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leaknezevic's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What this book did to me... I will have to gather myself for months to come, I think.
hdancy_14's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
eliathereader's review
4.0
Hayatın değeri çok güzel anlatılmış sadece yer yer fazla uzatılmıştı. Ben severek okudum.
lspargo's review
3.0
I didn't like this book as much as her others. I still don't agree with her philosophies, but I really enjoyed her writing and story telling in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. Although this book was interesting in that it documents what life was like in Russia at the time of the communist revolution, the story wasn't nearly as compelling.
lindseysparks's review
5.0
I know a lot of people do not like Rand or stay away from her books because they seem too hard or too philosophical. We the Living is really just an amazing novel - you can hate Rand and like this novel. Although it did manage to make me even more terrified of our upcoming presidential election and want to evangelize on Gary Johnson's behalf even more. I really wish this more widely read and hope you give it a shot.
I was really surprised by this novel. I agree with many of Ayn Rand's ideas and liked Atlas Shrugged, but Atlas felt more like reading a 1,000 page philosophical treatise pretending it was a novel than reading an actual novel. We the Living was much more story and character driven instead of just being a vehicle for sharing her ideas.
The characters in the novel came alive for me, as did the setting of Soviet Russia just after the revolution. This is the book I wanted Doctor Zhivago to be. I became so invested in the characters and in finding out what would happen next that it really consumed my thoughts for several days even after I finished it.
At the same time, it is still a novel about ideas and will make you think. It's about the individual vs. the state, but it's also about how different people handle living under a totalitarian regime. Some give up. Some embrace the tyranny. Some try to find ways to compromise.
I'm glad I read this with my book club because I loved being able to discuss it, especially because there was one issue I was struggling with as I read. Because I had read Atlas first, I kept reading this expecting to see Rand's ideal person and way to live that is such a huge part of her later books. This is not Atlas. None of these people showcase the ideal way to live. It's okay that none of them do what I would have done and that I didn't like most of the characters and that I HATED Leo - the non-communist love interest of the main character - and liked Andrei - the communist. I was really struggling with that as I read because I was projecting Rand's future methods on to this book. I highly recommend reading this first if you haven't read anything by her before.
I was really surprised by this novel. I agree with many of Ayn Rand's ideas and liked Atlas Shrugged, but Atlas felt more like reading a 1,000 page philosophical treatise pretending it was a novel than reading an actual novel. We the Living was much more story and character driven instead of just being a vehicle for sharing her ideas.
The characters in the novel came alive for me, as did the setting of Soviet Russia just after the revolution. This is the book I wanted Doctor Zhivago to be. I became so invested in the characters and in finding out what would happen next that it really consumed my thoughts for several days even after I finished it.
At the same time, it is still a novel about ideas and will make you think. It's about the individual vs. the state, but it's also about how different people handle living under a totalitarian regime. Some give up. Some embrace the tyranny. Some try to find ways to compromise.
I'm glad I read this with my book club because I loved being able to discuss it, especially because there was one issue I was struggling with as I read. Because I had read Atlas first, I kept reading this expecting to see Rand's ideal person and way to live that is such a huge part of her later books. This is not Atlas. None of these people showcase the ideal way to live. It's okay that none of them do what I would have done and that I didn't like most of the characters and that I HATED Leo - the non-communist love interest of the main character - and liked Andrei - the communist. I was really struggling with that as I read because I was projecting Rand's future methods on to this book. I highly recommend reading this first if you haven't read anything by her before.
_eliza's review against another edition
4.0
I remember having to read this for English III with Mr. Rodriguez (one of THE coolest teachers ever). I was so into the novel that I had to read ahead of the reading schedule he assigned. The characters were so real to me at the time and I remember asking Mr. R. why every book we read was a bit depressing (we had already read The Belljar, Catcher in the Rye, and Main Street). This is one book I need to reread.
irreverentreader's review
4.0
Ayn Rand is just one of those people who tends to get pigeon-holed into a stereotype--she has become this legend, this symbol, of much of what I personally disagree with (pro-capitalist, conservative-libertarianism), but when you read her writing, take the time to understand her beliefs, and learn what her own thoughts were of being hailed as a beacon of American conservative thinking (she wasn't thrilled), you can find there is much to admire in her craft and you can understand through her experiences why her political ideologies leaned the way they did.
Because We The Living is bleak. And though a work of fiction, it tells the very realistic truth of what communist Russian was like under Lenin and thereafter.
