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The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead
Author: Ayn Rand
When The Fountainhead was first published, Ayn Rand's daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy, Objectivism, won immediate worldwide interest and acclaim. — This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a be...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780451158239
ISBN-10: 0451158237
Publication Date: 4/1/1952
Pages: 695
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 26

3.6 stars, based on 26 ratings
Publisher: Signet
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Fountainhead on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
The Fountainhead has become an enduring piece of literature, more popular now than when published in 1943. On the surface, it is a story of one man, Howard Roark, and his struggles as an architect in the face of a successful rival, Peter Keating, and a newspaper columnist, Ellsworth Toohey. But the book addresses a number of universal themes: the strength of the individual, the tug between good and evil, the threat of fascism. The confrontation of those themes, along with the amazing stroke of Rand's writing, combine to give this book its enduring influence.
CocoCee avatar reviewed The Fountainhead on + 404 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Story of the individual versus the group. You root for the little guy. You boo and hiss the "Man" and those who attempt to squash the dream. Classic book.
NYbooks avatar reviewed The Fountainhead on + 95 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
* * * *. Literature. A student of architecture is expelled from school for clinging to his beliefs regarding innovative architecture. He then begins amassing his own clientele who are aligned with his beliefs, while others are determined to ruin his career and livelihood. It's the independent thinker versus the comformist. There are no guns used here, but it is a war as idealists on one extreme hold their beliefs against those on the other end.

Intelligent, thought-provoking, and allegorical.
reviewed The Fountainhead on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
One of my favorite books about staying true to yourself and the beauty of capitalism
dnhowarth avatar reviewed The Fountainhead on + 174 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The worst novel in the English language by the worst writer who ever tried to write a novel. Trivial detail upon trivial detail; predictable story; interruptive expostulations of poorly-thought-out "philosophizing"; characters who finally become quite boring in the length of 700 pages. Praised mostly by corporate capitalist centrists for its selfish, arrogant, insulting philosophy of "look-out-for-yourself-and-screw-the-rest" -- the only reason to read it is to be reassured in the reason to resist.
Read All 46 Book Reviews of "The Fountainhead"

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reviewed The Fountainhead on + 7 more book reviews
Very thought provoking.
reviewed The Fountainhead on
Wonderful book!!
reviewed The Fountainhead on + 7 more book reviews
A lot of imagery
JoJo46580 avatar reviewed The Fountainhead on + 65 more book reviews
Good entertainment!
reviewed The Fountainhead on + 9 more book reviews
Though long, Rand's novel is so thought provoking and insightful, you won't want to put it down.
sadpoetgirl avatar reviewed The Fountainhead on + 26 more book reviews
This book was highly recommended to me by my brother. I have to admit I did not love this one. It tells the story of two architects, the woman they both are interested in, and a newspaper writer. The book has an interesting plot line, and the characters are unique. It's an interesting read.
reviewed The Fountainhead on
Rand's writing is thought-provoking, and for the first part of the book, I was compelled to read further. But I did grow weary of Roark and several other of the characters by the time I finished the book.
reviewed The Fountainhead on + 8 more book reviews
This book is absolutely phenomenal. It is my favorite book of Rand's and one of my favorite books of any author.
reviewed The Fountainhead on + 10 more book reviews
One of my all-time favorites. A great story of an artist struggling against the status quo.
reviewed The Fountainhead on + 146 more book reviews
One of the greatest novels in out national literature, it tells of the desperate battle waged by architect Howard Roark, whose genius and integrity were as unyielding as granite.
reviewed The Fountainhead on
It has many similarities with Rand's other book (Atlas Shrugged) which I have also read and liked better. I even had to check the journal entries to make sure the character names were not the same. This time Howard Roark is an architect which is kicked out of school and fired from jobs. Dominique loves him ... yet marries 2 other men instead.
justinwisniewski avatar reviewed The Fountainhead on + 3 more book reviews
This is my favorite book. I can't imagine surviving the absurdity that was college without it. Over the years I read it a couple of times and each time I enjoyed it more than the last.

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Howard Roark (Primary Character)

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