Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

38 reviews

ellatea's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, and Classism

goemonxiii's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I know this book is controversial, but it's amazing nonetheless. Please read the content warnings before picking up this book as it does contain lots of racism, statutory, involuntary hospitalization, and internalized racism, among other difficult topics. Also the protagonist is really unlikable, though I believe the narrator makes up for this with how the book makes you want to root for him. Nonetheless, this book still manages to be great. It's a great look into mental asylums and the hidden abuse within them, and the plot is shocking with its twists and turns. It felt a bit longer to read, and it had its slower parts, but this is a book I would recommend to most people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Colonisation

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and War

death, abuse from medical authorities, abuse of the mentally disabled and ill, lots of slurs and racism against Black people, bragging about statutory rape, unethical medical procedures

betag1013's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

hell0fri3nd's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Racism

taylormccoy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

gh2mi's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective sad 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

5.0

The quality of writing and the story here are superb. I loved this SO much. It was constantly challenging, equally as funny, and thus is ABSOLUTELY worth reading. With such strong characters, still-impactful stances on societal wrongdoings and failures, and so many fascinating creative choices, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is just as relevant now as when it released 60 years ago.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Sexual harassment

lizardddd's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

therat8's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Suicide, and Colonisation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and War

reading_moth's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Racial slurs and Suicide

savage_book_review's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was inspired to add this book to my TBR pile pretty much exactly a year ago, after watching the Netflix drama 'Ratched'. I enjoyed the series, but felt like I was missing something as I hadn't read the source material. Unfortunately, I'm still none the wiser.

I don't know what it is with me and books that are labelled 'classics', but I don't think I've found one yet that I've truly enjoyed. This was no exception - I just couldn't immerse myself in the story or even pick out moments of clarity that stuck with me. While I understand that this is written from the point of view of a mentally ill person confined to a hospital ward, and by choosing this narrator the author has allowed the reader to experience the 'fog' of confusion and twisted logic experienced daily by the patients, it's rambling relaying of events left me more lost than confused. I followed the general plot, but had no inclination to take more care with my reading to study the text and events in depth.

From a modern perspective, the methods outlined in the story are clearly not the right way to treat mental illness. But then I queried whether several of the characters illnesses were all that acute anyway. Yes, some people (the narrator included) clearly did have delusions or other issues that may require in-patient care, but there seemed so little character building on much of the supporting cast that it felt like they were there purely to pad out the cast list. 

I guess the author's main aim was to try and make the reader consider whether McMurphy's illness was feigned or genuine. He reminds me a little of Campbell Bain in 'Takin' Over The Asylum' (although I'm sure in reality the latter was in some way influenced by the former); a manic depressive who, after a moment of inspiration, starts to subvert the normal order of things within his environment. But this right here sums up how hard I found the book to relate to; if I'm drawing parallels with the works of David Tennant (rather than just picturing him as my leading man), then you know my mind has wandered to a better place!

I also can't understand where this reputation for Nurse Ratched being one of literature's great villains has come from. To me, she seems like a no-nonsense, firm but fair person who is doing her best to do what must be an incredibly difficult job without letting it affect her, and doing what she thinks is best for her patients based in the knowledge of the time. Yes, it's clear that McMurphy gets under her skin and she does start to become a little vindictive about punishing him for his transgressions, but I just can't equate that with the totally twisted person I had been expecting going into this. I can only suspect that it's because the story is written through the male gaze at a time when women in positions of authority were rare and dangerous creatures...

Not what I was expecting or hoping for, and quite underwhelmed. Never mind. I tried.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual content