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acsaper's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. . .what a truly epic tale!
Before my father brought me an old ratty copy of Atlas Shrugged while in Korea I had never heard of Ayn Rand. . .or at least, if I did, never paid any attention. As far as I know this is the longest book I've ever tackled but it was certainly worth every word.
Following the downfall of a newly industrialized America, Atlas Shrugged offers immeasurable insight to not on the casual reader but to the aspiring businessman. Rand's personal philosophy of 'objectivism,' expressed via the ideals of the book's protagonists, should ring true to anyone who believes in the value of honest, hard work and the benefits reaped from such.
Though I will likely never re-read this monster of a tale I will certainly keep in mind the lives and times of Dagny, Hank, John and Fransisco. Their desire for greatest, and unwillingness to succumb to anything less should stand as an inspiration for anyone who believes that they are capable of achieving that which no one else could.
An excellent book, enjoy!
Before my father brought me an old ratty copy of Atlas Shrugged while in Korea I had never heard of Ayn Rand. . .or at least, if I did, never paid any attention. As far as I know this is the longest book I've ever tackled but it was certainly worth every word.
Following the downfall of a newly industrialized America, Atlas Shrugged offers immeasurable insight to not on the casual reader but to the aspiring businessman. Rand's personal philosophy of 'objectivism,' expressed via the ideals of the book's protagonists, should ring true to anyone who believes in the value of honest, hard work and the benefits reaped from such.
Though I will likely never re-read this monster of a tale I will certainly keep in mind the lives and times of Dagny, Hank, John and Fransisco. Their desire for greatest, and unwillingness to succumb to anything less should stand as an inspiration for anyone who believes that they are capable of achieving that which no one else could.
An excellent book, enjoy!
jeffreyisaacpincus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Ugh. Look, I enjoyed parts of this book. There are incredibly well written portions and Rand does a fantastic job of writing protagonists you want to root for and bureaucratic villains that I want to punch. Edward Herman gives an incredible performance in this audiobook and was a delight to listen to. However, this book is so high up on a soapbox it can’t see the reality of the world it’s preaching about. Rand delivers an ableist anti-equity message about how the poor should stop stealing from the rich who have “earned” their wealth through brilliance and ocassionally inheritance. This book feels like the Wicked to the Wizard of Oz except the witch is capitalism and, oh wait, no, are you sure, alright, except you still can not pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Also, the sexism, though historically inescapable of the era, is threaded through the book despite opportunities discussing the abilities of man and the given place of members of society where fascinating nuance could have been developed regarding the expectations and capacities of women were they not limited by patriarchy in the way our industrialists are by bureaucracy. Again, not an issue for the time but something that actively detracts from the story surging into modernity. Are there good points yes. Are there some fascinating points that cannot be easily dismissed about the complexities and achievements of capitalism. Certainly. But can I support this book given how much I disagree with the core objectivist philosophy that makes up the marrow of this books bones.
Nope!
2.25 stars. (One of those is just for Edward Herman.)
Nope!
2.25 stars. (One of those is just for Edward Herman.)
liakeller's review against another edition
5.0
Dagny might be one of my favorite female leads, after Scarlett that is... I really loved this LONG book. Such an amazingly interesting story. I didn't really know that these ideal were close to mine, but goodness some of them are!
kaete96's review against another edition
2.0
Aside from the lengthy philosophical lectures within the book, this was surprisingly good. Granted, after I got the gist of what the author was getting at, I did skim much of the preachy-ness. The core story of a female railroad tycoon and her industrialist friends, many of whom go on a strike of the mind after they are convinced to leave the everyday world by the destroyer. The story is ultimately the woman’s road to that same decision, and why that isn’t a bad thing. It was really long, with some good parts and lot of lengthy, slow-going parts. And the fact that the copy I had was a 5 lb hardcover made the last 2 ½ weeks of reading it a mental and physical challenge. At least I can say I read it.
muksreads's review against another edition
2.0
Took her over a thousand pages to say socialism bad, capitalism good. I implore you not to waste your time on this book.
vaibhavnad's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Insanely good book that made me rethink several of what I thought to be facts
houston7477's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
fiatlux82's review against another edition
1.0
I think Rand might actually have been able to make a more powerful argument if she stopped using straw man arguments to make her point, and if her editor had actually done her job
greden's review against another edition
4.0
Ayn Rand in her magnum opus tells the tale of an industrious, competent gang, who is the backbone of a near-future dystopian American society. The country is experiencing a rise in socialist thinking, driven by resentment of the rich. The industrialists are hindered by an increasing amount of government regulations until all the competent people go on strike and hide.
In this brick of a book, she introduces her philosophy Objectivism with the use of a novel, she attempts to establish an atheist philosophy based on rationality which avoids religious dogma and nihilistic relativism. The book advocates a capitalistic free-market, derived naturally from philosophical principles.
The author isn't exploring any ideas with nuance, rather, the story is a medium which to sell you her philosophy by one-dimensional characters. The book is quite polarizing due to its obvious right-wing agenda, regardless, I'd recommend it because it benefitted me by hammering a winner-mentality of self-reliance into my head.
Her philosophy lacks rigor, but that's not the point, it's meant to instill a winner's mindset into the reader, not be academically correct.
Although I think her characters lack nuance, and her politics are oversimplified, I like the intention of the book, it's a great book to take a look at yourself and detox any political views that are rooted in resentment, laziness, and lack of responsibility.
In this brick of a book, she introduces her philosophy Objectivism with the use of a novel, she attempts to establish an atheist philosophy based on rationality which avoids religious dogma and nihilistic relativism. The book advocates a capitalistic free-market, derived naturally from philosophical principles.
The author isn't exploring any ideas with nuance, rather, the story is a medium which to sell you her philosophy by one-dimensional characters. The book is quite polarizing due to its obvious right-wing agenda, regardless, I'd recommend it because it benefitted me by hammering a winner-mentality of self-reliance into my head.
Her philosophy lacks rigor, but that's not the point, it's meant to instill a winner's mindset into the reader, not be academically correct.
Although I think her characters lack nuance, and her politics are oversimplified, I like the intention of the book, it's a great book to take a look at yourself and detox any political views that are rooted in resentment, laziness, and lack of responsibility.
jevevans's review against another edition
2.0
near the end she disputes das kapital by saying 'no u'
was a good bit of fun but i feel bad for the 17 year old libertarians being taken in by it
was a good bit of fun but i feel bad for the 17 year old libertarians being taken in by it