Before I start, allow me to say that you should read this book. If you have not read it, I suggest you do so as soon as possible, for going in with no knowledge of what was to come was a blessing I cannot understate. If all you want is whether I recommend it or not, then the answer is without doubt YES.
I had never heard of The Fountainhead. I knew roughly who the writer was, but only because of my interest in the original BioShock game and looking into its influence. I had decided to buy Ard Rand's famous book, Atlas Shrugged, but came across this in a box set. I knew nothing about this book until I opened the cover. I never would have read it if I had known it was a book about an architect, which is a shame, because it was the best book I have ever read.
Let me be clear of the quality of this book; if I could recommend to you only one book, and that one book would be the last book you ever read, I would prefer you read The Fountainhead over even my own novel.
The Fountainhead is a contradiction in parts. It is a book that tells a story, and it seems intent on telling this story. Even Objectivism, the ideology of the writer which is accredited as first being depicted in this book, seems to take a back corner to the raw art of telling this story. It feels, while I was reading the first half of the book, that Rand set out to tell a story, and nothing else. She forsakes more conventional style of expressing dialogue and inner thoughts, instead opting for something to get to the heart of the matter. Because of this focus on story telling, it feels like this book has nothing to say except its narrative, and yet, somehow, this makes it have more to say, and be far more potent, than any book, movie, or game I have ever read/watched ect.
Now, as the book continues, particularly in the final part, it is clear she has plenty to say, but that does not take away from the joy of reading her initial parts. Perhaps the characters don't speak or act as natural as another writer would attempt to make them, but because of her focus on the truth of these characters, they are more real because of, not in spite of, this style.
Howard Rorak is not just a protagonist. He is THE protagonist, the most protagonist of any protagonist I have seen. I can't quite tell you what that means, but I know it to be true. Every character has an extreme life in them, even those without one. The attention to detail is fantastic. On multiple occasions I found myself wanting to look up images of the buildings in the book, because it felt impossible to think they only existed in fiction.
Small descriptors of characters make or break your feelings towards them. One in particular, of a sweet girl, is especially powerful. The careful attention to her appearance, the way she speaks about one thing, but another becomes clear, even if the character does not see it.
And then there is the writing. I have a list of quotes kept and updated for things I find inspiring or enlightening. So many things have been added to it from this book it seems beyond belief. There are moments, particularly in the monologues, where so many lines can be picked out and repeated. Two speeches I intend to re-read on their own. Things that cut to humanity. Because that is what this story is. Humanity, presented raw and through a lens both brutal and understanding.
What is so fascinating is that for a book written so long ago, it manages to explain much of today's life. That is because of this point. This story is timeless, or at least, it will be until humanity manages to rid itself of the second-rater philosophies that infest it.
Perhaps I am a little biased, as I am already partial towards Rand's philosophies. But then, for a long time reading this book I thought I must have misunderstood what I read about her. She was providing beautiful images and depictions of things I thought she opposed. But that is only because she is a master, and the payoff of her set up is beyond compare. Her commentary on collectivism, particularly during a specific speech, is horrifying in how well it explains modern day atrocities in the west, things which have not changed, or perhaps worsened, since her time of writing mid last century. It perfectly illuminated things I could only partially understand. It makes it clear how certain elections went the way they did, despite all sensical reason suggesting they should have gone differently were people rational beings interested in their own preservation and flourishing. It explains why horrors and dictators were allowed to rise through democratic process, and how easy it is to slip into totalitarian ideology. It expresses the razors edge of the pendulum swing. It highlights the dangers of envy, and the importance of being true to your own self.
For a person who created an ideology that rejects the metaphysical or relicenses on faith, Rand made the most perfect explanation of the importance of one's soul.
Allow me to present just a single quote from this book to help depict what I mean.
"To sell your soul is the easiest thing in the world. That’s what everybody does every hour of his life. If I asked you to keep your soul – would you understand why that’s much harder?"
If given the chance, the stage, I might be inclined to gush about how incredible this book is, continuing past the point of recalling what I wish to say. This is, without doubt, the greatest book I have ever read, and I cannot understate how excited I am now to read her next work, Atlas Shrugged.
This is not how I wished to start my reviews. For my first review, I had hoped to be more level and clear. I guess this is what I get for starting this while reading books completely alien to my usual style and genre. Before this it was the Gulag Archipelago, of which I also thoroughly recommend. Now I have begun a second non-fiction, the account of a North Korean defector. These are not the fantasy stuff I am used to, and is not easy for me to express my thoughts in, nor give points of comparison. The books I have next will also likely challenge me. But I must express myself here, for if I can convince but a single person to read The Fountainhead, I consider this writing a success.
Although it had been my intention for these reviews, I cannot bring myself to provide a star rating for this book. I feel I would cheapen it to do so. So I cannot tell you what it is out of ten, but I can tell you this;
The Fountainhead is a must read, and you will be a better off person for having read it. The characters may shock you, they may offend you, they may surprise you. But I know that this book, if read in honesty, will inspire you. And hell, it might even improve your life.
I cannot recommend it enough.
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