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)

Very interesting subject

What did you love best about The Fountainhead?

Why not about architecture. But it is all about the unconventional and how being different is ever a problem. A moderne tale about self image, value and belief. Also the way looking at life in reverse i.e. being selfish in order to be generous or generous in order to acquire merit and fame is interesting.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Subject and the way it is handled. It gets a bit long at times

Which scene was your favorite?

None proeminent but the way all characters have their part in the book to tell their tale.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

yes when you realize humanity and generosity can hide the worst schemes. the plot is absolutely amazing at times

Any additional comments?

Thank you for the good time!

Should be required reading in American education

Great book, sensitive individuals may find the philosophy that is the bedrock of this and "Atlas" offensive.

Amazing how relevant this book is when considering when it was written.

Rand is a fantastic author and her books have legs. (for those of us that have a decent attention span).

A Classic

Few authors rival Rand for detail in writing. The plot depth and character development are tremendous. Whether you agree with her philosophy or not, it is a great read (or listen). Amazing how relevant her ideas still are despite the age of the book. You won't be disappointed.

wonderful wonderful

wonderfully spoken. it's horrific way to enjoy a treasure. highly recommended lose yourself in a wonderful story

The best work of fiction I have ever read.

What other book might you compare The Fountainhead to and why?

Ayn Rand exceeded John Steinbeck in giving me a visual of the character's physical and mental presence, and of their surrondings.

Have you listened to any of Christopher Hurt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of his other works, but he did an outstanding job with book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was delightful. Howard Roark is the perfect man.

Pure, and objectively awesome.

Give this a try, it IS worth it. It makes a good perspective, great again:)

Deeply philosophical and engaging.

the book has a great story to it the ending seemed a little bit hasty

Amazing!

Probably better than Atlas Shrugged. No one writes a love story better than Ayn... no one.

Refreshing

Really liked the story and the performance. The ideas in the story were refreshing and thought provoking.

Never watch a movie based on a book..ALWAYS READ..this was thought provoking 👊

I’ve sat & sat with “Write a full review” open for 5 minutes because whatever I write will not give “The Fountainhead” as much justice as it should.

I cannot believe I never read this in HS or College? I took a philosophy class so a part of me thinks I ‘pretended’ to read it..what a mistake! It was truly amazing that Ayn Rand wrote this in the 1940’s & it made me smile that it was about a man remaining true to his beliefs...so many of us give in & stay to what others want us to stand on. The two men in history that stood and never waived were Ghandi & Martin Luther King Jr...they fought for their rights & others. Howard Rourke stood on his & never, not once gave in, to the point of extinction...sounds like many in history.

I briefly thought when Hollywood made ‘The Fountainhead’ into a movie, which I watch every time, and I read that Rand said “Every piece of dialogue I have written has to be exactly the same” Now how the hell do u get a book this big into a screenplay that’s 2 hours?! I refuse to compare since there is none...She then went on to say “I’ll never write a screenplay for Hollywood again.” I wonder why..*sarcasm*

In the beginning it was hard for me to get into, but it definitely got easier. I will say I had to listen to the final 5 chapters over & over because I felt like I missed something? Maybe I did..but one minute we’re in the country with the men, next in the city with Peter talking about the building, then a trial? Did I miss how that came about so quickly? It didn’t take away from my 5 stars ⭐️..

I ADORE Christopher Hurt‼️‼️ His voice was PERFECT for this book..and I listen to a new one weekly..I’ll send a book back because of horrible narration..but he was the best and I can’t wait to download “Atlas Shrugged”...

All in all..I never knew as much about Ayn Rand until I did some research on her before I read this & I was totally blown away by her mind, writing & life & ‘The Fountainhead’ it’s as great in the 21st century as it was in the early 20th...

P.S. You can have fabulous sex scenes without describing the sex act in details..hence this book..FABULOUS 👊👊