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Most Helpful Favorable Review
41 out of 45 people found this review helpful.
Yes, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's greatest work, should be taken seriously. . .
I read The Fountainhead while a junior in High School, in '66 and loved it, and tried to get into Atlas Shrugged three or four times, but just didn't have a noggin sufficiently developed to deal with it. Now I am thoroughly into it, being about 60 and having ...Read More
I read The Fountainhead while a junior in High School, in '66 and loved it, and tried to get into Atlas Shrugged three or four times, but just didn't have a noggin sufficiently developed to deal with it. Now I am thoroughly into it, being about 60 and having experienced alot of stuff in life. So I recently bought a hardcopy edition, knowing I'll be using it alot. I just wish someone would publish a large print, two volume edition! People should approach Atlas Shrugged as a work of fiction by a person with a very strong philosophical bent, who is using the various devices of fiction novel writing to convey her ideas. In other words, don't think of it as a great work of fiction . . .she has bent all those devices to serve her purposes in laying out her ideas. So focus on the points she makes. Underline and take notes. It will change you! I think people assume that Ayn Rand presented her philosophy solely with the intention of striking a chord in the best minds, the most intelligent, among us. Actually, she intended it to appeal to anyone who has a functioning brain, anyone who is capable of optimizing their use of reason. Hey, that includes me! How about you? We may not be the intellectual cream of the crop, but we can think and live great productive lives. We can read and study Atlas Shrugged and benefit from it. Also, let me suggest that one need not be an atheist to grasp Ayn Rand's philosophy. God made man with the capacity to reason, and I am sure He would be delighted if we would commit ourselves to getting better at it. He knows we would be much happier just by using the brains He gave us! Yes, God must hate collectivist thinking, pc, and all the Doom and Gloom crowd has to offer us today.Show Less
posted by Anonymous on May 17, 2008
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74 out of 81 people found this review helpful.
1 star for the ebook, 3 1/2 stars for the novel...
It is a decent read, one that people should read at one point or another. You will either love it, or hate it, there are very few of us in between-ers. Much like Catcher in the Rye, there are those who will be offended, and those who will take it up as their personal ...Read More
It is a decent read, one that people should read at one point or another. You will either love it, or hate it, there are very few of us in between-ers. Much like Catcher in the Rye, there are those who will be offended, and those who will take it up as their personal dogma. Personally, I found it enjoyable, but that's about it.
Where I do have a problem is the price of this and all Ayn Rand ebooks, they are higher priced than their hardcover counterpart. That's just ridiculous. I'd suggest picking this up from the library. If you fall into the 'love it' group, you'll have your own copy soon. If you fall into the 'hate it' category, you haven't spent anything, and you can check off one of the 'books you should read at one time or another' list.Show Less
Where I do have a problem is the price of this and all Ayn Rand ebooks, they are higher priced than their hardcover counterpart. That's just ridiculous. I'd suggest picking this up from the library. If you fall into the 'love it' group, you'll have your own copy soon. If you fall into the 'hate it' category, you haven't spent anything, and you can check off one of the 'books you should read at one time or another' list.Show Less
posted by SanvenFW on June 17, 2010
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1 star for the ebook, 3 1/2 stars for the novel...
It is a decent read, one that people should read at one point or another. You will either love it, or hate it, there are very few of us in between-ers. Much like Catcher in the Rye, there are those who will be offended, and those who will take it up as their personal dogma. Personally, I found it enjoyable, but that's about it.
Where I do have a problem is the price of this and all Ayn Rand ebooks, they are higher priced than their hardcover counterpart. That's just ridiculous. I'd suggest picking this up from the library. If you fall into the 'love it' group, you'll have your own copy soon. If you fall into the 'hate it' category, you haven't spent anything, and you can check off one of the 'books you should read at one time or another' list.74 out of 81 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted May 17, 2008
Yes, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's greatest work, should be taken seriously. . .
I read The Fountainhead while a junior in High School, in '66 and loved it, and tried to get into Atlas Shrugged three or four times, but just didn't have a noggin sufficiently developed to deal with it. Now I am thoroughly into it, being about 60 and having experienced alot of stuff in life. So I recently bought a hardcopy edition, knowing I'll be using it alot. I just wish someone would publish a large print, two volume edition! People should approach Atlas Shrugged as a work of fiction by a person with a very strong philosophical bent, who is using the various devices of fiction novel writing to convey her ideas. In other words, don't think of it as a great work of fiction . . .she has bent all those devices to serve her purposes in laying out her ideas. So focus on the points she makes. Underline and take notes. It will change you! I think people assume that Ayn Rand presented her philosophy solely with the intention of striking a chord in the best minds, the most intelligent, among us. Actually, she intended it to appeal to anyone who has a functioning brain, anyone who is capable of optimizing their use of reason. Hey, that includes me! How about you? We may not be the intellectual cream of the crop, but we can think and live great productive lives. We can read and study Atlas Shrugged and benefit from it. Also, let me suggest that one need not be an atheist to grasp Ayn Rand's philosophy. God made man with the capacity to reason, and I am sure He would be delighted if we would commit ourselves to getting better at it. He knows we would be much happier just by using the brains He gave us! Yes, God must hate collectivist thinking, pc, and all the Doom and Gloom crowd has to offer us today.
