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kelschris15's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking, hilarious, dark, and superbly well-written. The "hero" of the story, McMurphy, is neither a wholly good nor wholly bad person. As a social worker, reading about the way the patients were dehumanized and "treated" was beyond appalling. The unreliable narrator made things particularly interesting; he was both clearly schizophrenic and surprisingly lucid as he described the events going on around him.
This is one of those books you are going to love or you're going to hate... possibly both. I couldn't put it down even as I wanted to hurl it at the wall in frustration.
Lastly (and slightly spoiler-y), don't go into this book expecting a perfectly happy ending. It's not that kind of book. But dang did the ending pack a punch.
This is one of those books you are going to love or you're going to hate... possibly both. I couldn't put it down even as I wanted to hurl it at the wall in frustration.
Lastly (and slightly spoiler-y), don't go into this book expecting a perfectly happy ending. It's not that kind of book. But dang did the ending pack a punch.
finn681414's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
athenia's review against another edition
4.0
Review: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest I'd heard this referenced many a time in other books and TV shows, so for me, it was something I knew I had to read. The idea of a whole book set in a mental asylum, based off the author's use of drugs and working on a psychiatric ward, it sparked my interest to say the least. I'm not going to lie, I was slightly apprehensive about reading it. Why? I wasn't sure if I'd like it. My dislike for the unreliable narrator really put me on edge of odd narration, although I knew it could be used to make a book brilliant, I knew it also could break a book for me. But still, I persevered.It took me a while to get into it, mainly because I was stupidly busy at the time, but I also found it started slightly slow. The narration, I didn't find a problem, it added a twist that I think was needed to get really inside the minds of the characters. I think the characters was the exact reason it took so long. You're immediately introduced to a set of characters who you know are going to be odd, and it's not until about half way through the book do you start considering them actually as people. Maybe I did too much research on the book before reading, but to me, my mind was constantly wary of their mental state, which I knew was the wrong way to approach it. By the time you start seeing the 'revolution' in the book, that's when the characters come alive. I felt a personal link to Billy, who suffered from a stutter much like I do. It was refreshing to see a character who was more than his stutter, nor was it faked or somehow used as a coy. It was simply someone, with a stutter, who albeit was mad, but still just a guy.The narrative can be slightly confusing at times. The unstable mentality of the narrator (The Chief) means it drifts between what's happening on the ward and his past, very effortlessly, with no warning or even a paragraph break. After a few occasions of this happening, my mind got used to it, and I found it to be interesting. Kesey was able to draw parallels between the happenings in the ward, and the tribe that the Chief originated from, which kind of took it away from being an outlandish mental asylum to an actual community of people.The ending, was shocking. It was unexpected, and to be honest, broke my heart. You expected it to end in joy, after so much freedom and escapism with the party, but the fall of McMurphy really gets to you. The downfall of Nurse Ratched's power and the breakdown of the war in the end gave the book a nice finality, while the story of McMurphy was left at a very poignant end, where you see just how horrible the mental institutions can be.Overall, Ken Kesey's book was a really joy to read, and proved to me that odd narratives can be equally amazing as they can be damning. It's a different read, one that I doubt I'll find anywhere else.
spacemanchris's review against another edition
My main reason for finally getting around to this novel was an attempt at broadening the types of books I read. A fifty year old novel about patients in a mental asylum narrated by a silent Native American seemed different enough.
I liked that we got to see the story from Chief Bromden's point of view as it adds a bit of mystery to McMurphy. Although he's a loud mouthed braggart, there is presumably more going on beneath the surface that we never get to see. I liked that he remains a question mark of sorts from beginning to end.
Nurse Ratched never quite felt like a real character, but I assume that's the point. She's more of a manipulative figure of authority that lives simply to keep the patients in line, ruling the ward with her iron fist. She gained a little bit of sympathy from me towards the end, but only a little.
McMurphy is kind of a jerk, if not a likeable one. His realisation that he could be stuck in the ward for a very long time was an interesting moment. The idea that he could potentially be locked away forever without a chance at release gave a little more depth to his later actions.
It was nice to cross this book off my list, though it didn't grab me in the way it does a lot of others. Perhaps it's because it's so far removed from my own life and time or possibly because it'd be hyped up so much from others, or even the film adaptaton which I'd already seen gave me an idea of where the story was going.
A good book, but not one of my favourties.
I liked that we got to see the story from Chief Bromden's point of view as it adds a bit of mystery to McMurphy. Although he's a loud mouthed braggart, there is presumably more going on beneath the surface that we never get to see. I liked that he remains a question mark of sorts from beginning to end.
Nurse Ratched never quite felt like a real character, but I assume that's the point. She's more of a manipulative figure of authority that lives simply to keep the patients in line, ruling the ward with her iron fist. She gained a little bit of sympathy from me towards the end, but only a little.
McMurphy is kind of a jerk, if not a likeable one. His realisation that he could be stuck in the ward for a very long time was an interesting moment. The idea that he could potentially be locked away forever without a chance at release gave a little more depth to his later actions.
It was nice to cross this book off my list, though it didn't grab me in the way it does a lot of others. Perhaps it's because it's so far removed from my own life and time or possibly because it'd be hyped up so much from others, or even the film adaptaton which I'd already seen gave me an idea of where the story was going.
A good book, but not one of my favourties.
alannabarras's review against another edition
3.0
I can't say I enjoyed this book, although I certainly don't regret reading it either. It's an old book and it feels old as you first start it, with remarkable sexism and racism jarring in its casual inclusion. I actually had to double check - this was written in the 60s, more recently then it felt like it should have been written, just because I want to believe that level of overt racism/sexism couldn't have been so recent.
Very little happens in the first half of the book, and due to the unreliable narrator it's very hard to identify with any of the character. I struggled through the first half because of this, although once the main character started coming out of the fog in the second half everything picked up both pace and intensity. I respected how Kesey wrapped it all up as well, I thought he did a very good job walking the line between too dark or tying everything up in a neat bow.
Instead of reading I listened to the John C Reilly audiobook, and he did an excellent job, differentiating characters with voices or accents. He also has a very pleasant narrator voice, so I hope he does more books in the future.
Very little happens in the first half of the book, and due to the unreliable narrator it's very hard to identify with any of the character. I struggled through the first half because of this, although once the main character started coming out of the fog in the second half everything picked up both pace and intensity. I respected how Kesey wrapped it all up as well, I thought he did a very good job walking the line between too dark or tying everything up in a neat bow.
Instead of reading I listened to the John C Reilly audiobook, and he did an excellent job, differentiating characters with voices or accents. He also has a very pleasant narrator voice, so I hope he does more books in the future.
somills's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Certainly something.
dutchuncleandy's review against another edition
5.0
Would give more stars to the 50th anniversary edition audiobook, brilliantly performed by John C Reilly
laurenjoy's review against another edition
4.0
This book was nothing like what I expected. Once I opened it I understood all of the jokes about the terrifying Nurse Ratched, The book read almost like a Stephen King novel where the tension builds and the enemies are straight out malicious. It was a wonderfully gripping story- although... not advised for bedtime reading. That is- unless you want some very vivid dreams.
lucy_goosey7's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderfully tangled, rich, gorgeous writing style - I fell in love with this book a while back and it still may be my favourite ever