Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: We the Living by Ayn Rand ISBN: 0-451-18784-9 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 January, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.45 (98 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: We The Living Review
Comment: We The Living was not the first Ayn Ran book I read, and it would be difficult to say which is the best, but We the Living is a window to the life and thinking of Ayn Rand. Her characters are real people, ones I would have liked to know. Kira is the embodiment of a lover of life, no matter what the odds were against her living it. Rand used her characters to show the brutality of any dictatorship and her words are, sadly, still true today. Rand's writing style is superb and I recommend this book to anyone who believes their life is worth something to themselves and is not to be lived for the sake of others.
Rating: 5
Summary: An absolutely amazing book
Comment: There are a lot of people who dislike Ayn Rand. Whether for the rather didactic and lengthy sermons that populate most of the plots of her novels, or her own theories which tend to be underdeveloped and difficult to understand, she is not the most popular author or person in the philosophical realm. We the Living, however, is a book that one must read in order to change the perception of Rand doing what she does best: writing fiction.
The novel is a harsh look at communism in the post-Red revolution of Russia, following three people: Kira, a young, idealistic, woman who bourgeois family was left poverty-stricken following the revolt; Leo, an indifferent young man haunted by the Communists due his late father's war glory; and Andrei, a Communist questioning his own beliefs in the system he has risen up in so quickly. Despite the fact that this novel is set in a far-away time and place to most of its readers, it is a book which I felt an extremely strong connection with. Everybody knows a Leo: flippant, handsome, could get any girl he wants -- but he has serious character flaws, and tends to be abusive of Kira's love for him. And Kira, the novel's protagonist, is very similar to any youth of today: she does not understand the ideals of the Communist party, but she does know what she believes and is wholeheartedly committed to fulfilling the promise she had at birth.
The entire novel is beautifully written in moving prose that reflects both the harsh conditions for the people of Russia and the emotions felt between Kira, Andrei, Leo, and others as they attempt to make life better for themselves in a regime that denies them anything good without punishment. The climax of the novel is breathtaking -- by the time the final words have been read, the reader is totally attached to the characters.
As with any other great novel of its time, We the Living not only characterizes the time period it is based in, but its characters live on as people of today's world, in today's capitalistic society. It questions the principles of freedom and what people will do for that freedom. This is Rand's greatest work: the philosophy is subtle, with more emphasis on the plot and the characters, but is there. Whatever you may think of Ayn Rand, you must read this novel -- it is a moving portrait of human life.
Rating: 5
Summary: Potential for the greatest evils
Comment: Everyone is affected by political culture. Every level of regulation, from anarchy to fascist dictatorships, is comparatively some amount of government. Ayn Rand shows the dismal struggles surrounding Kira Argounov in her communist environment. Through maginificent language, _We the Living_ forces empathy for starving masses; in a way that no news article can. As the book progresses, an awareness is awakened that every aspect of each person's life is painful, yet each person fights to keep on living. Ayn Rand presents a dieing city, and develops human characters who force themselves to live through it. Although, what these characters go through on a daily basis is not quite the same as living. Their USSR regulates the distribution of food, clothing, and shelter; a corrupt hierarchy with ambiguous goals and morals regulates every physical human necessity. The suffering is deadly, but the struggles for life are sifting through the propaganda and government denials, staking out some form of existence.
Ayn Rand analyzes a multitude of varied relationships, between deluges of personalities. Throughout the story, people grow and change as they try with all human strength to adapt to their new world. This novel is about character development in an environment created by Soviet mismanagement. It shows how people cope with the stresses of staying alive, when that in itself becomes the primary concern. Things taken for granted by the rest of the world are denied to a population of millions. A home, a job, and even one's own free time are all the concerns of an ever present government. Human nature is captured in the interactions of characters, and sometimes it can be a terrible thing. Power struggles created by the voids left by a revolution have to be settled, and some people will go to far to fill those voids. This is a fast read about politics and humanity that will leaves questions about all governments, and if this could ever happen again.
 |
Title: Anthem by Ayn Rand ISBN: 0451191137 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 August, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand ISBN: 0451191153 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: 01 August, 1996 List Price(USD): $8.99 |
 |
Title: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand ISBN: 0451191145 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 August, 1996 List Price(USD): $8.99 |
 |
Title: Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism by Ayn Rand ISBN: 0451163931 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 July, 1989 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal (Signet Shakespeare) by Ayn Rand ISBN: 0451147952 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 April, 1983 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
