We the Living by Ayn Rand
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Book Reviews of We the Living
Book Review: I hate to confrom but...
Summary: 5 Stars
I am sure the intended purpose of these reviews is to show both the good and the bad of a work. As I read the comments of others, I was disappointed by being unable to find anyone who did not appreciate this book. Surely there must be one? It probably is probably just his luck not to have the internet.
But I digress, We the Living is Rand's most digestable work. The reader needs to understand that she was in Russia during the revolution; she witnessed the hardships that took place, and that is why this book is beautiful. It has not been tainted by her theoritical objectivism idealogy. I find it quite a shame that this work will always remain in the shadows of Ayn Rand's other works. Perhaps that is the way she wanted it. We the Living is unlike all her other writings; it is her one innocent novel. Yet to be spoiled by her objectivism idealogy, it simple shows, through a sublime plot, what happens to man when he submits his freedomBook Review: Brilliant--except for the heroine
Summary: 5 Stars
Ayn Rand proved her genius in this first novel, written in l937. I read it several times a year because Rand brilliantly evokes a long-gone world of Soviet Russia. You won't forget any of the characters which brings me to her heroine, Kira Argonouva. Kira sacrifices her dignity and helps the Soviets kill the only true hero in the book: Andrei. She does this in the name of love for the sleazy, brutal Leo. I can't see anything admirable about this sadistic killer. Kira becomes like any teeny-bopper and can't keep her hands off this muscular hunk. so much for the high ideals of our heroine. Other than that, "We the Living" is a masterpiece. You owe to yourself to see the Italian made film of this book. It was made in l942, literally beneath the war-strewn streets of Italy and stars an all-Italian cast. It's amazing how faithful the movie is to the book. Mussolini hated the movie and tried to have all copies destroyed.Book Review: I felt like I was meeting Ayn Rand in person...
Summary: 5 Stars
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!
Book Review: readable and less than 1000 pages
Summary: 5 Stars
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.Book Review: Theme Begins, A Window into Sweeping Reform
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel is written at a very different age of fictional writing... in a tumultuous timeframe. Remember the fear and intensity of the climate as you turn the pages. Star Wars, Cuba, Berlin...
This is a freshman work on her themes that later evolve into a political party and almost cult. In her later works, she can be accused of belaboring points ad nausea... (John Gault's speech). This work seemed lighter to me. Yet, still thought provoking.
But if you return to the story itself... there is symbolism weaving its way throughout. Reform, incentives, human nature, corruption, education...
The fundamental flaws of communism and socialism are brought to life...
MOVING, GRIPPING...
Her later works touch on a free market economy and the joys of capitalism.