishment. The climax of the novel is breathtaking -- by the time the final words have been read, the reader is totally attached to the characters. As with any other great novel of its time, We the Living not only characterizes the time period it is based in, but its characters live on as people of today's world, in today's capitalistic society. It questions the principles of freedom and what people will do for that freedom. This is Rand's greatest work: the philosophy is subtle, with more emphasis on the plot and the characters, but is there. Whatever you may think of Ayn Rand, you must read this novel -- it is a moving portrait of human life.
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Summary: Potential for the greatest evils
Review: Everyone is affected by political culture. Every level of regulation, from anarchy to fascist dictatorships, is comparatively some amount of government. Ayn Rand shows the dismal struggles surrounding Kira Argounov in her communist environment. Through maginificent language, _We the Living_ forces empathy for starving masses; in a way that no news article can. As the book progresses, an awareness is awakened that every aspect of each person's life is painful, yet each person fights to keep on living. Ayn Rand presents a dieing city, and develops human characters who force themselves to live through it. Although, what these characters go through on a daily basis is not quite the same as living. Their USSR regulates the distribution of food, clothing, and shelter; a corrupt hierarchy with ambiguous goals and morals regulates every physical human necessity. The suffering is deadly, but the struggles for life are sifting through the propaganda and government denials, staking out some form of existence.
Ayn Rand analyzes a multitude of varied relationships, between deluges of personalities. Throughout the story, people grow and change as they try with all human strength to adapt to their new world. This novel is about character development in an environment created by Soviet mismanagement. It shows how people cope with the stresses of staying alive, when that in itself becomes the primary concern. Things taken for granted by the rest of the world are denied to a population of millions. A home, a job, and even one's own free time are all the concerns of an ever present government. Human nature is captured in the interactions of characters, and sometimes it can be a terrible thing. Power struggles created by the voids left by a revolution have to be settled, and some people will go to far to fill those voids. This is a fast read about politics and humanity that will leaves questions about all governments, and if this could ever happen again.
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Summary: In some ways, this is Rand's best book.
Review: This book differs greatly from the major masterpieces to follow (The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged) in that Rand completely focuses on telling a story here. Unlike her later works, this book is not used as a vehicle for her philosophy. She's not trying to preach to anyone here. She is sharing a very personal and heartwrenching story. Rand escaped to America from communist Russia and this book tells the story of a russian girl, Kira, struggling to do just that. In many ways, this is Rand's story, and her emotional investment in this one is obvious. Her later works are intellectually stimulating; this one is a much more emotional experience. The characters are not presented as ideals for us to live up to; they are human beings that we can sympathize with. They want to live their lives and are struggling to do just that in a country that will not allow it. The readers are left to draw their own conclusions based on what Rand chooses to show. This is something she forgot how to do in her later works to some extent(see the long-winded speeches that threaten to ruin her later works). This is definitely a must-read book, even for those that completely despise Rand.
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Summary: A profound story
Review: We the Living is a novel that examines the problems of Communism and its ideals, as well as illustrating the people whose lives are impacted by it. It is not only about Communism, however, but also about the fight of the individual against oppression and their struggle for freedom; a common theme in Ayn Rand's books and a core part of her philosophy, Objectivism.
I would definitely recommend this book, although not as enthusiastically as Ayn Rand's other novels like The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. We the Living is certainly a good book to reach for if you are looking for an entertaining, thought-provoking novel.
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Summary: A reader from Chicago, IL
Review: This book is a genuine portrayal of humanity and is beautifully written. I was worried at certain points that real humanity would be betrayed by the reaction of a character, but it never was.
I have an idea in my imagination of what it might mean to the human character to live in times like these and the novel followed this --but, even when the story took an unexpected turn, it still made sense that a character could react in the way he/she did to the situation at hand.
Although this review is quite vague, the basic idea is give this novel a whole-hearted chance - it is a fascinating backdrop of an historic, traditional Russia shattered by political idealism taken to the extreme and an amazingly realistic and addictive character study in reaction to it.
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