This is a popular book. An old one too. Many of the books I've listed are related to the Eastern part of the world, either geographically, or culturally. One theme that tends to surface in them, repeatedly, is the sense of expectation, and one's duty to fulfill that expectation. The fountainhead is a departure from those ideas. The individual is the center of the universe. An individual's thought and an individual's aspirations are captured in the story of Howard Roark - the protagonist. The author plays many roles of black and white in the book comparing success (with no sense of achievement) with failure (with no sense of a lack of achievement). It's a very thought provoking and inspiring book. Occasionally, the author takes you on a philosophical journey, where I frequently found myself predicting the arguments of two people in dialogue. A fun read.

Jokes apart, the book is filled with tragedies. But, it's also filled with many messages. Simple messages of human values, which I think is what is truly needed today. It's amazing how different people think they are, yet how similar they are, and yet, how different they are. The book is exceptionally well written and didn't get me bored at all.

So here's the controversy. The author mentioned on the cover is not the real author of the book. This was originally a French book with the title you see above that was translated twice, and still badly. Follett agreed to translate it and he did a much better job at it. But he urges you not to buy the book (so, I borrowed). 

Rating: 4.5/5    -> Short enough to be a great one evening read

Rating: 2/5

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It's a sad state of affairs. This book was difficult to read. The reality of the lives of the women of the Saudi royal family painted a pitiful picture. Although the characters are not real, and the events not entirely true (to protect anonymity), the ideas, the concepts, the nature of the events that take place and are taking place, to this day, are entirely true.

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