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What are readers saying about The Fountainhead?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-17 05:01:19.
(Language: English)
  
After suffering through this book for 800 pages, I feel as though I ought to hunt down Ayn Rand's grave so I can dig up her corpse and demand so many hours of my life back.Really, I've never felt soo bad for the poor poor selfish people. The plight of the individualist! Did you know that our society hates no one more than someone who is strong and independent?? Oh yes, it's *totally* true! We coddle and hug murderers but we just want to destroy anyone who is an individualist. Waaahh, pooor pooor selfish people, everyone out to get them! Give. Me. A. Break. This trash had to rely on so many laughable sweeping generalizations, so many carefully crafted characters, the most unrealistic characters (or should I say convenient straw men) I think I've ever read in a work of fiction, all to try to ram her crazy right-wing ideology down the reader's throat. It was so forced and preachy, especially in the last 100 pages or so, that the only reason I could force myself through the final leg was the sheer inertia of already having wasted so many hours of my life on the first 700 pages. The take-away from the book--only care about yourself, everyone is out to get you, Commies are everywhere, and oh yeah, rapists make great heroes. If you are curious about this book, just go sniff some paint, kill the same number of brain cells, and save yourself many many painful hours. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-18 12:03:15.
(Language: English)
I loved this book when I was 18. Rereading it 26 years later, I find much of the dialogue, many of the situations, and several of the main characters quite unbelievable -- even granted the license permitted a Romantic novelist. The main characters' propensity to launch into lengthy speeches soon grows tiresome, although I do wish I had their ability to assess others' moral standing at a glance. And while there are some marvelously sardonic touches -- Keating's home is furnished in "fresh, new mid-Victorian," and Dominique's review of the Ainsworth house is positively Twainesque -- humor is not something you'll find much of in this book. Nor is subtlety.Still, I did get drawn into the drama, and the passage where the young man happens across Monadnock Valley is as powerful as it was the first time. Whatever its faults, this is a paean to creativity, to the human mind, to the joy of life on earth. Recommended to those who can crawl inside a book and accept it on its own terms.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-29 01:06:51.
(Language: English)
I am glad that Ayn Rand didn't stop after writing the Fountainhead. It is an excellent book, but Atlas Shrugged is better still. I love the way Rand is able to tell a story covering decades while keeping me on the edge of my seat. Both the Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged are much longer than the typical novel, which is amazing when you consider how efficient she is in her use of words. Put those two characteristics together and you get an epic tale absolutely packed with fast-paced action. I also love the way that Rand is able to portray the intimate details of here characters’ personalities - both protagonists and antagonists. She seems to argue both sides of the individual liberties debate equally, drawing out the consequences of both choices to their logical and necessary ends.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-11 05:45:30.
(Language: English)
The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand.The book's title is a reference to Rand's statement that "man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress". This one of the most interesting, solid, intelligent works of fiction I’ve ever read. Anyone who likes philosophy at all should probably check this book out at some time. This book is crammed with brilliant speeches, bombastic lies, and fractured ideologies. The young will like Howard Roark’s unbreakable, rebellious spirit. Older folks may not like Peter Keating’s perfect illustration of a wasted life that so many people are doomed for. The Fountainhead is Ayn Rand’s philosophical vision of the ideal man and his struggle for survival in a society that refuses to accept him. While The Fountainhead made me consider my ethics, it also altered them. It made me realize that man could be as great as he wants to be, and how acheivement is our ultimate goal.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-02 11:52:00.
(Language: English)
Hands down, no equivocation, this remains my favorite book since first reading it 33 years ago, and despite decades spent reading everything else I get my hands on. Essentially a "fairy tale," Rand's tight prose, economy of words, deft weaving of multiple plot lines and disparate characters, present a world not as it is but as it should be. Though the novel's primary characters, Roark and Toohey, might be subject to criticism as too two-dimensional, too B/W, it's their relationships and interactions with the story's other characters - those inhabiting the "gray areas" - who create the "Rand dynamic" necessary to explore and convey her philosophy of Objectivism, while simultaneously crafting a masterwork of fiction that can be read on multiple levels. Dominique and Keating, two sides of the same coin, struggle throughout to prove "worthy" in heart, mind and soul to the ideals exemplified by Roark. One fails, one succeeds. And few characters in American fiction rival the tragic fortune of Gail Wynand, someone who sensed the correct path early in life but cast his lot poorly when he chose power... In an age when society values the politically correct, homogenization and subservience of individuality and personal desire to that of the herd, for the "greater good," during a time when nothing is anyone's fault and personal responsibility remains a scarce commodity, Rand's novel resonates more profoundly today than when it was released in 1943.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-23 10:26:03.
