Tremendous in scope, and breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book one gets a chance to read. It is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder-and rebirth-of man's spirit. ( )

La gente que hoy en día se sorprende del éxito de Dan Brown debería leer este libro y comprender que en todas la épocas cuecen habas. Este libro fue un exitazo en los años 50 y resulta de una pesadez insoportable. Sin meterme en honduras sobre la "filosofía" de Rand, esta novela rebosa discursos a cual más largo pesado y aburrido (destaca el famoso de John Galt que supera las 50 páginas) los personajes son puro cartón piedra. No llegan ni a estereotipos) y la novela en general es insoportablemente aburrida y sermoneadora. ( )

A staggering portrait of emptiness. If only someone had remembered to tell the author.

Atlas Shrugged is breathtaking empty. Devoid of morality, depleted of literary skill, deprived of sensible plot, deserted of dialogue. Philosophy textbooks disguised as novels are rarely appealing, but especially not when the underlying philosophy is so absurd. Like much throat-slitting libertarianism (which Rand chose to call "objectivism"), the views make minimal sense in regard to their actions, but make no sense whatsoever in regard to the consequences of those actions. Take a few logical steps down the line and see what kind of world you'll end up in if you follow these instructions.

(If you're reading this on the cusp of the 2020s, you won't have to do too much guessing; Rand's principles underwrite some of our most prominent world politicians and thinkers.)

Run. Take your children and your pets, grab that wad of cash from under grandma's mattress, and head for the hills. A world awaits you there of kindness and compassion, and - for that matter - genuine literature. Maybe you'll enjoy [a:Lawrence Durrell|8166|Lawrence Durrell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1463722118p2/8166.jpg] or [a:Sally Rooney|15860970|Sally Rooney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1534007127p2/15860970.jpg]? Perhaps you're a [a:Toni Morrison|3534|Toni Morrison|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494211316p2/3534.jpg] type, a [a:Kazuo Ishiguro|4280|Kazuo Ishiguro|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1424906625p2/4280.jpg] acolyte, mad for [a:John Barth|8113|John Barth|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1222685060p2/8113.jpg] or eager for [a:George Eliot|173|George Eliot|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596202587p2/173.jpg]. Whatever you choose, it's got to be better than this. As Robinson Jeffers famously said, "when the cities lie at the monster's feet, there are left the mountains". ( )

I went into reading this book thinking I would love it. By the end, I found myself answering "who cares" every time the book spouted the mantra "who is John Gault."

I was able to read the whole book and did find it interesting enough to finish. I don't think I would be so disappointed if I hadn't gone in with such high expectations for my enjoyment level.
( )

A fascinating world created by a self-hating author. I enjoyed what I read of it but quit halfway from overall annoyance at Rand's attitude. ( )