Reviews

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

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thebiggestboy's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

3.75

meatspaceproblems's review against another edition

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Meant to be read quickly and in a fever I think. A smart portrayal of a diary kept in trying times- disorganized, full of wrong details, compelling and human.

nellusso's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

fluffywhiskers's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition

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3.0

[a:Yevgeny Zamyatin|43298|Yevgeny Zamyatin|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1309794417p2/43298.jpg] described [b:We|530787|We|Yevgeny Zamyatin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287860960s/530787.jpg|2144026] as "my most jesting and most serious work." Having read nothing else by the author I cannot completely concur with the statement, but serious and jesting it certainly is. [b:We|530787|We|Yevgeny Zamyatin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287860960s/530787.jpg|2144026] describes a supposedly utopian society based on mathematics and a petroleum based food substance. (If the latter seems an odd choice, keep in mind that the book was written in 1920.) This society is the result of a two hundred year war in which all but 0.2% of humanity is wiped out and the remainder go to live in a city surrounded by a glass wall where even the weather is rigidly controlled. Schedules are king, they have a Benefactor who is unanimously elected each year, and every aspect of life is controlled. [b:We|530787|We|Yevgeny Zamyatin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287860960s/530787.jpg|2144026] is the story of a mathematician who begins to realize, with the help of a woman he falls in love with, that perhaps all is not well in this alleged Eden.

Ultimately, while I enjoyed this book, I had some problems with the writing. It ended up being highly disjointed and frequently confusing. This is partially explained by the fact that it is written as a series of journal entries. Nevertheless, it could have been executed more skillfully, in my opinion.