The Fountainhead

Rating:
Summary: Awe-Inspiring and Profound!
Review: Read this book! I found it amazingly well-written. Ayn Rand is known for being too wordy and hard to stay with, but I found it an easy and satisfying read. Ayn Rand's philosophy, obejectivism, is evident throughout this book. I thought that it was a philosophical masterpiece. The writing was impeccable and the plot and character development was immaculate. Ayn Rand has done it again. I am now going to order all of her other books and immerse myself in the wonderful world of Rand!

Rating:
Summary: Alive and Thriving!
Review: I think the title says it all. The Fountainhead, the wellspring, the source all point to the spark that ignites artistic creation or the essence that is one's soul. In this novel Roark's motivating impulse is what sets everything in motion; the rest of the characters respond to, bounce off of, are repulsed by, or devote their energies to extinguish his essence. It's a fantastic theme: the fully developed ego verses all the people that have not or can not recognize their own motivating factors or egos, and what fireworks occur when these elements clash.

I love the way she has characters, specifically Dominique and Toohey (both journalists), write their speeches and articles with double meanings-simplistic and unintelligent they ain't'. Quite the contrary, all the major characters, and many of the minor ones are very complex, talented, and intelligent people. Many are internally mangled, and as the book progresses they end up resolving the riddles of their life for better or worse, or for death; and we see Roark as the unintentional catalyst. Out of all the characters but Toohey, Roark is the only one with a clear path, and far from being one-dimensional we see him fill out with every situation, with every dialog, with every act of kindness, anger, stubbornness, creativity, and of love.

Of Rand's works, I find The Fountainhead the most poetic. The opening of the book is spectacular visually. And I just thought of it now, in Wright's Falling Water (one of the most famous houses in Architecture), standing at the staircase in the living room of the house, the guest has a choice to descend down into a pool of water. The stairs literally go to the surface of the water, or you can ascend up to the sky; here the stairs simply rise through an opening in the roof. Similarly, Roark dives into the water at the opening of the book, and at the end he ascends, you could say literally, into the sky.

As an aside, a friend of mine many years ago went into a bookseller's shop in New York City, to buy a couple of more books by Rand. The bookseller looked at her and asked, "do you like Rand's work?" She replied in the affirmative. The seller then quite passionately said, "I hate Howard Roark!"

For me, that is an example of the power of great art. The man talked as if Roark was a living being. Well, perhaps he's right, Roark is alive.

Rating:
Summary: Profound Influence
Review: I first read this novel during my sophomore year at a top business school. The influence this work has had over my professional and personal life is truly incredible. I have since read this work at least five or six times. Each re-read has served as a catalyst for change in my life and helped me to succeed not only in the external view but much more internally. If you really want to find self worth and true value, read this book and let yourself struggle with all that you currently believe in.

Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK!
Review: I'm not going to give a big review on this book, other people have said enough. I'm just going to say, if everyone read this book the world would be a much better place. READ IT!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book
Review: I had a hard time putting this book down. Considering the length of it, this shows how interesting it was.

There were 5 main characters, Howard Roark, Dominique Francon, Peter Keating, Gail Wynand and Ellsworth Toohey. Each character was well developed in a sense that once you were in their head you knew what they were going to do next, with one exception. I felt Dominique Francon's character was frequently inconsistent and her motivations at times pretty muddy.

The book takes you from before Howard and Peter finish college until about 20 years later. The story parallels these two men's careers as architects. They covered the architecture aspect just enough so you could see where the argument was but, not to the point where it would lose the readers. In this aspect, you are under no doubt that Howard is passionate about his craft and Peter is merely giving it lip service. Peter is into architecture as an end to a means. It has the pontential of making him popular. Most of the disputes in architecture center around the traditional versus modernistic view point. Traditional meaning keeping to the Greek Porticos and decorative features of the past versus a style more centered on function. Howard is dedicated to the fact that form should fit function.

Mostly this book centers on the inner lives of the characters and the forces that affect their personal decisions.

Howard is an end to himself, where Peter does not exist unless someone else is in the room. These two characters choices are about as opposite as can be found.

Ellsworth Toohey, whom is mentioned in passing early on, gets further developed later in the book and provides a manipulating force in Peter's life & that of many others. This character early in his life discovered the two extremes of personalities as Howard and Peter and has discovered the secret of using the "Peter Keatings" of the world.

Gail Wynand is an even more complex character than Ellsworth in the sense that he at one point in time stood alone, but at some point due to some various situations in his youth, became power hungry and decided on a similar path as Ellsworth Toohey. However, he never quite consciously made this choice and really was almost unaware of the path he chose & his dependency on the people he controlled.

