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Summary: This is one of the best books ever written
Review: I've read this book twice, and I will continue to re-read it every now and then for the rest of my life. This book is often said to be a deep work of philosophy, which it is; I would like to add that this book, for me, is *a real page turner*. Why? Because I love the heroic characters. Read it for yourself, and see if you share their exalted sense of life.
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Summary: Balderdash, plain and simple
Review: Save yourself some time and simply tune into the lunacies of a local rightwing radio talk show if you want to get to the bottom of what Rand was blathering about in probably the most overrated book of the last century.
She utilizes a bastardized version of what she terms objectivity and rationality to more or less argue for the complete deregulation of the Fortune 500, Wall Street and the owning class in general. In her and her sheep's view environmental protections, progressive taxation, labor standards and consumer rights are anathema to the workings of the free flowing market. Someone would think the horror stories of the 19th Century would have awoken her and her clone's minds to the rapacious nature of unfettered corporate power. Certainly the recent behavior of ImClone, Enron, Andersen, WorldCom, etc., must have shook the nonsense out of a few disciples; although if the S&L crisis, Boesky, Milken and BCCI shenanigans of the 1980's didn't do it probably nothing will. And of course the runaway of strong union jobs to the Sun Belt and Latin America is simply considered the wonderful machinations of capitalism. Sometimes a healthy dose of pragmatism is no match for committed disciples of balderdash. Clearly one can see that Rand's snake-oil ostensibly laid the foundation for the Republican Party's eventual platform.
Psuedo intellectualism at its finest, to dare criticize the dime store wisdom in Atlas Shrugged will bring forth the wrath of her cultists of which Alan Greenspan is a member. The guy who tweaks interest rates in order to keep the bond traders happy and a solid chunk of Americans unemployed. One can thank Ayn Rand for bringing misery to myriad citizens and for perverting the definition of objectivity. I'm sure Nietzsche would approve.
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Summary: the most goodest book what I has ever readed
Review: i am a english madger & i has readed all the novvles what has ever been writed, this one is the most goodest of them allit changed my life & it will change your's its the most bestest book ever & i should no coz i readed them all & im a good writter to, u should lissen 2 me
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Thought Provoking
Review: Ayn Rand masterfully mixes provoking thoughts with an entertaining story. You would never believe it upon looking at the book, but you'll be sorry when you reach the last page. And don't worry, nobody ever reads all of John Gault's speech!
Rating: 
Summary: Mike Tyson vs Pee Wee Herman
Review: Ms. Rand is in some respects a gifted writer, and I found myself drawn into the story despite the long-winded ideological rants. (A strong-willed editor would have been so-o-o welcome!) I happen to enjoy oddly-formed oddball rants by people whose ideologies I don't share, which is what gave me the patience to slog through this tonne-weight tome. Where I really have a bone to pick with Rand is in what I consider to be her intellectual cowardice. Presenting her ideology via a work of fiction allows Rand to create a world in which she is always right. The entire world is pressed flat between the panes of her two-dimensional ideology, with her champions intelligent, articulate, and morally pure, and her enemies bankrupt on all counts in equal measure. Some of history's greatest and most influential thinkers have somehow managed to reason their way to positions antithetical to Rand's, yet despite her apparently extensive knowledge of philosophy the best words of counterpoint she can put into her opponents' mouths are unintelligible gibberings and awed, uncomfortable silence in the face of the Profound Truth her various interchangeable mouthpieces espouse. It's like watching Mike Tyson beat the snot out of Pee Wee Herman for several hours while Pee Wee cowers in a corner begging him to stop. It proves absolutely nothing, except that mismatches lack all entertainment value, and sheds no honor or glory on the victor. Or in Rand's case, no verismilitude.
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Summary: What drives industry?
Review: Atlas and everyone else should indeed shrug and yawn. This book is not well written. It is preachy, wordy and full of outdated philosophy and bad economics. Sentences go on for pages and some of the rants are are about silly things like the benefits of smoking. Dagny Taggert tries to save the railways and John Galt tries to save the Nation and international commerce. Captains of industry are the moral and ethical models for a struggling nation and world. Growth and prosperty are in their hands - and the greatest impediments to thriving commerce and fulfilled people - are intellectuals ,religions, and government. Does anyone really believe that high standing corporate ethics in conflict with shackling government regulation is what destroyed Enron, for example? IT WAS GREED AND LACK OF GOVERNMENT REGULATION. It may have been an important book of the last century (so were Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto) but in Atlas Shrugged the characters are shallow and one dimentional, the story is ponderous, and the political and economic philosophy has been long since descridited. Don't waste your time with this one.
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Summary: Well worth reading! One of the Best Books of All Time!
Review: Atlas Shrugged lives up to it's reputation as one of the greatest books of all time. It's long, but well worth it. The story of man overcoming immense and realistic obstacles is intriguing, the characters fascinating and the writing exceptional. Ayn Rand's famous philosophy often overshadows the literary merits of this book. It's not just for Objectivists but anyone who appreciates great writing.
