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vickymcckey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As for the writing of the book itself, it is part adventure story, part political treatise. Though this is typical of plenty of stories, there are faults with the formatting of both. Of the storytelling aspect, Ayn Rand has created an insufferable self-insert in the form of Dagny Taggert, and has endowed her with success in every way.* Every man wants to bang her (unless they despise her because she’s “too good for them”) and no woman is able to match her (
As for the formatting of the more non-fiction aspects of this book, Ayn Rand feels the need to beat her readers over the head with her point.
Is Atlas Shrugged a completely useless piece of trash? No. There are parts of it I like-parts of which I like a lot. Rand, though she may not have changed my mind about a lot of things, at least challenged my perspective about the why behind my values. There is the makings of a really intelligent criticism in these pages…but you definitely have to dig through a lot of drivel in order to get it. And even then, it’s more
*Yes i know there’s another minor character who is Rand’s self-proclaimed cameo, but from the description of Dagny to everyone’s treatment of her, it’s pretty obvious that isn’t her sole appearance.
Also I believe most conservatives who quote this book haven’t read it. There, I said it.
Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide
marionhoney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Torture, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
o_cox25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Cursing, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Domestic abuse
singerscientist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Rand likes creating types of people that do not exist or are at the very least extremely rare, including "socialists" that want to stop innovation altogether and CEO's that could do any job in their business, including smelting and fixing broken machines. I get it, we all want the Musks of this world to actually be good at innovation and working with the things they are managing, but the thing is they mostly are just skating on their parents' money being able to buy the right engineers. I can believe that a few CEO's would be like that, but to have that be the rule rather than the exception is quite the fantasy.
The self-insert for Rand being super sexy to every man she meets is a choice, but it was definitely the most compelling part of the book. Rand is very good at making the reader feel powerful and giving them that cathartic "YEAH Get 'em!" sneer as long as they don't critically think about her points or understand that she has simply created fun, punchable straw men that don't have any bearing on the real world. It is made for 15 year old boys that will never think past that glowing feeling it gives them and its license to be greedy. This book is a skip unless you're intending to get the scholarship the Rand foundation puts out every year.
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Ableism and Fatphobia
niefer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.75
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Suicide, Torture, and Murder