[Roy Munson]

I have never read Atlas Shrugged but I did slog through The Fountainhead on a flight to and from Las Vegas. All the characters in this book were developed along very rigid guidelines. Each seemed incapable of veering from their strict belief systems regardless of consequences.

Humanity was lacking in almost every character whether they were they superhero Howard Roark or his polar opposite in Ellsworth Toohey. One of the few characters that possessed any semblance of humanity was Peter Keating who the author ultimately describes as a talentless, lackey worthy of nothing but contempt.

As an atheist who has strong laissez-faire leanings I ,too, was told that I would find the works of Ayn Rand to be no less than stunning. It is likely that I lack the intelligence to appreciate the author's brilliance but I found "The Fountainhead" very disappointing as far as a story goes.

I will give the author credit for her descriptive ability. She can definitely paint a vivid mental picture of a setting. On the flip side the dialogue is cumbersome. I found that I would have to read long passages of conversation many times just to make sure I knew which character was saying what.