Dominique Francon, never really gets developed to the same point as the male characters. Early on as a co-worker to Ellsworth Toohey and the daughter of Peter's employer, she is shiftless and comes across as just spiteful. You are not sure if she is a Toohey disciple or worse. Later on in her dealing with Howard, Peter and Gail, her motives and logic are still a bit ill defined. I think Ayn Rand was negligent in giving her female character's the necessary development in the book for her to be understood. Considering that she wrote this in the 1930s and 40s and the fact that the character had 3 husbands, this may have been the furthest she dared to go, lest the reading audience would unnecessarily focus on that.

Much of this book is dialogue between the characters, you have to follow it closely. Some of Ellsworth Toohey's one on ones with the various characters make you think of the many political speeches we hear every day. Then, when you consider the black heart of the character, it is frightening.

I think a person in their teens and 20s would walk away from this book with a different take than one in their 40s, as I am. An idealistic 20 year old still believes there are these singular characters out there like Howard and Peter, etc. They would get quickly discouraged with others and themselves, when they walked away from this book. An older person would recognize that most people have of blend of characters and these change with time. Then, one can only hope that we have more Howard than Peter & hope we are not deluding ourselves like Gail Wynand.

An excellent book, I am under no doubt why it is a classic.

Rating:
Summary: The book that started it all.
Review: This is Rand's Great American Novel - it presents an inspiring view of individualism worth re-reading over the years. Roark is a self-actualized, self-motivated individual. Rand contrasts Roark's character with three fascinating male characters; Keating, who betrayed his dreams by conforming; Toohey, who deliberately seeks to destroy greatness; Wynand, who lives a tragic mistake. My one disappointment is the character of Dominique - Rand was not yet able to project the female equivalent of Dagny in Atlas Shrugged.

Rating:
Summary: An intelligent read that requires hard thought.
Review: Ayn Rand may get too philosophical at times throughout this novel but never strays from relaying her ideas through Howard Roark, Peter Keating, Dominique Francon and all the multi-layered characters. It was the contrast of these characters that kept me involved in this novel. Rand quite beautifully sets her characters up as opposites to one another and then through intense characterization explores how these opposites interact with one another. Setting these complex people up against the competative world of architecture shows just how confused and interesting these characters can be. Be prepared for some intense thinking when you get ready to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: My observations on the book
Review: I was going to write an in-depth review telling everything I though about the book, but that is what I always do. So, I will try to make this short and sweet.

We are surrounded by just about every type of character in the book, from Keatings to Gail Wynands. Tooheys are the people we either love or love to hate. Roark is the .00000000001% of people ever to have even come close to being perfect. Perfect is cold and dull, that is why Roark is. But perfect is also great.

Of all the criticisms I've heard about the book, I do not think many are valid. People don't like it because they don't fully understand it, because it is bold and not what they are used to. It is often pointed out that Roark is exactly what Rand was, this is quite true.

Why I gave it 4 stars: I don't completely agree with Rand's philosophy (I am actually more extreme about some things) but that does not matter in a well-written book. It got a bit preachy at times but for the most part kept my attention, and the characters were great. For those who have not read the book, read it. You may or may not like it, but it will make you think. Thinking is one of the many things we do not do enough of these days...

Rating:
Summary: AT HER BEST
Review: Although Ms. Rand believed ATLAS SHRUGGED was her magum opus, THE FOUNTAINHEAD was her greatest piece of writing. Her characters at times do not ring true, but it is a book you cannot put down and for those who follow her intellectual teachings, this book is an superior introduction. I have read the parts she deleted, but had she kept them in the book, it would still be a good read, great story, fascinating by one of the most creative minds in 20th Century literature.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Life Altering
Review: There is so much in this book that will make you think in ways you have never thought. At first I didn't think I would make it, it's a long book, but once you're into it there is no turning back you are just overpowered by the strength of the characters and the ideas expressed so perfectly through them. I was constantly thinking about myself and those around me as I read this book. It's characters are so real and so awesome. And the dialogue is the best ever written in any book I've read. The dialogue is both smart, funny, brilliant and touching. By the end you are just exhausted and at the same time you feel free. I think that this book if for anyone who is looking for answers to life and looking for a way to live in this cruel world. This book will show you that it's possible to be creative and to survive and to win the greatest battles. This book is for the dreamer and I highly recommend it. But at the same time I understand why there are those who don't like it or understand it. This novel isn't for everyone, in fact it could be pretty painful for some people to read, because some people will find themselves in the worst characters in the book. This book is a harsh lesson in survival, that might be too much for some readers. But it's worth it.