Everyone's got a world view; some are harsher and more simplistic than others, dividing things in two.

I absolutely love Ayn Rand--loved the Fountainhead and absolutely adore Atlas Shrugged. I am not even sure how many times I have read the two. I didn't love We The Living quite as much, but it's still a good read.

In my book, Ayn Rand still stands as one of the most powerful fictional writers capable of imbuing her work with philosophical ideals, and The Fountainhead is no let down. Yes, her characters can be a little one-sided, with unbending ideals they seem capable of upholding in the midst of the greatest strife. However, just being able to imagine and describe these kinds of intellectual pariahs and support their personas with such thorough background is a significant accomplishment.

The only point at which this became unwieldy to me was during one of the final scenes, when court dialog is used as a thin disguise for Rand to rail on about her ideals through her protagonist and to tie some of the final plot knots. Normally, this would have been fine to me, except this diatribe goes on for quite a few pages. I considered lowering my rating to 4 stars in light of this grueling scene, but in the end, even this faux pas is excellently written and well-supported.

Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the philosophy of self, individualism, and motivation. The only book in Rand's arsenal that tops this is Atlas Shrugged.

The Fountainhead is one of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life. If Ayn Rand books were food, I wouldn't feed them to a starving dog. I'd say, dog, just lick your own balls. You'll be happier. Speaking of dog balls, man I'd rather sniff one than have to read this book again. What a piece of crap.

The meandering prose. The inability to grasp basic tenets of what it is to be human. And believe me, I've done my homework since reading the Fountainhead. Ayn Rand was a horrible human being. She went on the Donahue show in the 80's and proceeded to tell an audience they had no right to criticize her because this was "her" show. Yeah, man, I don't even know where to begin. She didn't endorse racism but said it should be legal in the workplace. She believed that corporations should have the right to do whatever they want to do. Well, that works out marvelously, doesn't it, Ayn! We did that and now we're on the verge of ecocollapse.

God, if I could only raise Ayn Rand from the dead so I could seriously smack her. And then I'd make her live in a slum in India. That would show her how poor people deserve to be poor. If there is any justice, this woman got reincarnated as a sweatshop employee years ago.

The Fountainhead's plot is simplistic, trite, incredibly naive, and ultimately the work of someone who is so jaded with herself she couldn't see that her ideas don't work on any viable level. The exact same, if not far more so, goes for Atlas Shrugged. Read these books to hate them, if for anything.

If I had realised that this book was 1168 pages long, I might have thought twice about tackling it. It is huge! The Fountainhead was a wonderful read so I expect the same of this, but it is definitely one to be tackled in short bursts with no expectations of finishing it in a hurry. Watch this space.............

It isn't often that I abandon a book, but was the case with Atlas Shrugged. I struggled and then decided that this book was never going to captivate me anywhere near as much as The Fountainhead. No doubt it is a very worthy tomb, but I'll leave it to others with more stamina than I have to read it to the end.

An all-time favorite.

worst book o ever read
god never rest her in solace.

Finally. What, 2000 pages? 2 full years? These books deserve 4 stars because they shift your thinking. I look at factories now and I don't say "Ugly" but "That is the physical manifestation of man's brainpower."

They also shed light on the vicious "Robin Hood" myth: it is immoral to be wealthy, and perfectly moral to be poor and envious of the rich.

Further, it defines well what it is 'to be.' Ayn Rand defines "to be" (as a MAN) is to use your brain, to achieve, to aspire, to accomplish greatness. "Man as man."

The story is entertaining. It's a bit romantic in that there are clear heroes and villains and large dramatized themes.

My biggest disappointment is that she assumes she is right. There is no room for argument. In this way it feels didactic.

The first of the Ayn Rand books I read....made me search out the more of her writings.

Superb. It clearly explains and depicts universal values.

I greatly admire Ayn Rand.

Hugely influential read. Would definitely recommend to teens and young adults.

Enough has been written about Ayn Rand and her two books to need my comments. Her ideals sound great in the beginning but then one feels that they are not really practical. I give her five stars for the way she has written the books.