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Summary: an uncompromising masterpiece
Review: Rarely do I come across a book that is as striking, disturbing and thought provoking as "Fountainhead".. while some of the reviewers argue that the characters of the novel are a bit too extreme in many ways and unrealistic, I would argue that there was no other way to deliver the message and to provoke the appropriate level of self-analysis and questioning of the world around us..In the world where spinelessness, conformity and obedience often get rewarded, Ayn Rand has boldly risen to defend the virtues of personal integrity, principles, idealism and individuality.. While each of us has had to compromise our own ideals at one point or another to reach our objectives, the book cries out to limit the compromise we undertake in our daily lives to a minimum, for every little compromise chips away from whatever remains of our character and individuality.. and the compounding effect of all the little compromises eventually destroys what we are and what we intended to be.. While this is my first experience with Ayn Rand's writings, I feel like I've identified with many of her ideas long before I picked up this book, as I have often resented the world around me pushing me in the directions I don't want to go to.. This novel calls for leading the life according to our own ideals as opposed to expectations of others.. and those who will be able to extract the message are likely to attain internal peace and self-understanding..
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Summary: I HATED this book!
Review: I am a relatively tolerant person. I can read a book I disagree with and live. But this book was impossable. I threw it in the trash can halfway through. I don't have a problem with her characters, necissarily, but the way in which she portrayed the less perfect and heroic characters infuriated me. Those people are you and I, keep in mind. There is no Howard Roark; none of us can carry on a relationship with another person without speaking or contain the meaining of life in our art. It's jsut not possable. So if you want to read about how inferior and unaware you are, go right ahead and indulge yourself.
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Summary: I am at the bottom so no one will read this...
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is rare that I can read anything with 700+ pages in less than a month and in this case, it happened. To the people who have said that this book is pure propoganda, sure it is, but what novel isn't? In most cases that author tends to throw in his/her own philosophies and this is no exception. It was beautiful to me to see the people in the stories attempting to break one another, but unable to. And the last line is beautiful. Pick it up.
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Summary: fountainhead as an anchor to integrity
Review: this is quite possibly the best novel i've become involved in - and i use the phrase wholeheartedly. it is impossible to come to the last page of the novel without acknowledging at LEAST some amount of self-involvement. i definitely would not say it's a book by which one models his/her life; roark is referred to as a hero. if a hero is someone whom one aspires to be, roark is not that. if a hero is someone whom one admires, roark is that. if other critics consider this the flaw of the novel, they haven't considered the loose definition of a "hero" anyway. this novel could result in self-improvement only in the reader acknowledging the pedestal which humanity too often ignores, too often dismisses as too distant a reach for his piddly self. the wistful beauty of this book is that hopefully, the reader will gain full awareness that roark's integrity cannot be matched. as other critics stated, he is basically untouchable, unmarred by his surroundings - well, the breathing types of surroundings in actuality. whether the reader hopes or not to match this, the fact remains that his character does not dictate the human heart - just its stifled cry for wings. however, the entirety of the novel may provide inspiration and a much-needed mirror. excellent piece of literature. great for any beginner on the concept of objectivism.
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Summary: AMERICA AT ITS FINEST
Review: As an American, I find this book fantastic. However, this manifesto of reason, capitalism, and individualism, has created many foes. All that can be said is that this book illustrates accuratly and with grace the American culture, and particularly America's founding principles. To those dissenters that say it is for morally "ugly" people, they should really live in a political system that embodies their principles: they shall make nice dogs for Mr. Gadhafi
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Summary: Ayn Rand: The Only 20th Century Novelist Worth Reading
Review: If you are looking for a breezy book to read at the beach, "The Fountainhead" isn't it. This is a book that requires you to think. The majority of you will not understand the book. Some will understand it but not agree with it. Only a small minority will understand and appreciate the book. "The Fountainhead" is a classic tale of good versus evil. To Rand, the individual is good, and any restriction on the individual is evil. The ultimate form of evil is collectivism. The protagonist, architect Howard Roark, is Rand's perfect man. His life is his work, and vice versa. He works on his terms or not at all. The plot centers around attempts to crush him--by those who do not understand him and by those who understand him too well. Some of the characters are good, some are evil, and some are not quite one or the other. Some, you will know which way they fall almost from the beginning, and others not until the end. The characters often appear to take actions opposite to what you think they should. You must look beyond the short term to see the true motives and why each action has a purpose to the overall plot and why each action helps the character achieve his ultimate goal. It helps to remember the times in which this book was written (i.e., 1930s and 1940s). Socialism was gaining ground in Europe. Ayn Rand had seen this firsthand in her native Russia. She saw a very real possibility of socialism taking over in the United States, and her goal was to prevent it. The book is not without its flaws. Rand's writing can be rather strident, and some of the wording sounds dated. She overuses certain terms. The last twenty pages do not live up to the first 660. But these are minor drawbacks. The plot development and character development are masterful, and the pacing is just right. If you are in the minority who understand and like this book, I would also recommend "We the Living" and "Atlas Shrugged."
