We the Living by Ayn Rand
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Book Reviews of We the Living
Book Review: Rand's best literary work
Summary: 5 Stars
Some people seem to come away a little disappointed from this novel. I would guess that this is because this is one of Rand's lesser known works. The people who read this seem to have already made an acquaintance of Rand through The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Expecting the same tenor of philosophical writing, they are disappointed that this book contains little more than the emotional core of individualism. There is hardly any concrete philosophy, beyond a depiction of collectivism as it really is, in this book.In truth, this book is Rand's best writing. We the Living is a true-to-life depiction of life under totalitarian rule. It's not philosophical. It's not journalistic writing - it applies to life under totalitarianism anywhere. We the Living shows the essential battle between the individual and the collective.
We the Living has a certain raw, emotional quality (which may be due to the fact that much of it is drawn directly from the author's experience. The closing scene of this novel has a depth of feeling rarely found in any literature.
I would recommend this as the first Rand novel one should read, followed by The Fountainhead. I would particularly recommend these two books to teenagers, as there is a great deal in both that resonates with the spirit of youth. Atlas Shrugged is a more philosophical novel, which is still important, even essential reading, but only after We the Living and The Fountainhead.
Book Review: Rand's best literary work
Summary: 5 Stars
Some people seem to come away a little disappointed from this novel. I would guess that this is because this is one of Rand's lesser known works. The people who read this seem to have already made an acquaintance of Rand through The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Expecting the same tenor of philosophical writing, they are disappointed that this book contains little more than the emotional core of individualism. There is hardly any concrete philosophy, beyond a depiction of collectivism as it really is, in this book.In truth, this book is Rand's best writing. We the Living is a true-to-life depiction of life under totalitarian rule. It's not philosophical. It's not journalistic writing - it applies to life under totalitarianism anywhere. We the Living shows the essential battle between the individual and the collective.
We the Living has a certain raw, emotional quality (which may be due to the fact that much of it is drawn directly from the author's experience. The closing scene of this novel has a depth of feeling rarely found in any literature.
I would recommend this as the first Rand novel one should read, followed by The Fountainhead. I would particularly recommend these two books to teenagers, as there is a great deal in both that resonates with the spirit of youth. Atlas Shrugged is a more philosophical novel, which is still important, even essential reading, but only after We the Living and The Fountainhead.
Book Review: Very Moving - the best and most realistic of the Rand books
Summary: 5 Stars
I read "We the Living" a couple of months after reading "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" in that order. I was more than pleasantly surprised that the author started her writing career with the best book of them all. The objectivists hype "Atlas Shrugged" like its a bible which must be read to understand their philosophy. They should concentrate on promoting this book instead.Some reviewers from the "Left Coast" have assailed the book for its attack on Communism and total lack of objectivity. This is totally missing the point. It is not Communism that is on trial - it is any political philosophy forced upon the masses in an attempt to subvert individual will to the will and greed of those who have but only "The deepest concern for his fellow brothers" that is under attack here. When I grew up in the 60's and 70's many on the left stated that the USSR would make Marx twirl in his grave. The point is clearly made in the book that what starts off as good ideas and good intentions are eventually corrupted by those who know how to take advantage of the system and that everyone - sincere followers, those who dare to take a stand and those who just simply try to get on with their lives, are the eventual victims.
The ending of the novel left me emotionally drained, and very moved. If you are to read only one Ayn Rand novel, this should be it!
Book Review: We The Living tells a facinating tale of life under the early soviet system
Summary: 5 Stars
In her self-proclaimed near-autobiography, Ayn Rand writes of the tumultuous time after Russia's fall to Soviet rule through the lives of a few individuals stuck in it. The descriptions of daily life, the frustrations of everything from heating to food to dealing with corrupt bureaucracy, give a realism to the time period and conditions that aren't so easily conveyed in history texts. While people tend towards caricatures, as can be typical in Rand's work, the core of humanity within them, both high and low points, clearly shine through.
It's a love story gone all wrong as Kira, the young woman who wishes to design bridges but won't ever achieve that goal under the red boot of socialism, watches the man she loves succumb to the dehumanizing effects of the system which surrounds and controls them. Other characters, friends and relatives of the main characters give the story a great deal of depth.
This book does not fall prey to the excess wordiness that Atlas Shrugged did. There are not redundant speeches which take up dozens of pages. I'd not re-read this book without a box of tissues handy. Whether or not you tend to agree with Rand, this is an excellent book which gives a deeper understanding to a particularly unique and dark period in history.
Book Review: Rand's Greatest!
Summary: 5 Stars
We the Living is Ayn Rand at her greatest. Her phenomenal writing talent moves the story along at a fascinating pace. The characters are totally believable. They don't become the non-human symbols of people which populate her other two masterpieces (although they're all fascinating, you can't relate to them on a human level). She manages to interweave her philosophy in bits and pieces, rather than the page-after-page rants in Atlas Shrugged. Kira, though, is a frustrating heroine to admire. While she treats Andrei like crap, she pours her life into Leo, a fascinating but brutal hero. Also, if a basic tenent of her philosophy is self-reliance, of holding no one higher than one self, one wonders why Kira becomes dependent on Leo, and sacrifices so much for him. In re-reading this masterpiece again and again, I kept thinking of how Rand was using Greta Garbo as her heroine. Also, the Italian movie made of "We the Living" is an absolute must-see for any admirer of this book. It runs over 3 hours and is amazingly faithful to the book. To think that this film was made in Italy and not in Russia is a shock. And to think it was made right at the height of World War II, with bombs exploding all over the place, makes it even more extraordinary.