5 GOLD stars
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How I discovered this book: I watched a documentary about Ms Rand, after which I knew I had to read this.
In a Nutshell: A love story set in the Communist USSR of the 1920s, first published in 1936. Rand says it is not a book about the Russian Revolution; this is just the setting. However, from a reader's point of view, it is indeed a novel about just that, expressed through the eyes, lives and minds of the characters.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. Kept feeling excited about going back to it. The main character is Kira, from Petrograd (formerly St Petersburg) who, as a child, migrated to the Crimea with her wealthy family when the revolution took hold. Some years later, when the Red Army reached the Crimea, the family returned to Petrograd (which became Leningrad after Lenin's death), to find everything they had owned and known gone, under the new regime. Like everyone else in the city, they were forced to live a meagre, dangerous life, frequently with not enough to eat.
Kira falls in love with Leo, also of the former bourgeoisie; their attraction is instant and intense. The story follows their lives and the paths they and their families and friends choose in order to survive under the punishing Communist regime.
Many of the 'white' Russians who fled their homeland, like Kira's parents, considered the situation temporary, and thought their former lives would soon be restored.
The novel is widely considered part-autobiographical; it was written once Rand had managed to escape to America. She writes about life in Russia as she experienced it, of the increasing threat to anyone who did not want to accept the new order. Aside from being a warning to the world about the evils of Communism, however, it's a masterfully written story about love, sacrifice, survival, tragedy, about the good, the bad and the ugly of human nature, about fear and courage, those brave enough to suffer for what they know is right, and good versus evil. It's neither preachy nor black and white; the basically brave and courageous can make bad choices.
I've read around the Revolution since finishing it, and discovered that the widely purported idea that it was an uprising of the downtrodden masses against the tyranny of the hated ruling classes is a myth. It was actually crafted and funded by wealthy financiers from Germany, Britain and the US. Quelle surprise.
