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meenalgarg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Mental illness
lizardddd's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Deportation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Racism, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Death of parent, Ableism, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Confinement, Self harm, and Body horror
sunflowerhour's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
Moderate: Outing, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual harassment, Torture, Terminal illness, and Sexual violence
brimclala's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Xenophobia and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
redraven01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Murder, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
zoinkie's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Torture, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Violence, Death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Racial slurs
lizkocher's review against another edition
- 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
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
jesthemess's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Suicide, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Confinement
Minor: Cursing and Racial slurs
kcheyne's review against another edition
- 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
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
foxo_cube's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I will say that it isn't perfect. It's, shall we say, a product of its time: most common-or-garden varieties of discrimination are thrown in casually here and there, and it does make me cringe a little bit at points. Personally, I try not to hold older books to the same standard I'd hold new publications in that regard, but it's worth mentioning as it is a little off-putting.
The main storyline is that of a criminal, McMurphy, entering a psychiatric ward expecting an easier life than what he was experiencing on a work farm, and discovering that he has made a terrible mistake. Being a rebel by nature, he quickly makes it his job to break down the strict and cruel Head Nurse.
The clashes between the staff and McMurphy are great - sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, sometimes devastating, often some mix of all those things - but what I love so much about the book is how the patients of the ward have real humanity to them, and the slow but sure change in atmosphere throughout the war between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched is written beautifully. McMurphy is a rough, problematic, but undeniably charming character with a gentleness to him we only see through Bromden's eyes, especially when they form a friendship.
This aspect, the platonic love story, is one of my favourite things about the book overall. The way Bromden discusses him, and their conversations, even when they're focused on boosting Bromden's confidence (usually in pretty bawdy fashion), is written with a lovely tenderness. McMurphy is a grey-area character who most definitely manipulates the hell out of a lot of the patience for money and cigarettes, but his growing care towards the people on the ward and rage at the mistreatment they face is, nonetheless, very real.
Bromden is a proudly unreliable narrator who phases in and out of the "fog", as he describes it - seemingly dissociative periods where he exists on autopilot, or flashbacks to his past, or hallucinates. He has spent his time on the ward pretending that he can neither hear nor speak, meaning he gets to be a fly on the wall during private meetings and such due to the staff often using him as a cleaner. He hates the system he's in, the state of the world, and the treatment he faces on the ward, but feels powerless to stop it, meaning that McMurphy is both a godsend and a terrifying presence to him. His character growth is fairly subtle at first, but the end scenes - which are devastating - are a powerful culmination of the book's events: when McMurphy is lobotomised, Bromden performs the most sincere expression of love and respect that he possibly could have.
I've read this book a good few times now, and it's always a total rollercoaster ride of emotions.
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Suicide, Ableism, Misogyny, Bullying, Violence, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Confinement, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, Racism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail