Atlas Shrugged

A monolithic text on libertarian-ism written as a dystopian novel set in the 1950s. It's written from an idealist perspective where the author sets up her characters to be able to live by these ideals in a very black and white way. Personally, I think life is far more grey-scale than this and she fails to explain how such a society cares for those who cannot care for themselves. On the positive side she does raise some interesting points and does succeed in describing how corruption and social welfare idealism can be counter productive. I think the book would have been significantly more meaningful if it was less long winded.

This is my second reading and somehow I was even more engulfed by the book than the first time.
The only bone I had to pick with Rand is why the hell Eddie was left overboard? Yes, he didn't make the last step, but they didn't give him a chance. This made me very angry. His character deserved to make this final leap and find Atlantis. I resent that it didn't happen.
Apart from that, the book was a total thrill. Again. I don't know what I'm Rand's writing makes me feel the characters' emotions so vividly, but it does. There is some part of me that resonates with her books (Atlas and Fountainhead) at some level that I myself can't explain.