25% = 1 Star

This is one of those times when I know that there is something in front of me that I should be liking, but I don't like these books. I am either bored or irritated while reading. I refuse to like Rand's writing simply because she's a woman. There is worse writing on the planet so I don't mean to say that she is a poor writer. I mean to say that I do not enjoy her writing in any way. Very cynical, depressive, devoid, empty - I was interested in the general idea of these works however.

These two books were my introduction into 'heavy reading'. As a country bumpkin who had just started working, this was an eye opener into a world that was unknown to me. Keep on planning to re-read it, but because of the size of it and the amount of other books yet to be read, that has not happened yet.

Especially loved The Fountainhead.

Atlas Shrugged truly was the best book I have ever read. It spoiled me forever! Never was a story so mesmerizing, characters so interesting and a tale of intrigue layed out so well that I didn't want this book to end, despite my curiosity about how it would. Also, it makes a life changing point. I couldn't put it down each night but it took 4 months to read as it's an epic treatise and I have little time to read. Two pointers: ) take notes on the main characters introduced in the first 50 pages and 2) skip thru some of Rand's diatribes prevalent in the last third of the book. This will not take away from the story ! She does tend to preach a bit much! This is a once in a lifetime , quality book.

second (or third?) time around it's even more tedious. constant moralizing wears on me. i love the relentless faith in the individual, but the characters are so flat in order to hammer her political agenda, that the plot ceases to be entertaining and leaves me wishing i'd just read a paragraph summary of objectivism and spent the other 1800 hours reading something less redundant and more entertaining