Fountainhead

Rating:
Summary: An enlightening and Intriguing story.
Review: Truthfully, when I opened this book, I had no idea what to
expect. I had heard Ayn Rand and history of writing revolutionary and radical themes, but nothing can really prepare
you for what this story has to offer. The idea is some what
controversial and will either cause the reader to love it or hate it. Personally, I whink this book is masterpiece, otherwise
it wouldn't have lasted all these years without being forgotten like so many other empty and pointless pieces of literature. It is simply a Story of the Glory of Man and shouldn't be critized for any other reason.
The pertinent characters, Howard Raork, Peter Keatings, Ellsworth Toohey and Domonique are like no characters you will ever read about. Despite there somewhat cold and strange manner
towards life, you can't help but feel fascination towards these
people. They are the extremes of the human nature portrayed in
single individuals and show the reader what human are truly capable of, whether beatiful or truly disgusting. Out of these
characters, one by the name of Howard Roark shines through.
He is the one who symbolizes the glory of human acheivment and how we reached it. This is what the story attempts to and succeeds in portraying. I actually feel sorry for people
who criticize this book becasue they believe characters are cold or the portrayal of love is sick and inaccurate. First of all, Nothing is inaccurate about this book, it's human nature at it's darkest. Secondly this book wasn't written to please people but
to portray a theme about society.
All I say is give this book a try. If you make it through
the first chapter, then you won't be able to put it down. If you don't without hating it, then don't waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: "There is no such thing as a collective brain"
Review: Yet again, a story about the ideal man. Yet again, a tale of a hero. And again, individual versus society. Been there, done that.

But never with these epic proportions, and never as well written as this.

Like the rest of Rand's novels, you either love it or hate it. I just started reading Rand this year, and although I disagree with her philosophy in many areas, I have to revere her brilliant, bitter writing style; it made her book live and breathe in a way that few other books do. I found the character of Roark to be decent, but I think that too much emphasis was placed on his cold selfishness and his indifference toward most people. Dominique Francon and Gail Wynand, on the other hand, were much more human and convincing. The philosophy when Roark was on trial could be cut, but ultimately, this novel casts a ray of hope when there seems to be none.

Rating:
Summary: Inspired work of genius
Review: This is the story about one man, his struggles, and his triumph. It was truly an inspiring book in that it showed a man with integrity, courage, determination, nothing will stop me sort of attitude. Some have said that this man will go to any lengths to get what he wants which is just not true, he is determined to find success and happiness on his own terms, by keeping his morals. This work is so relevant in today's timeframe with quotes like "its not what you know but who you know, truth is what my peers will let me get away with etc, etc." This book rejects such beliefs. It was men like Howard Roark (the hero) that founded this nation and crafted the constitution with ideas such as man has a right to live for himself, that the world is knowable, and that happiness IS attainable; "right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

On a more personal note, I had just been kicked out of school when I read this, which was an extremely low point in my life. This book made me think that I CAN accomplish, I CAN achieve happiness, life IS worth the struggle, and most importantly, I can do it on MY terms. Since then I have enrolled in a new school, am pursuing a degree, and have made dean's list as well as been invited to the Honors Society.

Note: If you liked this book I strongly suggest you read Atlas Shrugged, also by Ayn Rand. Or if you want a clearer explanation of the ideas in non-fiction form you may want to read The Virtue of Selfishness.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional
Review: This book was helpful in giving insight into how people should live life. It signifies the creations of mankind and how we can learn from their actions. I really enjoyed the ideologies of Roark. I loved how he practiced architecture not for the money and fame, but for passion. He was a creator that practiced originality. He believed that every building has its own purpose for its certain surroundings. In a way this can be correlated to us humans. We ourselves have to stay original to ourselves. It will do us no good to immitate the actions of others as it will only lead us to self destruction. It is these correlations that give this novel praise.

Rating:
Summary: Emotions
Review: While I was reading this book every paragraph seemed to give me a different feeling. Most parts were laughable on how blunt the woman could be to get her point across. Others stuck a nerve to a deep realization that what she says has truth. While reading this novel you can definitely tell she wasn't writing for the casual reader. Speeches drag on, characters disappoint you, but for some reason people have latched on to her like she is the goddess of objectivism and can't be question with. I did enjoy the novel to the point where I respect the thoughts it contains and what the novel has done for many peoples lives. For my own satisfaction I would not read the novel again. It did teach me many lessons but after reading the Fountainhead there seems to be no hope for mankind and leaves a deep depressing thought in ones mind after reading. Many people would just say I don't understand and comprehend, but you can't believe everything one woman says just because she was one of the first that questioned society this way.

