Customer Reviews
Born of experience - By: John Eyon, 11 Nov 2007 
Not surprisingly, this is Ayn Rand's most realistic story since its background of the sordid results of the Communistic takeover of Russian came from her personal experience. The gritty & depressing detail is unmistakable. Even the depiction of Leo, the love-object of Kira, the central character of the novel, seems to have been molded from solid memories.
Her philosophy was still incipient at this stage (despite what she claims) but her dramatic sense had pretty much formed. Those familiar with her work will find a familiar outlook -- but keep in mind, these people are mired in the Soviet Union where despair & hopelessness were the rule. That will explain the unexpected.
The most readable of Rand's books - By: , 02 Sep 1999 
For those of you who excroriate Rand for one-sided hatred of Communism, let me just point out that she was born under it, & she ought to know. The first hundred pages of this book are the best thing Rand ever wrote --complicated characters, & a vivid, chilling depiction of life under the Bolsheviks. Of course, then Rand the proselytizer elbows her way in, & it's downhill from there. One can forgive Rand for hating Communism, but to go a mile in the opposite direction & espouse such a brutal solipsism is perhaps a sign of some psychological problems on her part. What would the world be like if everyone were to declare himself a monomaniacal Dr. Doom surrounded by foolish mortals? Brilliant she may have been, but, unfortunately, also totallly nuts.
Rand's Greatest! - By: , 31 Aug 1999 
We the Living is Ayn Rand at her greatest. Her phenomenal writing talent moves the story along at a fascinating pace. The characters are totallly believable. They don't become the non-human symbols of people which populate her other two masterpieces (although they're alll fascinating, you can't relate to them on a human level). She manages to interweave her philosophy in bits & pieces, rather than the page-after-page rants in Atlas Shrugged. Kira, though, is a frustrating heroine to admire. While she treats Andrei like crap, she pours her life into Leo, a fascinating but brutal hero. Also, if a basic tenent of her philosophy is self-reliance, of holding no one higher than one self, one wonders why Kira becomes dependent on Leo, & sacrifices so much for him. In re-reading this masterpiece again & again, I kept thinking of how Rand was using Greta Garbo as her heroine. Also, the Italian movie made of "We the Living" is an absolute must-see for any admirer of this book. It runs over 3 hours & is amazingly faithful to the book. To think that this film was made in Italy & not in Russia is a shock. And to think it was made right at the height of World War II, with bombs exploding alll over the place, makes it even more extraordinary.
Emotionally and philisophically exhausting. - By: , 24 Aug 1999 I read this book for the first time when I was 12. I loved it then & didn't fully comprehend it. I love it now more. People seem to misunderstand the purpose of this book & Ayn Rand herself. She didn't misunderstand socialism & communism, she lived through it. We the Living was written about the time period & the events one who lived it saw & experienced. It was a dark & brooding work, but more realistic than anything else of what living under such a regime was like than anything else you can find.
incredible - By: , 09 Aug 1999 Once I read On The beach by Nevil Shute & thought that was the most depressing novel I'd ever read then I came by this book & it beat them alll by a mile. Even though despare practicly clings to this book & can feel it's strength through every page, the carecters in this book were amazing. The way rand built them up to such high standerds then tore each of the apart piece by piece fascinated me. Leo is a great example. ayn rand was a very talented writer & her styil of writing proved it. This book will stick in my heart for a long time & it true message also
