The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

From the paperback:
  When The Fountainhead was first published, Ayn Rand's daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy, Objetivism, won immediate worldwide interest and acclaim. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him. This edition contains a special Afterword by Rand's literary executor, Leonard Peikoff, which includes excerpts from Ayn Rand's own notes on the making of The Fountainhead. As fresh today as it was then, here is a novel about a hero-and about those who try to destroy him.

   The Fountainhead was our first randomly drawn Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge book. It was a great way to kick off such a list. It was told in four parts each concentrating on a different character type. I admit it was slow going during a couple of them, reading this took a little longer than I anticipated.
   I loved Roark. I love his courage to unflinchingly stick to his beliefs. I love that he has no care of most people's opinions. I love that he's so incredibly sure of his self and his passion. I think that one of my favorite things about this classic is that our hero is actually an atheist, but an atheist with a belief in something. A belief so strong that he lives his entire life while staying true to this uncommon and misunderstood belief.
   A person's beliefs are extremely personal, no matter what they may be. I like that Ayn Rand created this strong, nearly perfect man, who does not conform to a more traditional belief system. I think that belief in something is important, to have some guide for your personal morals and I liked that Roark's wasn't based on a belief in a higher power. Instead it was something he felt within his self to be right.
   There's a great reason this book has become a classic. I'm sure it could be and has been dissected in a hundred different ways, but as a pleasure reader I liked most of the characters, and loved to hate one particular character. I enjoyed going along with Roark on his life journey.