I hadn't read Rand since I was a teenager (I loved Anthem and The Fountainhead), and I wasn't sure how I would feel coming back to it as an adult who had swung liberal. Turns out, that didn't matter. Good writing is good writing, and at least in We The Living, I certainly never felt political ideologies being crammed down my throat. Rand is simply a master. Of what in particular? Of writing so descriptively that it pulls the reader into setting like very few other authors. Of writing with such a cold, intellectual tone (this might sound like a bad thing but bare with me), that it really makes you feel the long, slow march of this period of time. I ached with the characters. I was horrified by their experiences and their existence. And though plot was in rather short supply, it never bothered me once because holy moly, Rand can just make you feel things to your very core.
I have not been a huge fan of Russian novels in the past. Anna Karenina--pass. Pnin--no thank you. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich--eh, okay. I'm not sure if it was the fact that those were in translation or if it was because they were written by men, but none of those breathed for me the way this book did. And though I took three different Russian history courses in college, this book opened my eyes to the grim realities of that time and place like I had never experienced before.
This book was a five star read for me through the first three quarters of the book. I cared deeply about the characters and was rooting so hard for them. They were well-developed and completely believable. And that, in the end, is what made it lose its fifth star. The protagonist, Kira, is a very pragmatic character; we spend the whole of the book learning how she never lets things ruffle her feathers and rarely demonstrates emotions, good or bad. She is logical, headstrong, and undaunted. And so when one of her relationships starts going south and becomes abusive, I absolutely expected her to maintain character and stick up for herself by cutting it off. Instead, she lets herself be abused, makes excuse after excuse, becoming more meek with every one, and I just did not buy it. And since the ending of this book turns on that decision, it really takes away from the finish.
However, even with this dreadful character/writing flaw, the book is still a masterclass in writing. I cannot wait to read Atlas Shrugged for the first time this year and return to her other books for a re-read sometime soon.
Because We The Living is bleak. And though a work of fiction, it tells the very realistic truth of what communist Russian was like under Lenin and thereafter.
I hadn't read Rand since I was a teenager (I loved Anthem and The Fountainhead), and I wasn't sure how I would feel coming back to it as an adult who had swung liberal. Turns out, that didn't matter. Good writing is good writing, and at least in We The Living, I certainly never felt political ideologies being crammed down my throat. Rand is simply a master. Of what in particular? Of writing so descriptively that it pulls the reader into setting like very few other authors. Of writing with such a cold, intellectual tone (this might sound like a bad thing but bare with me), that it really makes you feel the long, slow march of this period of time. I ached with the characters. I was horrified by their experiences and their existence. And though plot was in rather short supply, it never bothered me once because holy moly, Rand can just make you feel things to your very core.
I have not been a huge fan of Russian novels in the past. Anna Karenina--pass. Pnin--no thank you. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich--eh, okay. I'm not sure if it was the fact that those were in translation or if it was because they were written by men, but none of those breathed for me the way this book did. And though I took three different Russian history courses in college, this book opened my eyes to the grim realities of that time and place like I had never experienced before.
This book was a five star read for me through the first three quarters of the book. I cared deeply about the characters and was rooting so hard for them. They were well-developed and completely believable. And that, in the end, is what made it lose its fifth star. The protagonist, Kira, is a very pragmatic character; we spend the whole of the book learning how she never lets things ruffle her feathers and rarely demonstrates emotions, good or bad. She is logical, headstrong, and undaunted. And so when one of her relationships starts going south and becomes abusive, I absolutely expected her to maintain character and stick up for herself by cutting it off. Instead, she lets herself be abused, makes excuse after excuse, becoming more meek with every one, and I just did not buy it. And since the ending of this book turns on that decision, it really takes away from the finish.
However, even with this dreadful character/writing flaw, the book is still a masterclass in writing. I cannot wait to read Atlas Shrugged for the first time this year and return to her other books for a re-read sometime soon.
whippycleric's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
After reading Anthem I feel in love with Ayn Rand books and got the rest, this is the first of the full length novels and it's brilliant. Given Rand has said its her most autobiographical work it's an interesting insight into how she's herself and her life. I definitely don't agree with all her philosophies, but can sympathise with them and appreciate the literary work in its own right. The first half I found a little difficult for to the dislike of several characters, but came round in the second half as depth was added to them. It shows the range of responses people have when faced with extreme oppression, with the three main characters of Kira, Leo, amd Andrei showing distinct reactions and the plethora of secondary characters showing variations of these. A beautiful and dark love story(ies), it's made me so excited to pick Fountainhead up next.
ch2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0