(Language: English)
The Fountainhead at first glance looks like a conventional fiction dealing with the ;ife of an architect Howard Roark and various ups n downs that he faces in his life however when u start reading the book it opens the brutal doors of the knowledge of objectivist point of view of Ms Rand She blows out the old ruins of our contemporary thinking of generosity,kindness and charity and makes them running naked down the isle of objectivism.In some pARTS SHE SOUND LIKE EXTREMISTS but recovers soon and hides her biases under the wonderful literary skills she has got.Ayn Rand givs a new point of view to the very basic problems of life and givs a very easy solution to them which sound easy bu require open mind and strong will to get free from the old shackles of ur mind that our elders bind us with, the old rituals, the bases of decisions of right or wrong,good or bad beautiful or ugly. Anant
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-04 08:31:01.
(Language: English)
I absolutely hated this book. Ayn Rand is one of the most overrated writers I have ever encountered. A philosopher, perhaps, but a writer of fiction she is not, and I really detest her personal style. I became so frustrated throughout reading this that I would throw the book across the room, outraged at how she chose to have characters handle situations. Neither the "protaganist" nor his muse were admirable; I didn't like or relate to any of the characters except, ironically, the antagonist (at times). Rand's portrayal of women is also demeaning. IMO, the concept of "objectivity" had been discovered and broadly discussed by many philosophers before her time. I think she undeservingly received credit for a branch of philosophy already in existence for which she simply coined a name. I know tons of people who love this book, so don't let my review scare you away. However, for someone who claims Victor Hugo as their literary idol (Rand did this, supposedly), and for hearing so much acclaim for this book, I was horribly disappointed. Many people have said this book is "life altering" or that it somehow altered their perception of the world and reality. Bullshit. For me, it did nothing but confirm the notion that I loathe Ayn Rand's fiction. Hate this book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-16 08:11:09.
(Language: English)
I will preface by admitting I wrote this review about 10 years ago...but you will see my opinion has not changed. After many years reading Ayn Rand's work -- both fictional and philosophical -- and sincerely trying to understand why so many people find her philosophy of selfishness to be "the answer," I have finally come to believe that these people who claim to value "reason" are either seriously misguided, or just plain evil. Ms. Rand, quite clearly, falls into the latter camp. She promoted selfishness because she knew it would make her a goddess figure among people desparate to latch onto a philosophy to justify their pursuit of the most base impulses of self-indulgence, and to allow them to continue to avoid the genuinely human practice of compassion. I am not a religious person, but it seems unavoidably significant that every religious or moral system in the world recognizes the virtue of helping those in need, with one glaring exception: the moral system promoted in this book. That, to me, is pretty good evidence that this philosophy is evil.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-20 07:24:10.
(Language: English)
Amazingly written in a style that is unique Rand's own. Despite what one may believe in the philosophy proposed by the author, it is impossible for me to ignore the great literary value of this novel- it's use of plot and symbolism create an idea that is unlike any other I have ever encountered. The character development is phenomenal; each person noted within its pages plays an important part in the author's moral teachings. Many will not enjoy the idea of the use of rape symbollically, but I find that taken out of context in an excuse to bash this novel. The beauty of the book is that, even if you do not agree wholeheartedly with what it says, you can take a part of its idea and hold it true to you- to never compromise, never settle and search for the best that you want or deserve. It's a novel asking us to follow our hearts and our dreams.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-11 07:36:14.