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Summary: Comprehension
Review: I've read the good reviews. I've read the bad ones. They share one point in common - they don't - get - the book. They don't understand. It's not about the rape. It's not about the setting. It's not even about the details. This is a modern-day myth, the same as any ancient Greek, Sumerian, or Norseman might have written; it's not strict reality, and it's not a realistic picture of what should, could, and might have happened, but like all myths, it is merely a tale of how to live. Set in a crystalline world with sculptured characters, it isn't meant to be taken literally. It was written in the style of all the best myths, and should be enjoyed as such - unrealistic, unbelievably beautiful, and a stern and delicate reminder of the best in all of us.
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Summary: Great book but letters are too small
Review: Okay, so I bought this book at a whim at an airport bookstore. I didn't know what I was getting into. The writing, plot & characters are timeless, unique and all in all, outstanding. I feel as if our society & times have been impacted by Ayn Rand's philosophy more than we realize. Her thoughts & characters are so original and I must say that I haven't read anything like the Fountainhead. Sure, the characters are unrealistic but I believe Rand took them to the extreme to make her points. I do not profess to be or consciously follow objectivism (some of it is common sense) but her book was deep, and a thought provoker. One last recommendation, do not buy the small paperback. The words are tiny and reading 700+ pages of that small print will kill your vision. Go ahead and invest in the bigger paperback, or better yet, get the hardback... it's worth it.
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Summary: The ulimate "anti-compromise" novel
Review: "Man's ego is the fountainhead of all progress"... the quote from which the title comes from. The Fountainhead is such an incredible example of what man (and woman) should strive to become. It is the ultimate "anti-compromise" novel ever written. The theme is simple. All of human progress is the result of someone using their abilities to go against the established way of doing things and create something new and better for all to enjoy. The book is not meant to be an accurate description of life as we know it, but rather an example of the type of people that create the future and those who act to stop progress. As with all of Rand's work, this book is a series of "what if" scenarios that play out in a melodramatic manner to make a point about both sides of human nature. I have read it four times now and everytime I open its pages, I am inspired to become the best person that I can be. I recommened it to anyone who wants to better themselves. For those who claim the book is not realistic or not truthful... There is a famous saying that all truths go through three stages, first they are scoffed at, second they are violently rejected and third they are accepted as if they has always been true. (Copernicus and his heliocentric model experienced these stages in attempting to change the status quo...) Ayn Rand's work is experiencing stage two right now, but in time i think it will be understood and not seem so threatening as it does to some today.
Rating: 
Summary: Great philosophical ideas, but...
Review: the characters are too "black or white", and are too extreme - each and every one of them... The philosophy behind this book - that not everything new is bad, and that any new idea should be inspected before being rejected on the basis of being new - is a very good one considering the fact that they were working in a very conservative environment. But again, the message is given in its most extreme version, and it seems that instead of rejecting new ideas and accepting only old ones, Ayn Rands wants us to accept new ideas and reject all old ones, which is just as wrong as the old fashioned way of looking at things... I don't see Roarke as a hero - in his extreme behavior, he almost missed his purpose, and maybe if he learned to be a little more flexible at times he would have had more chances of having people listening to him and would have had a much better chance and a much easier time spreading his message around - some people's objections were to him as a person, not to what he was trying to say. This may seem unfair, but that's the way life is... The other drawback of this book si the fact it's VERY old fashioned, and not that relevant to our modern society in many ways...
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