Dec 29, 2008

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Well, I've finished another book worth posting about - The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. What did I think of it? I'll try to keep this short (and organized!).

Cons:
- Some of the major philosophies are clearly unbiblical - namely that man should be exalted and not humbled.

- There are several scenes which are not appropriate.

- It's a long book.

Pros:
- It's a long book. (The longer you read, the more you care deeply about the characters and what happens to them. I was only bored twice during this book)

- It causes you to think. There is no way you can read this book and not ponder what it means to have integrity and to truly and consistently work from a single mindset/worldview. And it criticizes the media in a unique way.

- It teaches you a lot about architecture. I've found myself analyzing buildings that I see.

- The characters evoke feeling (even the antagonist evokes feeling - usually anger, but it's still feeling) that most characters do not.

- While not a hugely plotty book, the plot is driving and twisty (mainly because of two characters: Dominique and Ellsworth).

- It's extremely well written - there are a few books that I've read that simply make you enjoy breathing. This is one of them. (Perhaps a list of others will follow at some point)

Overall Rating:
9 out of 10.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for letting us Xanga folks know where to read more Warren-ness. I started The Fountainhead in high school during my AP Lit class and was immediately consumed by five other novels that needed to be analyzed and reported upon. Regretfully, I never finished the Rand, but I remember loving the first fifty pages. Do you own it, and if so, would you mind lending it out?

~ Christy