Hobby Stash » Historical Fiction

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Linda — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:39:40 +0000

I’m going to break my normal policy of not issuing spoilers when writing a book review. I found The Fountainhead an engrossing read. But as the novel progressed, I found myself questioning Rand’s beliefs more and more.

First, romanticizing rape disgusted me. No means no. Dominique wanted to be degraded and raped so it’s okay just doesn’t cut it. That the “hero” of the novel does it, makes it even more deplorable.

Second, Rourke destroys a public housing project under construction, admits it, explains his reasons for the destruction in court, and is declared not guilty by the jury despite the fact he broke the law. The fact that several contracts were broken during the construction, and Rourke’s vision of the building was destroyed in the process, does not justify blowing up the building.

Rourke, a gifted architect, will listen to what a potential client wants and then provides his drawings for the project he perceives the client needs. If the client cannot be convinced to build exactly as designed by Rourke, Rourke does not accept the job. Frankly, that’s as it should be. He doesn’t sacrifice his integrity and the client doesn’t accept a building the client doesn’t want. Frankly, that’s how it’s supposed to work. No surprise that Rourke has a hard time finding clients with the same vision. Exactly how is he the victim here?

Although Rand’s perceptions of good and evil differs from mine, I did find The Fountainhead worth reading. Frankly I found the practices of the New York Banner quite similar to the practices of today’s Fox News Channel. After finishing I discovered The Fountainhead is often a high-school reading assignment, which disturbed me somewhat because of the two items mentioned above. However, it is a fabulous tool for debate on good versus evil and their definitions as well as the ability of a few to influence/manipulate the masses.

If Rand hadn’t been so darn preachy, I’d have given this five stars instead of four. I definitely plan to read Atlas Shrugged.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Inner Circle by Brad Melzer

Linda — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 08:30:25 +0000

This story just didn’t work for me. I’ve been sitting here for several minutes trying to put my finger on exactly what is wrong with this novel. Sigh…well, everything. I spent a good chunk of the novel trying to figure out who was good and who was bad with all their subplots. In the end it go to the point I just didn’t care. Beecher was a patsy and Clementine so unlikable I didn’t care what happened to her…romance that wasn’t a romance…thriller that wasn’t a thriller…and history that should have been left alone.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Linda — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:46:26 +0000

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel when I first started reading it, but quickly became involved with the characters as they unfolded. The story is told in first person by the three main characters, Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, and tackles racism in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. I couldn’t stop reading and didn’t want it to end.

When I searched for more information about Kathryn Stockett, I discovered she was born in and raised in Jackson, Missisppi and moved to New York to work in magazine publishing. Wow! I can’t wait for her next novel. Will there be a sequel?

Rating: ★★★★★

A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett

Linda — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:18:19 +0000

This historical novel is about the fall of a bank owned by the Pilaster family in the late 1800′s intertwined with murder and mystery. I didn’t find the novel as rich as World Without End and The Pillars of the Earth. But it was enjoyable nevertheless. Interestingly, the failure of banks in the novel is not all that different than what is happening today. Of course, back then there was no FDIC to protect the depositor and bank failures had devastating effects greater than what we are seeing today. Will we ever learn??

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Fire by Katherine Neville

Linda — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:29:09 +0000

I was so looking forward to this sequel to The Eight. Unlike its predecessor, The Fire is confusing and gets muddied down with a lot of confusing story lines that don’t seem to mesh. And the ending was a “ya gotta be kidding me that’s it?” ending. I made it through to the end but it wasn’t worth it.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

Linda — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:00:33 +0000

To be honest, I have mixed emotions about this novel. It intertwines to historical mysteries: the Bible’s murder of Abel by his brother Cain, and the murder of Jerry Siegel’s (creator of Superman comic hero) father in 1932. The tie between the two is tenuous at best. But the individual mysteries themselves were an interesting read as they intertwined and unfolded throughout the novel. Surprising ending…could almost hear the music swelling as the credits rolled by…

Rating: ★★★☆☆

The Last Secret of the Temple by Paul Sussman

Linda — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:15:23 +0000

Excellent plot involving an Israeli, Egyptian, and Palestinian hunting for a lost Jewish relic. Sussman goes to great lengths to flesh out these three characters with their ethnic biases/prejudices. The novel starts out so slowly, though, and as a result, I was very tempted to give up on it. But perseverance was worth it as I became immersed into the 3 story lines.

Rating: ★★★★☆

(downgraded because of the very slow start.)

The Eight by Katherine Neville

Linda — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:38:18 +0000

The plot of this novel centers around a legendary chess set once owned by King Charlemagne and flips between the 1790s and the 1970s. Although I am not a chess player, I found this a thoroughly engrossing read as the storylines of each time period unfolded.

There is a sequel due out this fall and I am definitely planning to continue on.

Rating: ★★★★★

The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury

Linda — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:48:32 +0000

This novel was a much better read than Khoury’s first. But I still think it would probably make a better movie than novel. The ending with lots of loose ends leads me to believe there will be a sequel.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury

Linda — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:45:48 +0000

This book started out great and its action-packed opening caught me right away. But as the story progressed, the plot deteriorated to the point I became disenchanted. The kindest thing I can say about it is that it is a Da Vinci Code rip-off. But, unlike The Da Vinci Code, the characters and plot line are unrealistic to the point of insulting the reader. I found Khoury’s portrayal of Monsignor De Angelis particularly offensive. Clearly, Khoury is disdainful of the Catholic faith and Christians in general. However, I suspect this would probably make a successful movie (given our low standards these days).

Unfortunately, I bought The Sanctuary (Khoury’s latest) at the same time, based on the reviews. Hopefully, I’ll find it a better read….I’m not holding my breath.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