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Summary: Objectivism exposed
Review: This is a worthwhile novel for anybody interested in either philosophy or political science. The characters, ideas, circumstances, and events are ultimately dictated by Ayn Rand's philosophy life, which she titled Objectivism - basically summed up as conservatism (er, capitalism, I guess), epistemism and egoism. As a vessel for these philosophies (as I prefer to think of them as several philosophies rather than a singlular one), this novel is fascinating, capitivating and fully released. When you finish, there will be no question in your mind as to what Objectivism is, what its tenets are or why Ayn Rand feels these stances are important for the human race to adopt. This novel has been critisized for being too black and white in its presentation of political philosophies, which it very much is, but I feel that's rather by design. How else could she fully explore her stance but to choose the most vehement opposition as the antagonist? It may be a fault of the philosophy itself that she doesn't believe there is a middle ground (come on, Mrs. Rand . . .), but I can't fault the book as it presents her philosophy fully and without relenting (for the entire 1069 pages of my copy). But, if you don't like having somebody tell you what they want you to think, pass on this one. If you're willing to sift through what she's saying, please, enjoy. Naturally, some things bugged me, and I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone who isn't open to alternate viewpoints (and I'm guessing that there aren't too many people who subscribe to Ayn Rand's philosophy on life - at least I hope not). Firstly, the connections she makes between capitalism and egoism are tenuous, at best, which plagued my mind throughout. She treats it as an implied truth that, since society functions best (in her opinion) when industries are allowed to be selfish within their economical limits, that individuals should be selfish in their every day lives. It was about the time when Mrs. Rand depicted a child being slapped in the face by a complete stranger for giving a toy to a lesser-privileged child that I realized something was wrong. The philosophy looks good in one circle, but who's going to defend people being critisized and abused for altruism? Mrs. Rand, I think you need to you check your premises. (And, of course, the problem with her philosophy in this case is that she doesn't allow for a middle ground - she assumes any altruism will lead to utilitarianism, but it doesn't. All or nothing. Not true. You can be altruistic/selfish within limits.) Secondly, I found her egoistical stance interesting because it seemed to be based entirely more on the humanistic concept of self-actualization than the typical idea about the pleasure principle, which isn't brought up at all, curiously enough. Mrs. Rand assumes the highest good one can achieve for themselves comes from achieving their own selfish ends, usually embodied by material success, e.g. wealth, notoriety, etc. She never addresses the far more pertinent moral question of where people should draw the line. Are we allowed to kill if it will serve our own selfish gain? I'm curious as to how anyone can form or present a moral stance without addressing *that* question; it's the largest problem plaguing egoism today (and I assume also in 1957, when she wrote the book). I think the philosophy buffs will particularly enjoy the radio speech towards the end of the novel. I had been warned before reading that section that it was deadly and overlong, that some readers even skipped the chapter entirely, but I found myself glued to the pages as soon as I got there. It was the first place where Ayn Rand really got to deliver her philosophy on something other than economics and the vague connection she made between than and selfishness as a moral principle. Welcome to the mind of Ayn Rand, and enjoy.
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Summary: A sermon for the converted
Review: Having heard high praise for this book, I was disappointed to find an allegory so blunt that I found it of little intellectual value. The characters fall into two classes: those who agree with Rand are beautiful, heroic, brave, and successful, holding up the world; those who disagree with Rand are ugly, cowardly, and ruining things for the heroes. All characters are static; no one changes sides or questions their beliefs. As a result, the book is predictable and stale, with the plot telegraphed only a few pages into the book. Furthermore, the plot is of minor consequence in the book. Rand introduces her objectivist philosophy through some very long speeches (one is ~60 pages, others are nearly as long). Most of the speeches reiterate one another; the book could have easily been half this length if the same ideas were not repeated constantly. Again, there is no room for moderation; readers are forced to choose one of two extremes. The objectivist philosophy, unfortunately, is doomed by its extremism. Rand believes that businesses exist only to make as much money as possible, and that they should be allowed to do so free of government intervention. One only needs to read recent headlines about Enron and WorldCom to realize that leaders of successful businesses are NOT always beautiful and heroic and that government intervention and regulation IS occasionally necessary. I would recommend that readers of "Atlas Shrugged" also read "The Jungle", an equally preachy book that shows the occasionally ugly side of unrestrained capitalism. Atlas Shrugged actually produced the opposite effect that Rand intended; I found myself sympathizing with and defending those that she calls cowards.
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Summary: Intellectual Adventure
Review: This novel is an intellectual adventure of the highest order. Consequently, if you are looking for an easy read, this is not the book for you. This novel is long compared to most novels. However, when you consider what Ayn Rand accomplished in the book, (she introduced in concrete and theoretical form a new groundbreaking philosophy that WILL change the world) it's quite remarkable that it was not five times as long. One common criticism is the claim that Rand ruined the story by inserting her philosophy throughout. I don't think that these people get it. Her philosophy is implicit in the novel's theme, plot, characters, style, etc. In fact, it's implicit in every line of the book. The book, from the first page to the last, IS a statement of her philosophy. In some areas of the novel she makes her philosophy explicit. This novel is a true merge of theory and practice. Brilliant. Read it.
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