Atlas Shrugged
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3 Months Free
Atlas Shrugged
Buy Now for £3.99
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Narrated by:
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Scott Brick
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By:
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Ayn Rand
Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand’s magnum opus: a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller—nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.
Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey of five thousand people conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club in 1991.
In a scrap heap within an abandoned factory, the greatest invention in history lies dormant and unused. By what fatal error of judgment has its value gone unrecognized, its brilliant inventor punished rather than rewarded for his efforts?
This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did. In defense of those greatest of human qualities that have made civilization possible, he sets out to show what would happen to the world if all the heroes of innovation and industry went on strike. Is he a destroyer or a liberator? Why does he have to fight his battle not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves? The answers will be revealed once you discover the reason behind the baffling events that wreak havoc on the lives of the amazing men and women in this remarkable book.
Tremendous in scope and breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus, which launched an ideology and a movement. With the publication of this work in 1957, Rand gained an instant following and became a phenomenon. Atlas Shrugged emerged as a premier moral apologia for capitalism, a defense that had an electrifying effect on millions of readers (and now listeners) who had never heard capitalism defended in other than technical terms.
©1985 Eugene Winick, Paul Gitlin and Leonard Peikoff (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.In particular the polemic "from each their ability, to each their need"; was both criticized and discredited. I also realised that the author's passionate belief that this simply negates human autonomy and creativity and replaces it with an emasculated, feckless and dependent societal mass, prey to an unscrupulous dictatorship and centralist control may very sadly be true!
Thought Provoking and Surprisingly Brilliant
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Would you listen to Atlas Shrugged again? Why?
Very unlikely - simply because of its length.How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Less self indulgent material about how wonderful the female protagonist is.Which scene did you most enjoy?
The inaugural train journey - it was breathtaking - very fast paced - and constantly interesting.If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Only in America.Any additional comments?
This book took Ayn Rand 10 years to write. She researched her subjects diligently and wrote clearly and often excitingly. She gives her characters very long speeches, these are set pieces that are designed to express her philosophy. This is a book of ideas, not a simple story. Her basic concept is that work is virtuous and that wealth is the inevitable reward. Her heroes are hard working industrialists with a hands on approach. She is also unflinching about the moral necessity of owning ones own motivation.Industrialists turn the tables.
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To put it bluntly the story is bad. I understand why it's seducing for so many people and I think it was overall worth listening to at least once... but only once because it was really grating at parts.
Ayn Rand is really good at writing infuriating pen pushers who seem to only exist to get in the way of the productive "Galts" of the world. These parasites annoy to no end in the book and will become recognizable figures after the book. Oddly enough she opens her book by saying that "Galts" exist in the world. She's right.... but I don't think she stands among them.
After the book I found myself saying things like "the parasite will take even if it kills the host. Despite the fact that once the host dies it too shall die. It doesn't care since it doesn't love itself to better itself. It will kill the host in hatred for being able to do the very thing that sustains it's miserable live."
Overall I would recommend getting a shorter version of the book if possible.
That took forever....
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Would you consider the audio edition of Atlas Shrugged to be better than the print version?
Having never read the print version of this book I can only give comments on the audio version and would say well written, read and would recommend a listen of this book to any body that might have an anti capitalist view.What other book might you compare Atlas Shrugged to, and why?
I have not experienced a book like this one before.What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?
Scott Bricks performance was excellent.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I found on several occasions finding my self arguing with Ayn Rands philosophy. Though the foundation of the theory which holds the story together does work well here and can be compared to current times and our corruption in political positions, I do think and believe the people would act and survive if this situation did ever occur.Any additional comments?
before I read this book I was an anti capitalist, this book has made me think how we are all human beings dealing with life in the best way our intellect allows us. It has not made me pro capitalist but has made me rethink how we can work together and rethink other options.Interesting theory eloquently put into a story
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10 stars
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