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)

Fountainhead-Ayn Rand

Would you consider the audio edition of The Fountainhead to be better than the print version?

About the same

What did you like best about this story?

It is hard to pick the "best" part of a classic written by one of the 20th century's most acclaimed novelists. But if forced to commit it would have to be that the personality descriptions are so vivid it's like I know these people personally.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are so many from which to chose but I think it would be the first courtroom scene. Telling more would be giving away too much.

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

No but I did find it difficult to turn it off!

Any additional comments?

A classic revisited. I missed so much when it was required reading. Although it takes place in a time span fron the 1920's to the 1940's the values and circumstances still seem relevant today.

Worth reading even if you read Atlas Shrugged 1st

What made the experience of listening to The Fountainhead the most enjoyable?

Hearing the core concepts of individualism through the story of the protagonist, Howard Roark.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Fountainhead?

Lots of memorable quotes throughout, but it all comes together at the end of the book.

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

No. The reader did a good enough job that I focused on the book rather than the way he spoke.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not possible.

Practical example of Objectivism.

While I enjoyed this book, it was not as great a work as Atlas Shrugged due to the arrogance and pretension of the main characters. Fairly early on it's clear that an integrated, collaborative design is all that is needed for the hero. Yet he refuses any offer of teamwork so forcefully that he, in my estimation, is the true bully, forcing his ideas and opinions at the expense of even himself. This is portrayed as holding firm to principle, but comes across as arrogance. While Fountainhead essentially captures the same message of selfishness as a virtue (which she makes a masterful arguement for, and I believe), the objectification of humans and their relationships is self defeating. She argues that man should strive for joy for it's own sake, but comes up lacking in her examples. Joy is complicated, and sometimes a sacrifice in the now leads to joy more permanently in the future. Rand seems to not have a clear or sanctified vision of joy, because she sacrifices it in the story repeatedly, and destroys even the possibility of it in the future. And only 2 of the main characters ended up happy in this story, while at least a 3rd character deserved it, but the actions of the other 2 destroyed any hope or chance of it for him.

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!