Rating:
Summary: Read this if you have the brain of a 5 year old.
Review: To call this book "bad" would be an insult to all the genuinely "bad" books. I often found myself skipping the long drawn out speeches the so-called heroes would give...loud, tacky lessons on the various ideas of "Objectivism" (Rand's philosophy).TORTURE. For all the whining about being "rational" it's quite disturbing to see the very unstable moralism that underlies every one of her beliefs. Don't read any of her other works, there is not a thing to learn, to call her a philosopher is a shame. Academics ignore her entirely, let alone mention any contribution (if any) of her's to philosophy etc. Terrible writing that comes off as a pathetic and desperate attempt to be "different".

Rating:
Summary: Commentary on the human condition
Review: Ayn Rand takes every aspect of the human experience and personifies it in Howard Roard, Ellsworth Toohey, and the various other characters in her work. while I am not individualist and only read this work to see why Rand was such a famous author, the philosophical issues brought up require thorough examination adn thought - THIS IS NOT A FLUFF BOOK. You cannot read this book once and put it down, satisfied and ready to move on to other fiction. While some readers complain about the lack of "romace" in the relationship between Dominique and Roark, you must realize that the relationship is less about romance than about expanding the horizons of experience. Some of the reviewers here have decided that the innate violence of the interpersonal relationships is unnecessary, but it is a stark reminder by a woman who had first-hand experience in the Soviet system that humans are inherently dangerous animals. If you keep in mind that the book si not so much a story in and of itself as it is a commentary on teh human condition and teh different levels of self-actualization, I think you will find that this book is well worth the concentration and time invested. If you liked this one, and want a bigger taste of the dangers of communist idealism, try Atlas Shrugged, also by Ayn Rand.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This was the most interesting book I've ever read. The greatest part of it was the way the author seemed to mock her readers: by totally agreeing with her philosophy, arren't you just as bad as Toohey's supporters. On the other hand, if you don't agree with her concepts, then you're actually more of a second-hander than the average human because you don't even know that the kind of power Toohey got was the exact type of thing that happens today. As a high school student I know well that her portrayal of the public is right on, because we live in a world where people strive to emulate their fellow man, but why do all kids have to wear the same name brands, and why do modern buildings need Reniassance or Classic style? Why is it that we seek happiness through the acception of our fellow human beings, shouldn't happiness come from inside of ourselves. In the end, isn't your own body the only thing that is truly yours? I don't agree with everything in the novel, I believe in an ordered society and in religion, but how can we have a wonderful society without great individuals to contribute to it? This novel was a wonderful piece of work, written in the extreme to clearly convey Rand's philosophy, I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Implications for the coming years
Review: My reviews generally focus on novels and non-fiction works dealing with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, genetics and the like rather than sixty year old novels, but Rand's ideas will become even more important - and controversial -- in the coming decades. Although she has pushed objectivism to an untenable extreme, she is still the most relevant and important philosopher of our time and will remain so through the first half of this century. Why? Because scientists will incorporate her ideas into the new minds, both human and artificial, made possible by these rapidly evolving technologies.

Ayn Rand is a great but flawed philosopher. Her Howard Roark is one the most admirable and terrifying characters to appear in any novel: a man of rigid, absolute principles; of talent and determination; and of intellect and emotion. Also a man who will stop at nothing, even violence, to gain his objectives; who cares not a whit about the needs of others, even his paying clients; who regards virtually all of humanity as parasites, living off the abilities of men such as himself. Roark could be a great man; he could also be a monster. These strengths will be attractive to many, leading science to develop methods to enhance our machines and our genes. The latter will be particularly attractive: who wouldn't want these characteristics for your child? The genetic inheritance of Howard Roark will be engineered into our genes, but which ones? And where would such men take us?

The Fountainhead is a great read as fiction, and Rand challenges us with her ideas. Rather than fading into the background, such powerful ideas become more important as time moves on.

Rating:
Summary: Integrity and Sense of Life
Review: A lot of the reviews I read have not read the book carefully and made errors when describing it, and just like to repeat what critics websites say so here's why you should give the Fountainhead a shot:

The Fountainhead tackles two great themes worth of attention, integrity and 'sense of life.' Roark is the shining example of integrity throughout the book, making hard choices but they are the right ones. He is an individualist, because he knows what is right and sticks with it despite what the rest of society may want him to believe and do. The 'sense of life' theme is even more interesting than the first. The whole book is first a battle between seconhanders like Peter Keating and Roark, but more importantly it is a battle between the intelligent people (Dominique and Gail) that are also cynical and do not think good can succeed in this world (can they learn to love life? read it). It is a story of a hero, one with integrity, purpose and a good outlook on life. If a man such as this is something you value, the Fountainhead has something to offer you in an action-packed book that has the philosophical insight to back it up.