Reviews - We the Living | The StoryGraph

151 reviews for:

We the Living

Ayn Rand

3.72 AVERAGE

ashnarahim's review against another edition

5.0

informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A brilliant and must read. The writing, character development, the plot, and most importantly the relevance of this novel in today’s day and time - is what made me love this book.

thayawar's review against another edition

4.0

I know Ayn Rand has some v bad views and politics etc but this book is so well written and so harrowing I wanted to puke several times and I did cry many times. It’s a men are trash Soviet revolution edition..

a_kostuik's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

cort_francis's review against another edition

3.0

medium-paced

maggiereadsalot92's review against another edition

5.0

I've found you either love Ayn Rand's books or you hate them. They are a way into a perspective that you may have never thought of otherwise. This one is definitely one of my favorite books. It is sad and gut-wrenching yet also uplifting. Read it if you like her other books.

maria_sevlievska's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Every time I read a book, I secretly hope it will give me the mix of philosophy / history / character drama that Huxley's Brave New World offers. This time, it did.

Ayn Rand's writing is exceptional and We The Living so accurately captures the war between the individual and the collective, within the Russian Revolution and beyond. The temperament of the characters is relatable, powerful and understated.

Definitely a top 5 book for me. I can't wait to read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

frozenoj's review against another edition

5.0

I actually like this one more than her more famous books.

gilescorey's review against another edition

2.0

dark informative tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

kmhst25's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

This is the fifth time I've read this book, but the first time in at least 5 years. It's a hard book for me to review, because I feel like it has done a lot for me, but it is far from perfect.

Pros:

We The Living paints such a vivid portrait of Soviet Russia in the 1920s that it sparked a life-long interest in Soviet and Russian history for me.
No author has ever been able to convince me of the gift of being alive and being able to live my own life, on my own terms, like Rand has. This book touches things in me that no other book does.
This novel, far more than any other, explains the 'why' behind Ayn Rand. So many people read Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead and write her off completely. They don't understand where she's coming from; We The Living tells you where she's coming from. I don't agree with all of her conclusions about the world, but reading this book tells me exactly how she came to them.

Cons:

I am deeply uncomfortable with Rand's idea of an ideal heterosexual relationship, in this book and in all her others. Her ideas about men and women sadden and repel me.
Despite being far more benign than generally painted by the public, Rand's ideas about selfishness can also leave a bad taste in the mouth. There is so much that could be said about the selfishness required to survive in a famine, in a war, in a dictatorship--so many philosophical questions about what those types of conditions do to a person. But you're going to have to be willing to ask yourself those questions. This is not a book for someone who only wants to read about likeable characters.
As a first novel (and a first novel in a second-language, no less), this book suffers from repetitiveness, transparency, and occasional grammar / word-choice issues.

Overall, I thought this was one of my favorite books, and age has shown me that it is not. At times, I thought about putting it down or throwing it away. But it holds such a special place in my heart that I can't let it go. The questions that We The Living raises are valuable ones, even if you don't agree with the answers as framed therein.

Content Warnings

lauraborkpower's review against another edition

2.0

Too much of a parable, but it's a quick read.

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