Fountainhead

Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking, for that along it is worth the read
Review: I think people often miss the point of reading an Ayn Rand novel like 'The Fountainhead' - drop the defensiveness of your own belief system or personal philosophy and realize that in reading her novel you don't have to fall in love with her philosophy and adopt it as your own, but rather, you can come away from the read with multitudes of questions and ideas and thoughts running through your under-exercised brain - about philosophy generally or the state of mankind or any number of other topics. That's a good thing. It's a wonderful starter of philosophical conversations and I do think the woman was a very good writer with a great command of the English language - especially as she was not native to it. Don't let the idealogies Ayn Rand embraced turn you away simply because you do not share her views...tolerance is the path to understanding and learning. Take the time to open your mind to some deep thinking and an overall interesting story.

Bottom line - the woman was an intellect who at least had the tenacity to stick to her guns and could argue her point using some historical basis. This is unlike so many of my peers these days who dare not spend time learning or thinking for themselves too much about anything. Do I agree wholeheartedly with her views? Not at all. What I do agree with is her spirit of quest for personal truth and a neverending desire for knowledge.

Rating:
Summary: Lost and Found
Review: The Fountainhead is brilliant primarily because it is shockingly simplistic in its premise. The dialogues and speeches are grandiloquent and impossible, the hero and the villains are contemptible-- in fact, this is a rare achievement BECAUSE it is a caricature that believes earnestly in its own reality.
Rand's philosophy has changed my life because it exposed many "flaws" in my own personality. The reader can see himself in every character; the composite of these characters, not Howard Roark, is the perfect man. And that, perhaps, is the irony of the book-- Rand rallies against collectivism and compromise, but she has created a hero so perfectly devoid of emotion that the reader is forced to use a personal judgement to maintain his or her sanity.

Why do I use the word sanity? Because the Fountainhead is the glaring truth that we will never be able to accept completely.

Rating:
Summary: The Heroic Individual versus the Collectivists
Review: A brilliant exposition via novel format; the struggles and triumphs of a self-disciplined, honest, devoted genius, who maintains his self-respect and integrity in spite of relentless assaults from those who would take what they have not created.
The message is timely for us; we live in the age of denial of responsibility, when too many people seek to play the victim of circumstances rather than achieving in life. Even though communism is thought to be dead, there are still many people who would like to get something of value only because they "need" it rather than earning it. We advance as a free people because of the worth of the individual, and his achievments.
Now try this one: you decide to hire an architect for your dream home. Would you like Howard Roark to take on the job? Even if you disagree with Ayn Rand, a man such as Howard is going to do a fine job. Triumph of the individual again.
A great read and re-read, don't miss it!!!

Rating:
Summary: You'll want to read this one a few times
Review: Having read this book several times, I always enjoy the excellent writing, nuanced characters and great plot. All of the characters are very interesting, nuanced and complicated. You'll cheer for Howard Roark as he masters his art and his struggle to understand the world around him. You'll wonder if Dominque Francon will learn that the evil of the world isn't "Satan with a sword but a lout on a stool." You'll watch in horror as Peter Keating as he sells off piece by piece of his soul and Gail Wyland, the powerful newspaper magnate, learns the price for all of his power. As courageously as Steve Mallory and Austin Heller try to save their world from evil, you'll be bewildered by Alvah Scralet's cluelessness. An lastly, the cunning, conniving Ellsworth Toohey - what a great villain. May look like a plucked chicken but he makes taking over the world seem as easy as signing your name. Watch how he destroys people, corrupts the government, levels great art work into dust and strives to take over Gail Wyland's empire but is he any match for Howard? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Of course, there are Mrs. Rand's ideas. Agree with them or not this book will entertain as it provides food for thought and loads of topics for conversation.

Rating:
Summary: Read Me.
Review: This is in my top three novels of all time.

Rating:
Summary: The Fountainhead: Valuable Even for Altruists
Review: As a disclaimer for this review, I must hereby state my political postition: I am a devout liberal. So devout, in fact, that I considered making myself a nice book cover out of brown paper in order to disguise the fact that I was reading such an infamously aliberal book as The Fountainhead. (I decided against it-- paper is a valualbe natural resource, you know, and it shouldn't be wasted for something as frivolous as my vanity). But I must confess, after toiling through all 704 pages of it, that I didn't abhor it. Not consistently, in any case. One of my main comlaints is that most of the characters, including Howard Roark, the hero, and his lover, Dominique, are entirely static throughout the book. There is not one point at which Roark's incredible integrity is compromised enought to make him seen even slightly human. While Rand's stated goal is to portray life "as it might and ought to be," it becomes ineffective when the characters are too obviously godlike for humans to even aspire to. Also, for all his supposed integrity, Roark (and all the other characters in the book, for that matter) think and act entirely in contradictions. No one ever sinply eats a piece of bread because he is hungry; he eats it because it is the best way to make someone else conscious of his indifference toward them, even thought what he wants most is their love. Here is a prime example: "It hurts me every time I think of him. It makes everything easier-- the people, the editorials, the contracts-- but easier because it hurts so much. Pain is a stimulant also. I think I hate that name. I will go on repeating it. It is a pain I wish to bear." Huh? Another complaint: after years of the world's absolute contempt (at least outwardly) for Roark, I found his final triumph completely unbeleivable. Finally, I resent Rand's manipulativeness. Face it: this book is not an artistically written novel, but a piece of Objectivist propaganda. I suppose I resent the fact that, no matter how much one may, in principle, agree with the opinions of the antagonist, Ellsworth Toohey, his positions are so radical, and taken to such ridiculous extremes that the reader has no choice but to hate him. Who could possible agree with the sentiment that all reason should be automatically discounted in favor of intuition and "feelings"? Toohey's lengthy diatribes against selfishness and his sermons about his plans for the world come off more like the rantings of a mad scientist than a sane (if "misguided")philosopher.
I did say, however, that I don't hate the book. I like the message of the triumph of artistic individualism against the garbage of the masses, and I even found the scene in which Gail Wynand (a man who understands Roark and tries oh-so-hard to be like him and stand up for his beliefs) is finally crushed by the power of the ignorant masses rather moving. To this end, I say read the book. Yes it IS long, I know. But at least you will have broadened you horizons. If only to understand the mind of the enemy. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: A bit trite, but still thought provoking
Review: While Ayn Rand has written a rather predicatble storyline, it is remarkable how she shifts the readers feelings towards the characters from one extremity to the other, and how the main characters in her book always seem to "play both sides against the middle" with respect to their views on the hero.

