Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Atlas Shrugged
Book Review: A Classic on Individualism
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book in 1985, and found that it had an enormous influence on my thinking for a long time. As a result, I snapped up all her works that came to the Indian book shops. Ms. Ayn Rand was a staunch believer in individual freedom, and an enlightened capitalism. She opposed, in principle, that one man be expected to serve another, either through private charity or through enforced socialism. However, as I grew up, I found that this philosophy had a limited relevance to one's life.
The novel, nevertheless, is extremely well-written and has a very unique plot. It traces the lives of individual entrepreneurs in the land of freedom, who are being held back by laws and people who want them to serve others instead. Ayn Rand uses the characters to make long, powerful, speeches about her philosophy. She also weaves this in very deftly with the lives of the heroes, and shows what can happen when we put creative, dynamic people in bondage. There is a pleasant, surprising ending, which affects you like a fresh dawn
As fiction, the book suffers from these long speeches. As a book on Ayn Rand's philosophy, the story helps us understand her philosophy better. Her skill is such that each is meaningless without the other. Therefore, if you just read the story, skipping the speeches, you will miss most of the flavour. And if you read some of her other works, without having read this novel, you will find it very difficult to visualise the implications of her complex arguments.
While I am sort of glad today that I found a more, multi-faceted, multi-hued approach to life (than what Ms. Rand offered), I do envy you, if you haven't read this book so far. If you buy this book, you are sure to be in for a treat.
And later, even if you move on, some of her philosophy will perhaps always remain with you. And you will find yourself to be richer for it.
You may also find some of her other works interesting. I particularly recommend (The Fountainhead, Anthem, and The Virtue of Selfishness.
Book Review: A Colossal Waste
Summary: 1 Stars
I cannot have read the same book as the reviewers who are giving it four
or five star ratings. Life changing? Oh, come now! These same ideas are in
every corner nowadays. To hear these same conclusions, one might listen to about
an hour of conservative talk radio and about thirty minutes of NPR and
be through with it. Else, one can devote days or weeks to this insufferable
harangue.
The characters in this novel are all unnatural, unendearing, uninspiring and
ridiculous. After the first two hundred pages or so, I couldn't take it anymore and
went into hyperskim mode. Even then it was torture to get through. Objectivism be
damned; all of the major characters are deranged. The heroine, as much as I cheered
for her at the start, is one of the biggest empty skirts of any novel I've ever read.
I hate to say this, but the author must have had some seriously depraved relationships in her life.
If you're considering reading this book and you've got one hell of a lot of time to
waste, then knock yourself out. Otherwise, I would avoid this one.
Book Review: A Compendium for Capitalists
Summary: 5 Stars
I titled my review in this way to try and provide a view point that someone interested in business would be attracted to. There's a lot of rattle on about Ayn Rand's philosophy and it's all relevant but, if you simply understand that she has a philosophy she expresses through her characters and the plot of this story, but the story takes front and center stage, not the philosophy, which is easy to make an issue of.
The book is beautifully written in a way that books are seldom done anymore. It develops characters and lets them develop further as the story continues, their thinking, feelings and actions so beautifully expressed. The "hero" of this book is a woman, Dagny Taggart, and the focus remains on her for most of the story. Her passion and drive are envious, her intellect even more so. She is all too human as the story shows, yet the pride of singularity and powerful self esteem are inspiring. The men that surround her; Hank Reardon and Francisco d'Anconia are male versions of her blue print in ambition, drive, intelligence and vision but coming from a different place with different baggage. The love affairs she has with these men, both physical and emotional are so magnificently described they seem almost unreal. The characters are perfect, the stage is set, the world is revolving and all is well until one day... it's not.
That's when the story really begins, when people, trust and love are tested. In each case, the choice of Rand's words, the description of a thought (which might take pages to describe) are so beautifully crafted you wonder how a single person created this masterpiece work. I urge you to read it, for the love of words, for the depth of story for the escapism and for the philosophy, it's blended together in a way I have never experienced before in a single volume.
You will identify with someone in this book, Me? I think I was more Hank than Francisco or Eddie. The clarity of purpose is inspiring and even possible for a while but where the "flaws" start to become evident is that it's only a story and it's called Science Fiction by most. In reality it's a love story and a capitalist dream. It's a political manifesto and a revolutionary's cook book. It's a way to think about your work life and your life in your country as a citizen. I inspired me and solidified many of my assumptions about my role in society and it made me feel damn good about my own life's accomplishments.
As you read, immerse yourself and go along for the ride without judging until the end. Who is John Galt? It's every one of us who has a dream and will go to any extreme to make it real.
Enjoy.
Book Review: A Good Value
Summary: 4 Stars
We all know this is a highly controversial book.
First thing to say is this: I'm not an objectivist. I've read alot of stuff about the character of Ayn Rand, and I believe that I would've very much disliked her if I ever met her.
That said, I have only recently discovered the merits of individualism, and reading this novel helped me give words and form to the ideas that I had developed. Long before I read this, I was a fascist. My beliefs led me to join the infantry, and during my first deployment, I started to think that maybe my ideas had been wrong. Fast forward a year and a half, and I was deployed again, this time very much against my will. By this time I had come to believe that there was nothing more important than the individual.
My mind was a ripe target for this book at that time. Many of the ideas that I had at this point lacked the proper words to describe them to people. Atlas Shrugged helped.
The characters are caricatures. The good guys are ridiculously good, the bad guys are ridiculously bad. The only character that I truly liked was Francisco. I lost all respect for Reardon when he cheated on his wife with Dagny. The scenes in which Francisco talks to Reardon, however, are among my favorites in the book.
If I was to judge this book solely on its narrative and depth of characterization, it would probably score a 2. But the philosophy is one that very strongly resonates with me.
It should of course be noted that even Ayn Rand recognized the simplicity of her characters. Of course, this acknowledement doesn't make them any less shallow.
If you consider yourself a lover of freedom, capitalism, or a Libertarian, this should absolutely be on your reading list.
Book Review: A Great Book - One of the few pieces of fiction I enjoyed
Summary: 5 Stars
I rarely read fictional works, but this book is a page turner. It is fun to link up those in our society to the characters in the book. It is no wonder that sales of this book always pickup during Democratic administrations. Hopefully our country will fix the damage done in November 2008 before our nation turns into Twentieth Century Motor Co.