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)

Excellent

I didn't realize the impact this book would have in me until the very end. What a master piece.

So good!

It's long but worth it! Great points and things to think about. Also makes you want to study architecture and society.

Amazing!

loved it! A must read book the narrator does an amazing job, and the story is amazing.

decent book good narrator

Decent book with a good narrator. Mever felt like a struggle to finish but had books where I was more excited to keep listening.

Much better than expected

My expectations admittedly were not high as I expected a long, dry story that made capitalists heroic and everyone else terrible in the way cable news treats such debates. And the amount of overbearing judgement in the character development early on was not giving me much faith. However, the full listen was worth it as the characters were far more nuanced than mere caricatures of good and evil.
Skeptics of Rand should give this a try as I’m leaving with a better understanding of the philosophy than I had.
#gildedage #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Awesome Story

Amazing timeless story about individual liberty. The collectivist blog never changes. This time greatness prevails.

Contemplative

Heavy enough to re-evaluate life philosophy.
A great story that keeps you interested.
Best Narrator I've Heard!

Story might be old, but still applies today 100%

By the end of this book, you'll wish that you had more in common with Howard Roark, and less in common with Peter Keating. However, if you're like me, you'll realize you're in fact way more Peter than you wish to admit to yourself.

This book deals heavily with sacrifice. What it means to sacrifice. What it means to give your all to something and dedicate 100% of your being to it. It sounds boring, but I found it to be quite insightful into the cognitive dissonance of society. What is "good" what is "selflessness", what are the responsibilities of every man?

Amazing

Timely and as applicable in the 21st century as when it was written. This work should be read before Atlas Shrugged to fully appreciate the author’s message and to appreciate her follow on work. Very well done in audio form.

ESSENTIAL book for all, amazing Narrator

Absolutely loved this book! The narrator was perfect and the philosophical message in Ayn's writing brought me an inner peace such that I haven't experienced. This book is an essential listen for all men (and women) who struggle with self confidence or knowing their path in life. I am going to recommend this to all of my friends!