Rating: 
Summary: In a world of anti-male philosophies, Rand is badly needed
Review: Ayn Rand sees the value of masculine drive, creativity and pride. She is the most influential author of the 20th Century, showing that many, many people agree. And yet, movies, films and recent books reflect a consensus - that masculinity is bad, and that to praise male qualities EVER must be anti-woman in some way. Rand's heroic characters - male and female - show that these virtues have been responsible for the magnificent achievements of civilization. Only a Randian hero can revive our sterile culture.
Rating:
Summary: A Few Holes!
Review: This is one of my favorite books. It's one of my favorite rituals to settle down with this mammoth lollipop at least twice a year and lose myself into this world of philosophical literature. However, Rand left a few intriguing holes in her plot. Why, for instance, would Hank Reardon, fierce, an extreme individualist and achiever, marry such a female king cobra as Lillian Reardon? Rand portrays her as a repulsive, sinister serpent with dead eyes and a frozen smile, the very antithesis of what Reardon was all about. Also, how could such an man-made-of-steel come from such lowlifes as his mother, who is described as a drooling lap dog? And the brother, another miscreant. I would have the same question about the parents of the cool, collected and courageous Dagney Taggart whose brother is such a gutless marshmallow. Rand portrays these same unlikely familial groupings in We the Living, where Kira Argounova's mother is a twittering little canary, and her sister, Lydia, is a simple-minded religious fanatic. In The Fountainhead, Dominique Francon has as father whose such a mental retardate it's difficult to imagine he sired this blazing beauty of Objectivism (her mother in this book, and the parents of Howard Roark, are nowhere to be found). Would be interesting for someone to do a study on Rand's family background.
Rating:
Summary: The most inspiring, misunderstood novel of the century.
Review: I want to say that as a serious Objectivist I am highly critical of Rand. She did make mistakes in her thinking at times and she did have personal shortcomings she let interfere with her objectivity. Her (or anyone's) life cannot a reference point for any other. BUT HER PHILOSOPHY IS SOUND. Atlas Shrugged cannot be read as a philosophical treatise: IT IS A NOVEL. This does not change the fact that Ayn Rand is the most powerful thinker to come along in far too many years. What we see in these reviews is the typical: a register of emotionally charged people, defending and attacking, willingly avoiding truth in the name of deep-set adoration or malice. Do they indeed avoid truth? Observe the gushing reviews of people who sound like they've had an overpowering religious experience, wearing out all the familiar words and generalities I've gotten well used to over the past year. Yes, Atlas was a remarkable eye-opener for me as well, but once your eyes are open you've got to start exercising them. And I can't help but laugh at the attacks. I can see that a lot of these folks have only read a little about the book, if that much, and seriously think that they have a case against Ayn Rand. One attacker from Austin spat all over a scene from the Fountainhead, thinking they were really referring to Atlas! You all seem to have your minds and emotions already tied up in other propaganda to effectively criticise Ayn Rand, or any other opposing view. Do I have this problem myself? I used to defend and believe in a view totally opposed to Objectivism. I got real. All in all, Amazon has recieved a poor stock of reviewers among its "customers"(why, yes, I AM an Amazon.com customer). I encourage all of Ayn Rand's detractors to read her book without beginning with the attitude "what does this right-wing/libertarian rip-off/Nietzschian lunatic want with me?" You'd be doing your mental health a saving grace. Thank you, Amazon.com! Keep up the great work.
Rating: 
Summary: Vastly misrepresented in other reviews
Review: When reading through the reviews of Atlas Shrugged, I couldn't believe how many reveiwers misrepresented Rand's philosophy, and it was coming from her supporters as well as her critics. I don't know if a lot of readers really understand that ALL of her philosophy was derived from the belief that the human mind is a rational and capable tool. Everything else stems from that. Anyway, I found it especially amusing when one reviewer claimed that Rand was just ripping off the Libertarianist view, when she her novels were the prime influence of the group's creation! Geez! Some readers are so appalled that they resort to mindless personal attacks on the author, when they, of course, know very little about her. The bottom line: If you're interested in the philosophy, read the book (and The Fountainhead). If you'd like to know the whole story, read Atlas, The Fountainhead, The Passion of Ayn Rand (by Barbara Branden), and My Years with Ayn Rand (by Nathaniel Branden).
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous book about self discovery
Review: I've read this book many times, and the more I read it, the more it moves me. I think anyone who reads this can find something both powerful and applicable to that person's own life.
Rating:
Summary: This book made a lasting impact on me
Review: What I learned from reading this book, if rather reluctantly, was that I do in fact have convictions--albeit some that need to be modified--I don't see how any soul-searching, truth-seeking, discerning individual could read this book and not take something valuable from it. Those of us who have read it have a responsibility to inform others and gently goad them into seeing for themselves what Ayn Rand has accomplished with this masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece! Fantastic reading......
Review: The most intense book I've ever read. A friend recommended it and I was hooked instantly. The characters and their ideas are so vivid... I loved it....
Rating:
Summary: this book is the cummulation of every ideal i hold true
Review: the only way i have ever been able to explain this book is that it is about those that do and those that take, and what would happen if those that take were to take over the whole world. the idea of objectivism that ayn rand has brought to full breathing life in this work of art is the ideal i have always lived but was never able to name. the idea that i am accountable for me, and that i live for me is something i have not read in the ultra politically correct world in which we live today. i am overjoyed to have found this book, this way of thinking and this author. please everyone who is reading this, whether you agree or not, give the book a try and keep your mind open to a wonderful outlook on what life should be.
Rating:
Summary: brilliant
Review: though rand did not "invent" the objectivist philosophy, she certainly popularised it -- and did a remarkable job doing so. The characters in this book are fascinating. (dagny is my favourite, by far, however.) i highly recommend it to anyone -- it is truly a magnificent work.
Rating:
Summary: Most brilliant book I've ever read
Review: Ayn Rand pens down the capitalist USA of today almost 30 years ago. What a vision
|