It is a fascinating book, and well worth the 9 bucks. I enjoyed it a great deal.

Rating:
Summary: Say it Ayn't So!
Review: Ayn Rand's writings have been enormously influential, and to argue otherwise is an exercise in futility. Her reach in the field of politics counts Alan Greenspan as one her apostles. She's probably better known for "Atlas Shrugged," a massive novel written in the 1950's. Before "Atlas Shrugged" came "The Fountainhead," written in the 1940's. Rand was a screenwriter and a playwright as well. Ayn Rand died in 1982.

This edition of the book is divided into three parts: an introduction with some explanatory notes written by Rand in the 1960's, the actual novel, and an afterword by Rand acolyte Leonard Peikoff, who is also Rand's legal executor.

On the surface, "The Fountainhead" is a deceptively simple tale about an architect struggling to make buildings on his own terms. There is much more here than this, however.

Rand uses the novelistic style as a vehicle for her personal philosophy. This philosophy, known now as Objectivism, places man squarely at the center of the universe. It is man who creates, but only certain men. The man who creates is an egotist, a man who creates solely for his own sake and for the sake of the work, without any influence from others. He does not share his work or collaborate. The rest of humanity is "second-handers," or parasites that feed off the misery of others. They do not create, but merely take from those who do to give to those who don't. These second-handers are usually found promoting a socialistic, or collective, society.

In "The Fountainhead," it is Howard Roark who is the creator. Roark is a genius that is guided by an inner force to build. His whole life is dedicated to creating monuments to man's greatness. While others resort to imitation, Roark creates and expresses new ideas. He refuses to change his plans to please others. He only respects others who share his worldview.

Arrayed against Roark is Peter Keating, a fawning, inept architect who turns to Roark to bail him out of tough spots when he needs help, only to turn against Roark at the first opportunity. Keating accepts awards and positions he doesn't deserve, is vain beyond belief, and is also a momma's boy (Peter wants to become a painter, but his mother talks him into becoming an architect). He does what he thinks others want him to do. He is not his own man, but a man of the collective mentality.

Ellsworth Toohey is the archenemy of the novel. Toohey is a pseudo-intellectual who works behind the scenes to create a "brotherhood of man" society. Toohey creates councils to debase literature, architecture, and theater. He writes a column in a newspaper and magazine promoting socialist values. His goal is the domination of the world with himself as a sort of "first citizen."

These are not the only main characters of the book, but they are the most important ones. There is Dominique Francon, a woman who shares Roark's outlook on life. She is so loyal to Roark that she works against him because she knows that if Roark succeeds, he'll be destroyed by society. Gail Wynand, a newspaper publisher with Roark's worldview, also emerges later in the novel. He too shares Roark's ideas, with an important exception revealed at the end of the story.

For the most part, I liked the book. Rand systematizes some beliefs I've held for awhile, especially on socialism and communism. She's dead wrong about second-handers not creating anything, however. These people have made much progress in the fields of political murder, torture, and penal institutions. Just look at the Soviet gulag system!

Her use of the novel format to express her ideas is good, and you can certainly tell Rand was a screenwriter. She creates believable social settings and atmosphere. My problems here are with the Dominique character; I just didn't like her. All too often, Dominique's presence led to over long dialogue and annoying situations. Be sure to pay attention to the first encounter between Roark and Dominique. It's an unusual take on sexual relations that I don't agree with.

I'll probably read "Atlas Shrugged" at some point, although I would rather read one of Rand's purely philosophical books. I'd like to see Objectivism fleshed out a little bit more than is done in this book. I do recommend reading this book because Rand is considered an important figure, and you should have an opinion about her work and her philosophy.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating insight into American society - a classic
Review: Ayn Rand's fascinating and complex characters and her insight into American society are what make "The Fountainhead" such a powerful classic. Though it contains some out-dated themes, the timeless story of one man's vision and integrity in the face of impossible obstacles is still profound and enjoyable over a half a century after it was written.

Ayn Rand's descriptions are mesmerizing but she is never much of a romantic. The love story angle is weaker here than in "Atlas Shrugged". While Dominique may seem unrealistic and difficult to identify, the story's main character, the unbendable, unbreakable Howard Roark, will always remain one of the most memorable in American literature.

There is an interesting side note about this novel-- Rand's inspiration for Roark, Frank Lloyd Wright, refused to ever meet the famous author despite several attempts on her part, a typically Howard Roark thing to do.

Rating:
Summary: Not really
Review: As much as Ayn Rand is praised for her insight, I found this, as well as Atlas Shrugged, to be predictable and pat. Rand's use of language is nothing special (even simplistic) and her philosophy seems dogmatic and out-of-date. In the cold war society in which this work was first published, it may have held some relevance, but, in the 21st century, it seems dated and glib.