41 out of 45 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted July 5, 2010
Terrible Price
I can not believe that you would charge more for the e book than you would for the paper back.
30 out of 38 people found this review helpful.
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MarkS_1981
Posted January 31, 2010
A classic for ALL times... and most of all now!
The first time I ever heard of this book was about 10 years ago. I never gave it much thought, but over time it would cross my path and finally before Christmas 2009 I picked it up at BN. I now realize that had I read this book 10 years ago (I would have been 18), I never would have appreciated what this book offers. Someone in another review wrote how this book has changed their life and how they look at things. Let me assure you, that was not a lie. Ayn Rand is an amazing author whose vision and philosophy is woven throughout the fabric of this book.
I have been found reading this book in sandwich shops, coffee shops, airports, etc. and it amazes me the people that stop by when they see you are reading this book. I've had 2-minute conversations and 20-minute conversations about the concepts, philosophy and principles shared in this book. You can interpret the premise of this book in any way you would like. I even had someone tell me that this is "The Republican Handbook." I mean no offense to any political party, but to affiliate this work with any political agenda is not only an insult to Ms. Rand, but providing too much credit to any political official and his/her party.
Do you ever sit in frustration as you watch those around you literally take no accountability for their actions or explain failure as an act of God? Do you wonder where the principles of work ethic, honor, integrity, the love, passion, pride and desire to be the best and to give your absolute best in everything you do; the foundation that this country was built upon has gone? Have you found yourself wondering why people refuse to think?!
If you're looking for a "beach read" to take yourself away from reality and not "think" for a while, then I would not recommend this book. If you want answers to questions you've always asked or to find the questions you never knew to ask about life and purpose, then please buy this, or let me know and I'll let you borrow/have mine. If you want to read something that will stay with you for a while; if you want to read something that will challenge you to examine yourself and your virtues, then please buy this book. This book is my all time favorite and I am already looking forward to a few years down the road, picking it back up and re-reading it again (the highest compliment to any author).29 out of 31 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted September 8, 2008
Do we love Ayn Rand?
Ayn Rand may have given us the best work of fiction of the 20th Century. She doesn't have the body of work of Hemingway or Bellow, but with Atlas Shrugged she gave us the single most important piece of literature from 1900 to 1999. Atlas Shrugged addresses the single most important question of the 20th Century: democracy vs. tyranny/capitalism vs. scoialism. What each one of us believes is our choice, but Rand gives us a good example of what can go wrong when we take altruism to its ridiculous extremes. Unlike Hemingway's man vs. nature examples Rand presents us with the ultimate problem, man vs. man, capitalism vs. the virtue-less socialistic beliefs of the anti John Galt crowd.
27 out of 29 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted July 7, 2010
Love this book but will buy the paperback.
Charging more for the paperback than the Nook? Where's the benefit of the Nook especially when you've just lowered the price of the Nook.
25 out of 34 people found this review helpful.
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Gelidus_V
Posted March 24, 2010
Great Novel, Terrible eBook
I love the novel; it is one of my all-time favorites. However, this eBook was clearly scanned from a printed source and sold directly without any sort of proofing. Each page has one or two errors. They are usually insignificant, but occasionally you will need to re-read a segment to determine the meaning of a sentence. Even the minor mis-scans jarringly pulled me out of the story. I have more of an editing-geared mind, so I'm sure some readers won't be as bothered.
My hardcover (the Centennial Edition), has none of these typos. Was this 1992 edition not printed from a digital source? These errors would be entirely forgivable (although still likely fixed with updates) from Project Gutenberg, but not in a copy that costs as much as the paperback.25 out of 27 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted July 11, 2010
Your Pricing is a Mystery to Me
Everytime I think I have a handle on your E Book pricing something like the Ayn Rand book comes along.
The Nook is great but why should we download books for more than the material sells for at BJ's or Costco?????
You guys should really review your pricing!!!!!!22 out of 29 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted July 11, 2009
Don't Buy This Paperback Copy!!!!!!
The Print is SOOO Small the sentences all run together it makes it impossible to read. I Love This Book but not this edition. Save yourself the time and order an upgrade copy.
16 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
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A Book That All Should Read
I am a true beleiver that if all people read this book the world would be a much better place to live. Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand are incredibly complex and this book should be read carefully. If you are an altruist you are going to hate this book, but you already hate reality so much it wouldn't do you much good anyways. Rand constructs probably the most involved fictional story ever written. Throughout the book she addresses topics such as politics, indiviudalism, love, selfishness, religion, and much more. This book is cited as the second most influential book behind the bible, it would be the first if as many people had read it.
