Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

13 reviews

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

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

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

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

swimfast724's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Another book I read in high school. I didn't exactly enjoy it, but I didn't dislike it either

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide, Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt

en0mad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

mintii's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I took my sweet time reading this book up until the end. The narrator has a way of describing scenes that's disorienting and manic, which I found to be difficult to keep up, but thematically appropriate. 
The ending was not at all what I thought it would be. 

McMurphy being killed by the Chief was not expected. The unraveling of the end felt like everyone believed in the transformative magic of McMurphy's presence. So the refusal to believe that even he could be captured by the Combine and lobotomized was fitting but I wasn't expecting the narrator to take initiative in fixing that.

It's like when people say "Don't be sad because it's over, smile because it happened." Taking the initiative to control whether or not you or other could be sad perhaps shows the influence of such an institution as this mental hospital and Nurse Ratchet's power. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Drug use, Alcohol, Death, Blood, and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexism, Mental illness, Classism, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Cultural appropriation

lizkocher's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Medical content, Suicide, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Abandonment, Hate crime, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcohol, Sexism, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, and War

goldenslug's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism

Minor: Misogyny, Alcohol, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexual violence

asmodeous's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

Most of the time when I connect with a book I feel like I leave a piece of my soul with it when I finish. This book I feel like I got a new piece, it is not a piece that I necessarily want but this book still gave it to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Alcohol, Confinement, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Gaslighting, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, and Ableism

Minor: Misogyny, Self harm, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

kcheyne's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, Grief, Misogyny, Blood, Genocide, Suicide, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

sweetchocolatez's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Racism, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, and Animal death