Well... it is finally the time to say goodbye. 1069 pages read, so many characters met (some with obscenely strange names- I mean Tinky! Cuffy! Seriously!), all the moments, its over now. Wow... its so hard to believe. The commitment made is now going to become a thing of the past, just a memory of a long ass book that we slaved over.
I'm going to miss it as crazy as I may think I am for saying it. It was such a journey to get through. I became so connected to the story- and yes- I did throw the book across a room... twice... in public... and I screamed. I screamed a lot. A LOT. But despite that, I think I enjoyed it. I enjoyed seeing the development of Hank Rearden, and his friendship with Francisco grow into the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life. I liked discovering Rand's fetishes through her sex scenes, and determining that what she really should have done was write erotica. I liked those little moments that made me laugh and the ones that made me say "damn- that was really well written". Because we all have to admit- like her or not- Rand is a superb writer.
Now, I obviously had many issues with this book- as I have ranted about them in my previous blogs, mostly about Dangy. But by the end- I became indifferent about her relationship with Galt. I actually, sadly, lost interest in her character all together. Instead, I found myself reading the book and groaning whenever she was in it. I just wanted to read about Rearden. Sure, I'm sad about it, I mean, I really liked her, but sometimes people change. We can't dwell on the past.
The book really did seem to go over the span of time that it did. The characters would even start to age in my imagination as I read. Dagny got really fat when she first saw Galt at the train station for some reason, but maybe that was because I couldn't really figure out her dress. And then there was Lillian, who got crazier with every page I turned. And of course- Francisco. Wow- I really never thought I would like him but in the end he became one of my favorite characters. In the beginning he was Mr. Perfect, but once the other Mr. Perfect (a.k.a. Galt) came along and Francisco revealed everything and showed some weakness and imperfection, I finally decided to push down my walls and admit that I liked him. It also helped that he is badass in the remainder of the story.
One final (or hopefully final) complaint I will make is the way Rand described her characters (except for Dagny). They were always the opposite of how I imagined them. I mean I know its stupid, but I seriously saw Francisco as blonde or with light brown hair. AND THEN EVERYONE ELSE WAS BLONDE! I thought the rest of them would be brunette. That was really awkward for me to get a hold on. I still imagine them in the way I originally assumed they would look like, sorry Rand.
But- wow- I don't know if I can say everything I want to say (plus I only have a few minutes before the clock hits eight) but I'm glad I got to read this book. I am glad I got the Atlas Shrugged experience. Even though it prevented me from reading "V For Vendetta" (which was especially painful when the Galt speech was going on) I loved it. The ending was so action packed- and usually I'm not a huge fan of that- but I really loved it in this book. I swear, I will walk away from this claiming that Rearden and Francisco are the greatest bromance that ever was. Because they truely are. So- alas- I must bid this blog fair-well... crap I think I may even cry- but I have so much stage make-up on so that is probably an awful idea. This blog was my friend on my lonesome weekends- like Priya's cheesecake. I had so much fun with it- and I know that there will be/are more blogs but- I really liked this one. So- I sappily conclude this last entry. Oye- This is so hard. I loved this book (except for all the shit I bitched about in my other entries). This was a great experience!
.... and I realize I still can't read "V For Vendetta".... but... what the hell! I'll rant my heart out until I can!
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