A word of caution, Rand's personal life violated her own philosophy and a person probably should be aware of this fact. Not a book that is completely grasped on one read either.13 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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J._Paper
Posted November 12, 2010
Ridiculously Priced
I would love to read Atlas Shrugged and the main reason I have a nook is to read books like this one; books that are much too large to carry around wherever you go. It's very disappointing that this is the only version of Atlas Shrugged available for nook and it is so ridiculously priced.
I hope to come back and write a true review once B&N has lowered the price of this book to what it could be bought for in the store.10 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted May 20, 2010
Best Book Ever - Seriously
If you've ever wanted to read a book that lifted you up while it disgusts you, this is the book for you. The characters are such that it is imperative that you either love or hate them immediately. Every time I've read this book it inspires me to become a better person while simultaneously making me feel as if I am a complete sell-out. It's easy to admire these uncompromising characters and try to act like them, but in the real world it is difficult to do so without giving up our comforts. Every politician in the world should read this book and shudder at their ineptitude.
9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Amazing 1950s Book Ripped from Today's Headlines
Ayn Rand's prophecy for America is coming true today. Reading this book, written by a person who comes from Post Revolution Russia, written in the 50s is like reading the headlines of today's papers.
She captures the true essence of how liberalism destroys economic process and breaks man's ability and desire to succeed. Too bad we don't have a John Galt to right things today!
Who is John Galt?
You will have to read the book to find out.
I definitely recommend this book. It's over a thousand pages so plan it for a weekend or a long plane trip.
tonyh9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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JamesS
Posted September 2, 2009
Atlas Shrugged remains a "must read" book fifty years after it was written
This is my fourth or fifth read of this book the first when I was in college some forty years ago. It is more appropriate now than ever before in my lifetime with the government reaching out to socialize just about every aspect of our lives. Our very own president (Stanley Mauch?) is an advocate of redistribution of wealth. Slowly Atlas is beginning to shrug and we'll all be looking for the rise of John Galt. Truly a fascinating and classic book worthy of the true reader's attention.
8 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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GSOgymrat
Posted April 18, 2011
Too expensive
Why would I spend $18.99 for this when I can borrow the ebook of Atlas Shrugged and read it on my Nook for FREE through my public library?
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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caprica52
Posted April 15, 2011
Seriously .....
When I saw this I immediately went to purchase as I have an old paperback copy but wanted the NC version; and I thought - great - $5.95 - I get another ebook and B&N gets additional business with me touting their Nook Color to everyone I meet. BUT NOOOOOOOO ... the ebook is $18.95!!!!
Way to go B&N - best way to loose customers and good will. At least make both the ebook and the paperback the same price - what are you thinking?7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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The Most Important Book I've Ever Read
On the suggestion of someone else, I picked up a copy of this book about six months ago. I have read it twice and each time it had a profound impact on me.
This book is simply the story of Capitalism being overcome by Socialism, the idea of "fair" and "right" being what is best for others who need but don't earn, and the fight against that by the movers of the world.
Before I read this book, I wasn't really sure where I stood. I liked the idea of free markets, but also liked the idea of taking care of others. Rand, in this work, pointed out to me the ugly side of socialism that plenty of folks prefer to keep hidden. This is the side of socialism and communism that toppled the Soviet Union, and Rand brought it into the US.
Now, more than ever, is the time for people to read this work and understand what Rand was saying. Never before has a book of any type changed my outlook on the world. This one did.7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Buggz
Posted April 21, 2011
Another great reason to use the library.
Too expensive when it can be had for free.
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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6479441
Posted January 9, 2011
A joke?
Almost twice the price of paperback for an ebook? Save your money and purchase the paperback until the publisher wakes up!
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Overly Long and Too Subjective
This book is overly long, weak in literary value, and heavy in subjective opinion. I think the author should have focused more on plot and character development than on relentlessly inundating the reader with her personal opinions. Most talented authors allow their ideas to gradually unfold through a well-crafted plot and strong, dynamic characters, pointing to (yet allowing the reader to reach his or her own) meaningful conclusions. Ayn Rand, however, overbearingly states her opinions through the numerous long and tiresome speeches of her characters, forcing the reader to hear only her narrow conclusions. Consequently, the characters eventually lose their own voices and begin to all sound alike. By the time I got to Part III, "A is A" (page 701), I was bored and forced myself to finish the book.
Her depiction of any and all opponents of her way of thinking is so subjectively disparaging that it eliminates any possibility of credibility. As a Catholic, I found her extensive use of distorted allusions to Christianity particularly distasteful.
Hopefully, anyone who reads "Atlas Shrugged" will check the author's premises. Her primary assumption that God does not exist is requisite to her thinking. God's existence makes her philosophy profoundly foolish.5 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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