(Language: English)
Thoroughly enjoyed the read as I was looking for some philosophy, though I hadn't been familiar with that of Rand. Personally, I connected well with her ideas...to an extent. Like most all philosophical ideologies, Rand is a purist. Her characters are "black" and "white"...supreme and inferior. Rand focuses narrowly on individualism as an ideal for humanity and disdains all forms of collectivism that it seems she is unable to grasp the Human as an inherently social creature. Also like most philosophers, she seeks to dismantle and destroy the ideologies she believes to be inherently corrupt. What she fails to recognize is that it is not the Ideal that is corrupt...it is Human that is inherent to corruption and even the purest ideologies are not immune to human corruption. Perhaps the worst human corruption is that which evolves in the subconscious of the idealist. Ayn Rand herself is corrupt in her own philosophy. Her Individualist; her Hero could not achieve his mastery without the commissions...the approvals...of others. Rand herself is corrupt in the mere fact that she pursued the publishing of her works...withstanding the rejection of 12 publishers before being approved by one in the case case of The Fountainhead. If the individualist finds happiness in his / her work without the need of society's stamp of approval...why publish? Any philosophical literature should be read with an open mind. The ideas are useful, but we cannot strive to live Black and White.
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Patrick posted a review at 2009-09-12 09:02:20.
(Language: English)
725 pages of small text, you couldn’t accuse The Fountainhead of not giving quantity of story. Whilst I love a banquet every now and then you can’t live on rich food every day and by the latter half of this book I was beginning to crave more simpler fare. I gained insight into what a foie gras goose may feel like. It transpired that the story although rich in exposition and description was really just an extended build up and excuse to allow for Roark’s (and Rand’s) philosophical treatise in the court room on the “merit” of being true to one’s self in the act of “creation “and not somehow a “second-hander”. Effectively two “methods” of living were presented as “pure” and polar opposites and I suppose the reader invited to choose between the two? The characterizations were subsumed to Rand’s politico-philosophy and I found them two dimensional vehicles for egotism/objectivism in both their behaviors and internal struggles. Having finished the book it was interesting to discover that Rand had formed the Objectivism school of philosophy. Her intense distrust of any from of altruism, or “common good” undermined the parts I would agree with, i.e. that man has to be true to himself first in order to be happy and satisfied in his own skin before reaching out to others. It was not a surprise that Ayn Rand appeared as a friendly witness for the Un-American Activities Committee, and richly ironic that Alan Greenspan was a member of her “Collective”, and we all know where his unregulated laissez-faire capitalism approach has led us.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-08-14 12:54:54.
(Language: English)
The novel starts out like a novel, and in the end reads like a philosophical essay. I think Any Rand took the extreme views on socialism and altruism (understandable considering her background) and making them what's wrong with the society - I do not agree with that, as those are ideologies and when it comes to humans and human nature, nobody has yet to be able to implement those ideologies in a society without having it turned into some sort of crazy dictatorship or revolution that in the end got tons of people killed and afraid. To be completely honest objectivism has the same pitfalls, and I doubt that a society full of Roarks would actually function. With these being said, I do agree with her on some level, and that is "If one doesn't respect oneself one can have neither love nor respect for others." I never believe that we can truly be selfless (or it is very, very hard to get to), and perhaps it is a combination of selfishness by respecting and loving yourself first together with some level of compassion for others (missing in Ayn Rand's perfect human) that will make this imperfect society a little bit better. (btw, the love between Roark and Dominique is way too twisted and weird. I don't think I want to be in a relationship like that!)
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-22 11:33:43.
(Language: English)
It’s a big novel. Atleast for me. The maximum pages I am accustomed of range from 300-400 with a font size of 11. The Fountainhead is a book of 700 pages and with a font size of 8, and yes, it is in its centennial edition. I heard about this book in a radio show and learnt that it is a classic written in 1943. I was getting used to reading novels and immediately searched for the book. Bought it in August in a book fair, but didn’t read it. My brother saw the book and laughed impudently. Once my semester exams were over, I started to read the book all over again and made it my forte to complete the book. It took me 44 hours divided in 12 days to complete the book. I started to read the book and found it complex enough. I understand philosophies much easily and finely than any other counterpart of my age. But Ayn Rand’s philosophy took time to apprehend. It deals with the sheer complexities of human being, the urge of power, the urge to be the greatest, rule the world. And if you think, I mean literally, think again. Ayn Rand dealt with the dark emotions of the human being. She has given the perfect description of every character. She has introduced so petite twists in the tale that they are unimaginative although evident. I found it difficult sometimes to keep up with the book, because even if different, Ayn Rand is bit too verbose. But I think that’s because she wanted to present her thoughts in detail. I think I am a little young to understand all the emotions, because I have never surfaced any of them myself, but I am sure I will read the book some years later, and I am sure it will be more than just abstruse at that time.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-10 09:51:26.
