Rating: 
Summary: This is Greatness
Review: I didn't know who Ayn Rand was, nor what she had written before I started reading "The Fountainhead". It was on a Friday night and I literally didn't stop reading until Sunday when I finished it, with two 3 hour breaks for sleeping.
This book is amazing from all points of view - first of all, it's a great story and it's wonderfully told; second of all the characters are fantastically built, multidimensional and actually spontaneous and unpredictable; and last but not least, the philosophical background, that of individualism is not only an exceptional idea, but also perfectly argumented and illustrated.
The Fountainhead reminded me of Cohen's "Belle du Seigneur" because of the both the way the 20's and 30's aristocracy is portrayed and the gloryfying of pure love, except Ayn Rand's masterpiece is far more interesting from both points of view. Also, in my point of view, this book is very much about Dominique, perhaps even more that about Roarke. One way or the other though, the way Ayn Rand succeeds in defining a character through the ones that surround him is extremely intersting.
In conclusion, this is definitely not a book to miss, whether you believe in individualism or not. It will definitely make you see the world through different eyes.
Rating:
Summary: Review # 386 of The Fountainhead
Review: This book is fiction, with Rand's ideals thrown in for good measure, but that doesn't mean that this is a bad read. Actually this is a very interesting book, the characters A.R. uses are basically, stereo types, built up into real people. The main characters are predictable when alone, yet they are very quirky and unpredictable, when then interact. It kept me interested till the controversial ending kind of ruined it for me. It would have been good if this were a perfect world, but we all know it is not. After 6 months I still can't her out of my head.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Amazing!!!
Review: The Fountainhead is an astonishing work of major philosophical importance as Ayn Rand presents Objectivism to the world. In my opinion it isn't as good as Atlas Shrugged, but that's not to say this book is bad. On the contrary, it is quite good and many authors would be lucky to do as well as Rand did with this one.The novel is about, as Rand later stated, "individualism and collectivism in man's soul." Roark represents Rand's heroic man (the ideal we should all strive for). He is the ultimate creator. In his profession, architecture, he is second to none. The antagonists are many, but the main villian in the novel is represtented by Toohey, the penultimate second-hander. Throughout the novel these two characters are competing against one another, although sometimes Roark isn't aware of the fact that Toohey is the cause of most of his problems. As a matter of fact, Roark doesn't care. He continues to stick to his principles and struggles on. The interesting thing is that Roark is the mover, Toohey the destroyer and Keating (a fellow architect if you want to see him as that) is the ultimate leech. Keating depends on Roark to get him through college, through his early days at the firm, through almost everything and yet hates him for it. Toohey is the master manipulator of public opinion (I often think of people like Bill Clinton when I think of Toohey) while Keating reminds me of the environmental-Nazi's and their total dependence upon (and hatred of) technology. The only problem I had with the book was the language. Oftentimes the characters speak in a stilted, wooden way. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose or due to the fact that Ms. Rand's first language was Russian. I must say that it wasn't really a distraction and almost not worth mentioning. Finally, as with Atlas Shrugged, is that you can take the themes and characters and see them in our modern everyday life. There are plenty of people like Keating, Toohey and even Roark. This is a timeless novel and certainly one of my favorites. If you've never read any of Ms. Rand's works this is a good place to start. Just remeber the character's aren't meant to be believable and real, but arch-types of various themes/ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Philosphically Dynamic
Review: I first read this book as a philosophy student and was immediately ostracized by student and faculty alike when I attempted to ask questions about why Ayn Rand was not included in discussions about modern philosophers or American philosophers. I remember the puzzled look on the face of my philosopher teacher in our American Philosophers course when I brought up her name. He completely ignored me and pretended as though I were a ghost for the rest of the term. And I was previously one of his favorite students. I am not sure if they fear her, misunderstand her, or simply despise her, but I think that a scholarly examination of her body of work is long overdue. And this book is the beginning of Ayn Rand as a serious thinker with an important message. I fell in love with this book from the first page and did not stop reading it unless I was eating, sleeping or in class. The characters overwhelmed me, the writing blew me away and the ideas gave me hope. I had first heard about Rand from Rush Limbaugh's radio show, where he talked about disagreeing with Rand because of her atheism and her pro-choice stance. I knew I had to read this author because I hated the religious elements of Rush's show. "Howard Roark laughed." From those words I was literally hooked. I had no idea what was coming next, but i knew that these were just the ideas and words I needed to hear. I had been thinking them for so long already, it was about time I finally felt someone I could relate to, and who had something intelligent to say in philosophy that was completely incoherent. Read this book and try to remember the hope you had as a teenager, when the world was clean and open to any possibility. That is the world these characters live in every day. I re-read this book often just to enjoy the sense of life that she created. It permeates every page and nuance of this book. Its a sense of life where you are the master of your own destiny, where anything is possible. The climax is powerful and the conclusion uplifting, just like life shoudl be.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! One hell of a book!
