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julesjoulesjewels's review against another edition
1.0
This was a Book Club book during my sophomore year of high school, and I finished it mainly to prove that I could, because it was so long. No one else in Book Club finished it, though, so we did not end up discussing it, which made the time I spent reading it feel doubly wasted.
alisonhori's review
2.0
Well, this book was my punishment for wanting to be culturally literate and I guess now, at least on this one topic, I am now aware of what people are talking about when they talk about Ayn Rand and "Who is John Galt". I give this two stars both for the absolute flatness and lack of depth both of the characters and the politics....endless black and white discussions unedited apparently cause all the "good guys" go on and on and on and on and UGH...and the bad guys occasionally whine for a bit as act like asses and that is it for the whole freakin' book.
decembermoon's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
sauvegypsy's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
insecam's review against another edition
funny
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
a decade long passion project starting as a (somewhat) competent piece of fiction in the first third, only for Rand's brain to be turned into mush somewhere along the way. she begins to use the lead female protagonist as a self-insert for herself, and has to justify her anarcho-capitalist worldview with literal magic by the end lol. it's really really really funny, so i have to give it some credit!
katephobic's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this hunk of 1200 page word soup was probably in my top 5 biggest undertakings ever. But I did it and I am here to tell the story. This is the only book I have ever read where I can agree wholeheartedly with both the 5 star and 1 star reviews. Atlas Shrugged was interesting in the way that it unapologetically separates the rich from the poor, and is built on the premise that if you are rich in brainpower, it will manifest itself into the physical world.
Everybody in Ayn Rand’s dream world utilizes their brains for hobbies and menial jobs, but only does this in a way that will benefit themselves. They are all the most unapologetic egoists. It’s honestly a little refreshing in a literary sense. I have always been a big complainer, but I feel like I read this book at the perfect time- it makes complainers look so incredibly stupid. The central theme is that people need to get up off their asses and actually do something with their lives before it’s too late and you die (or the bridge to New York collapses). There are so many scenes where some lowly worker is having a conversation with one of the big executive main characters, spitting everywhere and making no sense, while the executive character shuts them down in a few simple words or commands. It kind of reminded me of conversations with my dad, who loves this book, and I can see why. Rand does not stand for bs. She stands for self love, hard work, and fulfillment, whether you are a fisher, farmer, or top executive. In fact, in her dream world, all of the top execs have other jobs that they love just as much and don’t complain about.
The philosophical aspect of this book is interesting as well because Rand does not believe in doing anything for the greater good of mankind. In Galt’s incredibly long speech, he talks about how there is no point in helping others because everyone should just do what they like to do, and then we don’t have to worry about others. It sounds good in theory but what world is universally content? Rand clearly believes in laissez faire government, which makes sense in my head, but it’s hard when I look around at my country and the poor roaming the streets. What is this from? Is it from capitalism? Prison? What about disabled people? Or people that come from war (like her family did)? There are none in her world. You’re just either smart or dumb, that’s that. It’s a juvenile (possibly sociopathic) way of thinking. But definitely an interesting one.
Much to my surprise I loved the characters. I did think that they had emotion, they just didn’t show it as straightforwardly as most people in the real world do. Dagny became jealous when Hank would show up places with his wife. Hank was jealous when he found out Francisco had slept with Dagny. The only wholly unrealistic dude was John Galt, but to me he was symbolic of something more that Dagny desired. She did not go off with Hank or Francisco because she was looking for something that would let her be a powerful yet submissive woman, something she felt like she couldn’t do in the real world. I saw this as commentary on how women can never win, even if this was unintentional by Rand. There was some talk about gender in the book- people were surprised with Dagny’s ability to be “anti womanly” and run a railroad. Maybe she had to go through exhaustive efforts to demonstrate how committed she was to her job, so committed that other men that read this book could misconstrue her as being cold or unfeeling. I understood her completely. Even down to her weird rape fantasies- it was a way of channeling everything she felt about herself that was womanly into a few minutes of intense (and uncomfortable) sexual escapades.
Yes this book is wordy. Probably (definitely) TOO wordy. But I found it cathartic and feel that it definitely broadened my horizons. It definitely doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything the book contains- if I knew somebody like Rand in person I would stay away for sure. But I can see the literary merit to this novel and some strong takeaways that will definitely stick with me.
Everybody in Ayn Rand’s dream world utilizes their brains for hobbies and menial jobs, but only does this in a way that will benefit themselves. They are all the most unapologetic egoists. It’s honestly a little refreshing in a literary sense. I have always been a big complainer, but I feel like I read this book at the perfect time- it makes complainers look so incredibly stupid. The central theme is that people need to get up off their asses and actually do something with their lives before it’s too late and you die (or the bridge to New York collapses). There are so many scenes where some lowly worker is having a conversation with one of the big executive main characters, spitting everywhere and making no sense, while the executive character shuts them down in a few simple words or commands. It kind of reminded me of conversations with my dad, who loves this book, and I can see why. Rand does not stand for bs. She stands for self love, hard work, and fulfillment, whether you are a fisher, farmer, or top executive. In fact, in her dream world, all of the top execs have other jobs that they love just as much and don’t complain about.
The philosophical aspect of this book is interesting as well because Rand does not believe in doing anything for the greater good of mankind. In Galt’s incredibly long speech, he talks about how there is no point in helping others because everyone should just do what they like to do, and then we don’t have to worry about others. It sounds good in theory but what world is universally content? Rand clearly believes in laissez faire government, which makes sense in my head, but it’s hard when I look around at my country and the poor roaming the streets. What is this from? Is it from capitalism? Prison? What about disabled people? Or people that come from war (like her family did)? There are none in her world. You’re just either smart or dumb, that’s that. It’s a juvenile (possibly sociopathic) way of thinking. But definitely an interesting one.
Much to my surprise I loved the characters. I did think that they had emotion, they just didn’t show it as straightforwardly as most people in the real world do. Dagny became jealous when Hank would show up places with his wife. Hank was jealous when he found out Francisco had slept with Dagny. The only wholly unrealistic dude was John Galt, but to me he was symbolic of something more that Dagny desired. She did not go off with Hank or Francisco because she was looking for something that would let her be a powerful yet submissive woman, something she felt like she couldn’t do in the real world. I saw this as commentary on how women can never win, even if this was unintentional by Rand. There was some talk about gender in the book- people were surprised with Dagny’s ability to be “anti womanly” and run a railroad. Maybe she had to go through exhaustive efforts to demonstrate how committed she was to her job, so committed that other men that read this book could misconstrue her as being cold or unfeeling. I understood her completely. Even down to her weird rape fantasies- it was a way of channeling everything she felt about herself that was womanly into a few minutes of intense (and uncomfortable) sexual escapades.
Yes this book is wordy. Probably (definitely) TOO wordy. But I found it cathartic and feel that it definitely broadened my horizons. It definitely doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything the book contains- if I knew somebody like Rand in person I would stay away for sure. But I can see the literary merit to this novel and some strong takeaways that will definitely stick with me.
alyxandrathegr8's review
1.0
The longer I think about this book the more annoyed I am with it. Revising my original rating.