(Language: English)
There are few books once you start reading you never feel like stopping till you read fully. Fountainhead issurely one of them. The Fountain Head is no doubt of the greatest books ever written. I consent with most the reviews What make this great book.. well everything from plot to characters everything.The character I adore the most is Catherine Halsey. She is the symbol of self sacrifice and symbol ofunconditional love. I adore this character more than Howard Roark. Howard Roark is considered asthe man of greatest integrity, boundless talent and all the possible superlative adjectives todescribe the man. May be that is justified. I came across many people who say they inspired by Roark. Some people even told they want to become architects. Howard did change with the coarse of time. Some of his actions at later part of his career may not completely confer his highest integrity. On the other hand, Catherine Halsey has been same though the circumstances and the people in her life have exploited her different ways. To me, Catherine Halsey is the one with highest integrity. You can differ with me. Every one is free to define what integrity means to them.I regard this character more than Dominque or Howard or anyone else... To say in Fountainhead way.. Damn with Howard Roark!! Heard a lot of this about. At last started reading it. So far seems to be an interesting book. There are few books once you start reading you never feel like stopping till you read fully. Fountainhead issurely one of them. The Fountain Head is no doubt of the greatest books ever written. I consent with most the reviews What make this great book.. well everything from plot to characters everything.The character I adore the most is Catherine Halsey. She is the symbol of self sacrifice and symbol ofunconditional love. I adore this character more than Howard Roark. Howard Roark is considered asthe man of greatest integrity, boundless talent and all the possible superlative adjectives todescribe the man. May be that is justified. I came across many people who say they inspired by Roark. Some people even told they want to become architects. Howard did change with the coarse of time. Some of his actions at later part of his career may not completely confer his highest integrity. On the other hand, Catherine Halsey has been same though the circumstances and the people in her life have exploited her different ways. To me, Catherine Halsey is the one with highest integrity. You can differ with me. Every one is free to define what integrity means to them.I regard this character more than Dominque or Howard or anyone else... To say in ountainhead way.. Damn with Howard Roark!!
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-11-21 09:18:12.
(Language: English)
Got old fast. Way too long for what it is. Belaboring the point on a massive scale. 100 pages or so into it, I wanted to shout "OK! I GET IT! Howard Roark is great and destined to suffer! Enough already!" Really would have been fine if it were 150-200 pages. It was an interesting premise and a unique perspective (I think Rand gets both unfairly criticized by the left and undeservedly praised by the right), but it really should have been edited. A lot.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-21 09:01:57.
(Language: English)
If you've read "The Fountainhead," then you might understand why I don't care to say much about it here: One's response to the book says a great deal about one's character. A conversation about it is necessarily intimate and revealing. I will only say that I do not identify with Rand's characters as much as I do with those in most novels I enjoy, but that says more about me than her.I would be pleased if more of my closest friends had well-thumbed copies of Rand's books on their shelves. If you wonder what you should read next, then stop wondering and read "The Fountainhead." This is my new favorite novel. I have about one hundred pages left to read, and I sneak time to read them whenever I can. This bumps Eco's "Baudolino" down my list to no.2.The reactions I get from people on the Metro when they look at what I'm reading are classic! Smart looking people either look impressed or conspiratorial. A woman asked if I was reading the Bible, and I told her, "No, it's a novel. It's a kind of antidote to the Bible." I keep thinking that a it would be nice to join a reading group to explore the book, but then I remember that that would defeat the purpose. A co-reader who is a kindred spirit wouldn't necessarily compromise the experience, so I should keep looking for one of those.
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Adrian posted a review at 2010-09-01 11:46:15.
(Language: English)
Astonishing! Since Rand used it about 100 times, I thought I'd use it at least once. This book was referred to me by a friend and about half way into it, I had to ask my friend "Why this book?" I mostly enjoy non-fiction and when I do venture into fiction, its usually Sci-Fi. This is why I had asked friends for their favorite fiction titles. "The Fountainhead" was suggested twice. I like Rand's writing style. Her main characters were well developed and were full of substance. However, the first half of the book had the feel of a romance novel and I feared that I had wasted my time. Fortunatley, I forced myself to complete the book on principle. It was the last 3/4 that made me understand why this book was suggested and, later to find out, why it was so popular. The dissertations by 3 of the main characters, Ellsworth Toohey, Gail Wynand, and Howard Roark on the subjects of capitalisms vs socialism, individualism vs collectivism, and integrity vs "second handedness" was immensly thought provoking and laid the foundation for Rand's objectivsm philosophy. I didn't know of Ayn Rand before "The Fountainhead" and chose not to research her while reading. A Wikipedia article states that "Objectivsm" is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute" The character Howard Roark was written to embody this man.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-12 05:58:28.
(Language: English)
I must preface this review with the truth. I have only read the 1st half of this book. 4 times. I loathe this book. She speaks artfully with great detail and that is the problem. No economy of language. Belaboring points. Speaking her subtext. Over and over again. Not to mention her assertion that although the main character (a man) rapes the woman, she "liked it". This would be obscenely offensive if written by a male author. I find it downright dangerous and misleading when written by a female author. After 200+ pages, I still found myself wishing I would flip the page and find the words, "then they all blew up in a surprise dynamite explosion. THE END" So I never have finished this book. All that said, her description of architecture and her vivd detail is quite poetic sometimes. Surprisingly so, buried as it is among so much blather. Except that she speaks her subtext, develops characters that have very little humanity and creates plots that I keep wishing would abruptly end on the next page, Ayn Rand is a brilliant author. How did I hate this book? Let me count the ways...
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-19 04:54:59.
(Language: English)
I am attracted to Ayn Rand's connotation of a rational view of life. It is interesting to seek the man's highest potential without using annotations to religion, as she says that "it is the highest level of man's emotions that has to be redeemed from the murk of mysticism and redirected at its proper object: man". The book manage to capture stereoypical characteristics to illustrate her purposes, especially the main character Howard Roark is interesting, the character in which is the closest to qualify to the highest "spirit of man". He is an architect and is uncompromisable in terms of his buildings and ideas. His creations are unique, while his competitors use reproductions in order to satisfy the needs and wants of the public. Howard Roark is swimming against the stream. Rand is an individualist, and I find the book quite political as she clearly speaks of the dangers of a collective society- or socialism as I see it. My impression is that she has illustrated the two oposits in black and white: the socialistic society, and the individualistic society, which certainly makes a good point, but fails to properly discuss the pros and cons on proper level. I am sceptical when authors, or producers only argue from one side, as it seems imbalanced. Nevertheless, her philosophy is interesting, and I find it a book worth reading!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-27 04:14:23.
(Language: English)
Fountain Heady by Ayn RandShe says about her book that, its a novel written not for the sake of plots or sketch of characters or any other such fancy motive but. For the Sake of the art of writing a novel as it should be. A novel should be read and characters should be created and they are a mirror only of the thinking of the author and the power of her imagination and his,her creativity.This is a no mean task and a very original crave inside a writer. This book is in print since 35 years from the date of its publication and so many prints and so many million copies sold.I will not talk about her beliefs about objectivism. I am not much of a ism person, I am myself: isms are all inventions of others, I am no carbon copy of any person living or dead.I took up this book to read, because reading is my pleasure, does this book succeed in giving me that ???I think I enjoyed it throughly Howard Roark is a sketch of Ayn Rand she meant him to be the image or character of a pure and real man which she as a writer craves to meet in this world and one other place she says she found him in her husband,,, Mr.Frank Conner that is why this book is dedicated to his name.MORE http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/printed-books/the-fountain-head-ayn-rand/1022121/
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-22 09:33:01.
(Language: English)
The time I spent reading this piece of garbage is time I wish I had back. Ayn Rand takes seven zillion pages to whack the reader over the head repeatedly with the blunt end of her philosophical billy-club which goes from patronizing to tiresome to agonizing. The main character (the contemptible Howard Roark) achieves unmitigated success despite dropping out of school, raping a woman, and only doing what he wants. In real life, Roark's reckless course of action, if they didn't land him in jail, would have caused him to move back in with his parents and become the surly night manager of a Denny's. This book will no doubt inspire legions of mush-headed university students who will fool themselves into thinking that their self-indulgent take on life will be enough to conquer all the obstacles that come their way. They will fail. This book is suitable for lining birdcages or hanging over a length of twine in an outhouse.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-21 05:55:11.
(Language: English)
This is a book about architecture and journalism - although the term journalism is used loosely here. I enjoyed this book more than Anthem, and less than Atlas. Seemed I kept waiting for this book to begin - wasn't till the last two or three chapters that thing started taking shape. The background was important to understand the end, but I found myself disliking most of the characters by that time, such that the ending was a predictable outcome for mostly loathsome creatures - I didn't care for any of them. What disturbs me most, though, is that there are real people and situations in the world today that I can compare to characters and themes in the book. I think after reading three of Rand's works now, I need to find a good biography; a close-up, personal telling of her story, her relationships, correspondence, etc. I understand the sources of her philosophy, but I wonder why the characters, particularly in this book, are so extreme.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-06 10:43:17.
(Language: English)
Objectivism served as cold and dead as Rand intended. It seems that many view Ayn Rand and her scary asshole protagonists as American Icons. Well, the Statue of Liberty says, "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" She doesn't end the inscription with "...so I can use my Objectivist boot to step on your neck because my ego and sub-standard cognitive skills tell me that it is morally acceptable". No. Not in my country. Not in my world. We're all in this together. However, I do commend Rand for her excellent use of language and prose which renders the work inaccessible to those among us who have a <100 I.Q. and who would dangerously twist these concepts into a passport for bad behavior. As for the smart people who become dangerous because of this book, well, chances are that they would have found other intellectual justification for their evil deeds.
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Jun posted a review at 2012-01-10 01:30:16.
(Language: English)
It's been a month since I finished this on audiobook and even after my short attention span, I still think it's an amazing novel. I actually enjoyed it more than Atlas Shrugged but that may be just a personal preference. Against a backdrop of uncompromising architecture, skewed journalism and what I can only consider sadomasochistic behavior by the main female character, this was a book that I found fascinating. From a creative/intellectual standpoint, the arguments made were both compelling and thought provoking. I listened to the abridged version which may have made it easier to follow; however, even if you don't think you're interested in reading/listening to the whole book, you should read Howard's Roark's courtroom speech (http://www.nasonart.com/personal/lifelessons/fountainhead.html). As Shakespeare wrote "to thy ownself be true". A great book!!
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Sarah posted a review at 2010-03-28 11:04:43.
(Language: English)
Before I fully understood the rationale behind Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, I was not able to appreciate this book for the masterpiece it is. I thought Rand sounded like a cold hearted woman who championed selfish interests. I thought that Peter Keating repulsed me, Howard Roark irritated me and Ellsworth Toohey confused me. I was right, in many ways. After my AP English teacher showed our class a documentary on Rand’s life and achievements, I began to garner insight into the motives of this most controversial, original, and uncompromising writer/philosopher of the 20th century. As I delved further into the story, I experienced every shade of raging, violent emotion. It is a testament to an author’s ability that I actually cared about the characters that intensely. A character who I despised one moment would earn my sympathy within a chapter, and vice versa. Peter Keating never felt like a true villain to me, except for when he offset Lucius Heyer’s death. I was appalled by his cruelty to the poor old man, but I soon forgot about it towards the end of the book when Peter became a weak, alcoholic nobody and I felt the same sort of pity that Roark described for him. In fact, I was rooting for Keating at the end, praying that he might have a chance to redeem himself. Gail Wynand’s story touched me the most. Like Roark, Wynand has extraordinary capabilities and energy, but unlike Roark he lets the world corrupt him. Tragically, Wynand compromises at the last minute and loses his last chance at salvation. The friendship between the two men gave the character Roark his chance to show his capacity for deep human bonds, despite his struggle against the world. The love story between Dominique and Roark was quite possibly the most passionate and true in any novel I’ve read, a remarkable feat for a novel that bases its ideas on individualism. In The Fountainhead, love, like integrity and invention, is a principle worth fighting for and defending. Roark and Dominique forego some of their fierce devotion to independence and eventually allow themselves to surrender to one another. The novel's final images evoke such triumph and victory for the hero and the heroine that you will surely close the book in quiet, stunned satisfaction. Rand has no mercy on her readers and delivers a volatile journey the entire 700 pages. A book that is unspeakably tragic and triumphant, romantic and masochistic, stark and uplifting… and has the integrity and power to inspire the world.
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