The Fountainhead

By: Ayn Rand

Narrated by: Christopher Hurt

Length: 32 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the 20th century's most challenging novels of ideas, The Fountainhead champions the cause of individualism through the story of a gifted young architect who defies the tyranny of conventional public opinion. The struggle for personal integrity in a world that values conformity above creativity is powerfully illustrated through three characters: Howard Roarke, the genius who is resented because he creates purely for the delight of his own work and on no other terms; Gail Wynand, the newspaper mogul and self-made millionaire whose power was bought by sacrificing his ideals to the lowest common denominator of public taste; and Dominique Francon, the devastating beauty whose desperate search for meaning has been twisted, through despair, into a quest to destroy the single object of her desire: Howard Roarke. Dramatic, poetic, and demanding, The Fountainhead remains one of the towering books on the contemporary intellectual scene.

©1943 The Bobbs-Merrill Company; 1968 Ayn Rand; 1993 Leonard Peikoff (P)1994 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Ayn Rand is a writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly." ( New York Times Book Review)

Timeless and brilliant

A great story read perfectly. Challenges all your values and demands you re-examine the choices in your own life.

As relevant as ever.

This is probably the greatest story based book that I’ve ever read/listened to. The world needs this now more than ever.

A masterpiece

I’m biased, but it’s a masterpiece. Just like Atlas Shrugged - another must-read. Highly recommend.

Probably one of the best books, ever.

Incredible book. Incredible narration. Howard Roark, what a man. Everyone should read this book. Then read it again. And again.

Great listen

Just as good as Atlas Shrugged. The world needs this now also to help guide people away from second ganders.

Game changer

Great book with such valuable lessons which can and should be applied for all time. Thank you so much

Not quite Atlas

Enthralling in short bursts. Long valleys in between. If you really enjoyed Atlas Shrugged then I think you'll enjoy this, but it's not nearly as polished and kind of comical in parts with all of the BDSM references.

A book worth reading, and an amazing narrator.

Any additional comments?

I hate being read to. As such, I doubted audiobooks were for me. But the boyfriend convinced me they were worth a shot, so I picked out a good fat book that I wouldn't have the patience to sit down and read otherwise: The Fountainhead.

I listened in transit, in bed, while I cooked and cleaned, while I showered. And I've never left an online review for anything in my life, because I've never been so compelled.

This is a phenomenal audiobook.

For whoever or whatever Ayn Rand is - for whatever you may think of her as a person or as an ethicist - she tells a gripping, sweeping fable that reads almost like an epic poem. There's a reason this book matters, a reason it resonates, and a reason it pisses people off. It hits a pretty visceral chord.

Most critics of this book take it not as myth but as manifesto, and you're kinda screwed if you do that. Realize that this is not a subtle book. It isn't subtle thinking. It's all searing archetypes and bold palettes. And it works. The narrative and the characters who carry it have a lot of force, a lot of impact, which to me is more than enough to make it worthwhile.

Also: Christopher Hurt, the narrator, did an incredible job. I now realize how difficult it must be to narrate an audiobook well. He gave every character shape and distinction with his voice, yet somehow managed to fade into the story, if that makes any sense. Because of him, I'm now convinced that certain books are definitely enhanced by skilled narration.I listened to the whole thing at 1.5x speed, which was perfect.

Yesterday I looked through the other books Hurt's narrated. I'm starting Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein, for the sole reason that he's narrating. :)

So in sum: best first audiobook experience I could've hoped for. Props to Ayn Rand, and to Chris Hurt, and to Audible.

The most influential book I've ever read/listened to.

This book teaches so much about integrity and heroism. You can build bullet-proof self esteem with the ideas presented in this story.

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it was great. I really enjoyed both the story and narrator. highly recommend it.