We the Living by Ayn Rand Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of We the Living
Book Review: Book club selection - not my cup of tea
Summary: 3 Stars
I am still struggling with this book. Only about 5 chapters in and not finding enjoyment. I promised a friend I would finish the book so we shall see.Book 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: Brutal, Sincere, and Maybe Rand's Best
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes, after finishing a book, I feel deep within me that it is important that other people read it, too.
I'm sure you feel the same way.
We The Living is such a book. I can't say whether it is Rand's best fiction or not... certainly a better read than Atlas Shrugged or Anthem, but The Fountainhead looms large in my memory, and might still claim the throne. However, I wouldn't feel it as important to have others read The Fountainhead as I might this one -- We The Living is somehow more personal, and more affecting.
Ayn Rand is a divisive author, especially for those who haven't really bothered to study her and are just going off of what they've heard from others. If even a detractor reads We The Living, however, I think they'll see a person passionately devoted to the best things about humanity, and about life. Who could witness the plight of Kira and not be moved? Not be profoundly angered at the society that would put her through such ordeal? Not be convicted to ensure that no such thing could take place again, anywhere on earth?
We The Living is a labor of love, and its plain to see in the writing. It sparkles with honesty, and draws from its readers the true pain that only honest writing can. A person may or may not agree with the Objectivist stand on laissez-faire, or inductive reasoning, but a solid common ground can still be reached by looking into this slice of Soviet life and being properly and profoundly horrified. From the resultant senses of pain, sorrow, and anger, our common philosophical conversation can continue...
Book Review: Dawn of Red
Summary: 5 Stars
In the early days after the Russian Revolution, one might have easily slipped into the false idea that communism was a passing fad and life would soon return to normalcy. This is the backdrop for the masterful novel by Ayn Rand which follows three young adults as they learn about themselves and the ways of the embryonic communist government. "We the Living" is a world loosely held together, but which never seems to completely fall apart.
Rand places much of the focus of "We the Living" on Kira, whom the author has suggested possesses many characteristics of herself. Kira's physical appearance is given an unflattering description in the initial pages, but which evolves positively as the story progresses. Kira can be described as an idealist, formerly of the wealth of a bourgeois family. But as many her age in all times and places do, she is searching for something. Leo is haunted by the death communism caused his father and begins to openly seek to sabotage the system. The only strand that seems to prevent recklessness is his bond with Kira. Andrei, although a communist, struggles with his beliefs in the face of the burgeoning love triangle. Perhaps Andrei is the most tragic character in the book.
While Kira seems to have chosen Leo early in the novel, the realtionship is built on unstable ground. Circumstances lead Kira back to Andrei, causing an already confused woman to further question her direction. While the story digresses into some slower moving points, it is emblematic of the stereotypical image Westerners have of a depressed life in the Soviet Union. As one may expect, the ending reflects the stereotype. While the ending may be somewhat expected, readers are still eager in their anticipation.
Though the pacing of "We the Living" seems uneven at times, the critical points in the plot make the novel tough to discontinue reading. Rand is masterful at putting an image to the faceless phenomenon of socialism.
Book Review: Deceptively good
Summary: 4 Stars
Unlike Rand's other novels--supporters will be hard-pressed to state that she is a butle writer--We the Living is a historical snapshot, a supposedly semi-autobiographical novel that does wonders for evoking a specific time period. The characters are beautiful, colorful, and interesting, even against the backdrop of one of the most colorless regimes in modern history. There's no six-page diatribes or harsh anti-religios fervor in this novel, which is surprising given the nature of both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. On the first level, this is a solid novel, written with suspence and surprise, genuine plot-driven episodes and (to use a trite phrase) a great way to capture the imagination of the reader.