The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

I really enjoyed this book.  I liked the strong characters, especially the architect, and the story really drew me in.  Then suddenly at the end, the architect makes a choice and does something that I couldn't agree with (since I don't share most of Rand's strong political and social views), and it really bothered me!  That is a sign of a good book, when you are emotionally invested in the characters and their actions and really care what they do.  It is fairly long, although Rand has written longer!  It has less straight political and social commentary than Atlas Shrugged, although her views are of course still very present.  The main female character isn't particularly likeable and seems somewhat worthless, especially when Rand's usual standards of value are applied, but she also seems very real.  The newspaperman is also an interesting character as he is somewhat a "gray" character when Rand's characters are almost always black or white.  Worth the time.