4 1/2 stars
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but I was pleasantly surprised. This book has different elements coming together, romance, mystery, drama, and philosophy. The main character, Dagny Taggart is a railroad heiress with a serious work ethic. Ever since she was a little girl, she wanted to run the family railroad. As the Vice President of Operations, she is always at odds with her brother James who is President. James is the constant obstacle in the way of Dagny running a successful railroad. The constant theme throughout the book was James not wanting to take the responsibility for anything wrong but willing to take all the credit for Dagny's hard work. Not only does Dagny have to battle her idiot brother, there seems to be a shortage of men with brains in the workforce. Dagny watches the world fall apart as a government of James' friends issue more and more regulations on industrialists with greed as their motive but hiding behind "the greater good". Struggling to keep her railroad afloat against all odds, she soon finds out there is one more person she has to fight against. A man she calls "the destroyer" is getting to the last great men in the world, causing them to disappear without a trace. This book has an interesting theme that poses an interesting question. What happens when men of intelligence go on strike? This is a massive book and I listened to it on audio (over 52 hours). Some parts get a little boring and come off as philosophical ranting, like a part at the end where "the destroyer" makes a radio speech which apparently lasts 3 hours. I'm not sure if it really lasted that long, it only mentions later in the book that it was a 3 hour speech and I believe it! I loved this book.
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