Now stop for a moment and imagine the potential success if she had been a good writer ;)
More seriously, I think it's fairly obvious that the reason it winds up on Great Books lists is not because it's a great book - far from it - but rather because many people find the politics underlying it to be appealing. Realistically, you can sum up the whole book as follows:
Dear Reader:
Socialism really sucks, and it's even more insidious than you think it is.
Love,
Ayn
Now, as appealing as that message is, does it really belong on a list of great literature? I think it doesn't, because literary merit is as much about execution - the art of writing - as it is about intent.
"Now stop for a moment and imagine the potential success if she had been a good writer ;) "
Well of course.
Best novels ? No.
Influential books ? Absolutely.
Required reading long into the future ? Probably, and spare some compassion for all those who will get them on the reading list, as we must for those given "A Critique of Pure Reason" or "Being and Nothingness".