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Summary: A Timeless Work
Review: A copy of this book given to me and I have read it three times so far. The effect of Rand's writing is difficult to describe. This is the type of novel I was flattered to have reccommended to me, and in turn, I reccommend it only to those who I feel are capable of appreciating such a journey.
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Summary: "Overrated and adolescent in its approach to life"
Review: This book probably appeals strongly to post-adolescents and others in the prime of life. It appealed to me strongly at the age of 19 before I encountered middle age, chronic illness, child and elder care, and so on. The Fountainhead does make a good point that dependency is not to be cultivated and admired. There is far too much dependency in able-bodied adults in our society--gold brickers on workman's comp and disability, poor performers who blame a bad childhood, and so on. However, to suggest that the 5 or 6 billion people on the planet can operate as free agents is preposterous. The book also ignores the fact that humans are necessarily dependent on others from age 0 to 18 and after age 65 or 70 for most folks. Even those in the middle age ranges need others far more than they know or care to admit. A good read for the prime of life, but not much wisdom in this one.
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Summary: An absolute must-read testament to the individuality of man.
Review: Ayn Rand's masterpiece uses fascinating, unforgettable characters and a well-researched treatise in architecture as a vehicle to prove up her philosophy of the individual vs. the "collective". The unflinching determination of Howard Roark to stick by his ideals, despite constant rejection and failure, provides inspiration to the individualist in us all. We may lack his courage but we all share his dream of living life on our own terms. A must-read for anybody who has ever felt constrained by people in power that know less than they do.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Absolutely the most eye opening book I have ever read! It deals with the debate of Egoism vs. Altruism and Individualism vs. Collectivism. This is a book that opens your mind to the realization that happiness is within your power alone!
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Summary: I no longer look at things I once loved the same.
Review: When my english teacher first passed this book out in class I groaned at its size. My first thoughts were of Cliffs notes (there are none). Eventually, I read it. It has changed my life. I no longer look at people the same. I can't describe what it has done to my life and my soul.
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Summary: Made me see the world in a new way!!!!!!
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read, if not THE best!! My dad had been trying to get me to read it for years and when I finally did, my freshman year in college, it changed the way I look at everything. The book changed my life and is a must read for every person who loves a good story, thinking, freedom, and life. Feel free to e-mail me about this book, I'd LOVE to share my thoughts!
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Summary: "Man's mind is his basic tool of survival."-Ayn Rand
Review: I am disturbed by the negative statements of those who didn't quite get this book. I was overwhelmed when I read the reviews. You either love the book or you hate it, which certainly ranks it right on top in controversial books. I enjoyed this book every step of the (granted long but rewarding) way. Howard and Dominique are very interesting, thought-provoking characters that can literally change your views about life. It contains revolutionary ideas or free thought that are very important in our forever changing world. Imagine, for a minute, what the world would be like if no one spoke out against the communist philosophy. If you were forced to live under communism, you wouldn't have the choice to read this book, but you would certainly have a real understanding of its meaning. This book is about the most precious thing that we have...LIFE and Rand's philosophy of getting the most out of it! Enjoy!
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Summary: Makes me want to be an architect!
Review: While Ayn Rand's philosophy is a little tight for me (after all, God does exist) this book presents a fantastic story and loops you into it as it progresses. I disagree strongly with the previous reviewer as to character development. The "bad" guys in the book took me wholly by surprise. I think the steady destruction of the young lady who is beaten down by altruism terrifying (and real-read Malcom X's biography and study the treatment of his family at the hands of "social workers"). While architecture is Ms. Rand's vehicle, truth is her passenger, and the truth is a deadly serum for most (myself included sometimes).-Kelly Whiting
Rating: 
Summary: More two-dimensional than the paper it's printed on.
Review: If _The Fountainhead_ had been written as an exposition of Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy in non-fictional form, its message would be vastly more palatable today. An appreciation of this book is independent of whether the reader agrees with Rand's assessment of the highest goals to which humanity can strive. Unfortunately, by reading it one is forced to wade through a morass of patently contrived situations, involving characters so reminiscent of automata that one continually expects them to be unmasked by the sudden confession of the evil genius who programmed them. Alas, no such relief appears. By the time the denoument is reached _The Fountainhead_ requires the willing suspension not only of disbelief but of disgust. Perhaps it was the author's hope that sympathy toward other persons should be eliminated as an unethical, insufficiently selfish impulse. If so, the characterization in this novel will serve as a useful exercise in the quashing of benevolence. Any reader who feels for Howard Roark or Dominique Francon may well benefit from a modicum of psychological attention.
Rating:
Summary: "The Ego in the Infinite"
Review: The title for this review is from that other favorite book of mine, Oswald Spengler's "The Decline Of The West". I do not myself profess to be an Objectivist. I'm too much of a selfish individualist to follow anybody, even Ayn Rand -- and I largely have "The Fountainhead" to thank for that. This book shows why you and I must think for ourselves, hold our own values as sacred. And it expresses this idea in the concrete form of a splendidly stylized architecture, reminding me of the stylized art of Kandinsky and Mondrian. Read the book for yourself. Read what kind of a thing Roark says: "That was the most selfish thing you'll ever see a man do." (Could as easily have been a woman.) The true meaning of "selfish". Far from the conventional meaning. As another character says later, to do what you want is the hardest thing in the world, takes the greatest courage. Quite so. I also love one of the sex scenes in which Ms. Rand describes the tremendous intensity of the passion between Roark and Dominique, like electricity. The paradox of ecstasy so violent it's like agony. My feeling exactly. I like "The Fountainhead" better than "Atlas Shrugged". The characters, particularly Dominique and Wynand, are more complex. A powerful book. When I read it, I felt like I was looking at a city at night, in all its glory. "Ego": _not_ a "dirty word", but "the fountainhead" of our noblest values.
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