Review: I am a 25yr old infantry officer in the military and I absolutley loved this book. My mother told me that this book had changed her life and I can say that it has had the same affect on me, too. I have always admired creativity, imagination, and determination - attributes that are essential in my line of work. The Fountainhead is the greatest example of these attributes that I have yet to find. I would recommend this book to anyone with a clear, objective mind-set and a benevolent attitude towards life. I will be reading ATLAS SHRUGGED next and I can only imagine...!
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting book.
Review: I liked the book a lot. It is a very nice book for those who believe in the good of people. A very good example of how simple life should be but how easy we complicate it all the time.
A very long book but it is worth the time. It is a little too much into architecture but I like the message behind it.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth a read, one of my favourites
Review: I read this book in my teenage. It gave me the conviction to pursue my beliefs even if they were against the norm. As an adult the message has stayed with me , though now it has been tempered with my own thinking and experience. Perhaps that is what we are supposed to do anyway. This book sets forth the idea how by being egoistic we can be truly happy. To put it simplistically, Egoism is defined as following your dream, that dream may very well be to be a good mom.
I would like to say that the book is definitely worth a read for the ideas it sets forth. I admired the clarity of Ayn Rand's vision and her belief in her own ideas, but as readers we are free to learn from them or discard them. There is definitely a reason why this book has survived over 50 years and is still very widely read. All said and done, it is definitely a book worth a read.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps my favorite novel of all time
Review: Russian-born atheist Ayn Rand became an influential Western philosopher by a most unusual means: writing novels. It's incredible to think that this woman, writing in a language other than her native tongue, wrote two books that consistently rank in the top ten "most influential" books by well-read Americans! THE FOUNTAINHEAD is the story of Howard Roark, Rand's idealization of the "perfect" individual. Whereas most characters in novels are in conflict with society, Roark simply exists in the same space as society, striving to follow out his passion of creating architecture - a field that typically caters to the desires of civilization - oblivious to civilization's approval or disapproval of his work. Yes, Roark comes across as rude, and yes, Roark probably isn't someone with whom I'd hang out on a regular basis, but by golly, Roark is a man of principles: he stands up for what he believes, even if it means financial hardship or career suicide. So what if those principles are not the same as mine? Rand challenges our perception of individuality. From our first view of Roark, poised on top of a cliff, to our last glimpse of him, standing atop a skyscraper, he is triumphant, confident, and completely self-sufficient. Can any of us - especially those of us who consider ourselves independent of and unswayed by society's opinion - truly, consistently live that kind of lifestyle?
Rating:
Summary: Anyone who rated this less then 5 is mentally handicaped
Review: A breath taking story about someone who made it to the top when everyone spat at him. a legend about a man who discovers his true love. for all those people who didnt like this book, you're probably one of those working class, disgruntled, and illiterate individuals who are pawns of our capitalistic society... you dont need. im sorry, but this book takes the cake. excellent choice for anyone who knows anything about literature.
Rating: 
Summary: "ruthless, arrogant egotist who wished to have his own way"
Review: He is the hero of The Fountainhead, the acclaimed and largely original 1943 novel of Ayn Rand, and the manifestation and representative of Rand's objectivist manifesto.
At one level, The Fountainhead is a brilliant ode to mankind. The unbounded and limitless demigod can do no wrong when he is he. The ego (fountainhead) is the source of all that is right, righteous and just (and unjustified) and rises above. Those who create, face and dominate nature; others are mere parasites. The skyscraper implies achievement; the "housing project" the prelude to the cave.
It is given this context that I salute and abhor The Fountainhead - an unnecessarily long book whose most virtuous characters have no kin, friends or family and abhor love of all except a subjective material creation.
I salute her conviction: it drips from every page. I cherish her writing: it is fluid as only that of a single-minded and honest artisan can be.
Yet I abhor the world she models. The paradigm that convinces that charity is evil and altruism hatred bears no real resemblance to the paradigms of the planet third from the sun. The notion that man serves by solely serving himself is too simplistic for this ball in the sky. Not surprising from a writer who condemns Nietzsche for diluted philosophy; and whose ideology pretends the earth as the perfect conveyor belt of production and product.
This reader's enchantment with Rand's conviction and literary prowess (despite the uneven characters) was not able to drown the flawed cruelty of objectivist good (ill?) will.
|
