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)

life changing.

How to be and how to live, to find purpose and meaning, to selfishly create so that man may benefit. To hold yourself to such integrity and a high standard that the vast majority of others cannot fathom or duplicate.

Not for sensitive readers

This isn’t a book for everyone - it will challenge the reader to think of its contents in a way that they may not have before. Ayn Rand was ahead of her time

personal world changing perspective

was a personal world changing perspective. great for those who love politics, life, and others.

Should be required reading

Christopher Hurt is right up there with Scott Brick when it comes to narration. Had to put that first.

The book. It’s a masterpiece. The story might have taken place in the 30’s but it’s relevant today. Such a shame, too. The truths of life laid out in the story are universal and timeless. We need more men like Howard and more women like Dominique.

Must read in paper format

After few years of listening to my son go on about this book and it’s characters, I decided to give in and listen to it. I have been greatly and pleasantly surprised. The different ideals explained by the writer through the different characters is done so thoroughly and in such fluidity that I was completely immersed in the story line. I must purchase the paper format to go over the key philosophical points and aim to understand them. Thank you Chris

love this book.

loved this book. such rich and complicated characters. the narrator did a blended job! thank you!

Life Changing

This book was very enjoyable at 1.3x, had a very engaging story, and the most amazing lesson. But you shouldn’t look for anyone’s approval or praise for this book blindly. Read it for yourself, and draw your own conclusions independently

Wonderfully Thought Provoking...

Loved everything about it. Not even my genre! Shelved it for years. Don't miss it

Timeless

An epic story about having the strength to be selfish, and how your decisions shape the person you are.

Best Rand Book

Don't waste your time with Atlas or Anthem. This is the one that will resonate. The entire time you listen/read you will find yourself asking whether you yourself can ever hope to live up to the ideals and passion about which Rand writes. Though some have used this (or other Rand writings) as a direct rebuking of a single political ideology, once you start to unravel the words before you... you realize this work would be more appropriately billed as an indictment of the entire spectrum of our current state of politics.