I had the book in my library for twenty years and never read it.
And then a discussion came up, and I of course wanted to join in the discussion. So I read it. And yes, it did take a while, even for me. I read fairly fast.
It's a slog.
Rand does well, for a non-native English writer, as so many others often do.
I knew it would take a while to get through it, so I stifled my impatience and continued reading. It got more interesting with time.
Of course, in the last third of the book, it got very frustrating again. People were doing strange things for inexplicable reasons. That's not the way to create a mystery, and it's certainly not the way to create a dystopian novel of economic enlightenment.
But it is far too late to remonstrate with Ayn Rand now. What she has written must stand on its own, and fortunately, it does that very well.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this novel was ripped from today's newspaper headlines. Those of you who have had the audacity and perseverance to follow economic and political matters recently will recognize the dialog, and the speakers, as familiar voices which you have heard speaking this litany of greed for power.
It is very familiar. That is the astonishing thing. The novel was written ages ago, and yet Rand nails the very words of our current politicians, as much as if she were there in those smoke-filled rooms as they plotted our misfortune.
That is the attraction of this timeless book. Timeless because she has captured the spirit of lust for power that motivates these shameless usurpers.
It is not a must read. But it is a should read. Eventually, you may even agree that it is a should-read-again.
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(Before you may post this message, the following must be corrected: Could not find anybody named 'taqxchick' )
It wouldn't do any good anyway. She interviewed my uncle about whether a certain event in the book would be possible. I won't spoil by writing which event here. He told her that beyond a doubt it was scientifically impossible.
She used it anyway.