We the Living by Ayn Rand Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of We the Living
Book Review: Depression at its Best
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was definitely an intriguing and pretty accurate description of post-revolution society in Russia. The characters were intriguing as well. For those of you who aren't Ayn Rand readers, this book is completely unlike her others. The one quarrel I have with the book is its depression factor. Perhaps I become too emotional while reading, but this book really sank in and had a high sadness factor. Yet, overall, it is a must-read!Book Review: Doesn't Compare
Summary: 2 Stars
This book does not compare with 1) Atlas Shrugged, or 2) The Fountainhead. In my opinion, those are two of the finest books ever written. If you haven't read them, put We the Living aside and read them now.
I could not finish We the Living. I got sick of the stupid relationship. I guess I got about 1/4th the way through. Maybe my tastes are changing.
Book Review: Don't read the intro!!
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was pretty good, but nothing outstanding. One thing I liked about it was that the amount of philosophy you had to plow through in order to get the point was pretty minimal compared to The Fountainhead. The story made for interesting reading. One thing I do not feel is true, though, is that it is a truly accurate picture of the inside of Communist Russia. I think that One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Doctor Zhivago, and Red Army Stories are all better. They seem to be a little more brutal, but one of the key things is that the protagonist is not the only good guy. In the other books the protagonist usually runs across at least one somewhat inspiring character who is surviving within the system and perhaps even making it work. I just feel these novels represent a more accurate portrayal of what went on in Communist Russia than what Rand shows the reader. One final note: (This applies in The Fountainhead as well as Anthem, but it is not quite as important, as the endings in those books are somewhat if not completely predictable.) DO NOT READ THE PLEIKOFF INTRODUCTION AS IT WILL COMPLETELY GIVE AWAY THE ENDING!!!!Book Review: Dull and Depressing
Summary: 2 Stars
Ayn Rand certainly brings to life the desperation and the hard living of Soviet Russia (unemployment, money problems, food problems, rationalization, etc.) but cannot keep an interesting storyline amidst 400+ pages of fluff and melodrama. Not recommended.Book Review: Emotionally and philisophically exhausting.
Summary: 4 Stars
I read this book for the first time when I was 12. I loved it then and didn't fully comprehend it. I love it now more. People seem to misunderstand the purpose of this book and Ayn Rand herself. She didn't misunderstand socialism and communism, she lived through it. We the Living was written about the time period and the events one who lived it saw and experienced. It was a dark and brooding work, but more realistic than anything else of what living under such a regime was like than anything else you can find.