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lizkocher's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Dementia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Sexual harassment, and War
goldenslug'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
3.25
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
grantelope's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, and Medical trauma
ricardo_sb'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: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
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: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
skeptic_hecate'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
I believe that this book is especially about sexual repression. Women and men who are demonized by their use of sexuality. It is because of this sexism that no one can be free.
Also, nurse Ratched is properly evil, definitely one of the highlights of the book and one of my favourite villains. I highly recommend this book.
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
ynit_g'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
5.0
The book overall while feeling slow in parts is a very good read and I think might be considered an important read on "mental hospitals" coming from someone who is antipsych partly because of how these institutions are still horribly ran
I think some of the important little notes
Also the fact that
And while Mack's character is loveable in some ways
I also love the aspect of the Chief and his backstory especially
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Antisemitism
Minor: Pedophilia, Violence, Excrement, and Murder
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: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
milohno's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Racism
c3liaiswhoiam's review against another edition
3.0
Kesey is great at making the characters feel both vividly realistic and caricature-like at the same time. They're incredibly enjoyable characters and they play off each other really well. Having the story told from someone who essentially is a fly on the wall, but literally is within the story is clever. The story feels less subjective and very observative in that way even though it actually isn't. Following McMurphy's storyline and how he affects the others is also a joy all the way through, and the only time that lags is when McMurphy himself has a temporary change of heart halfway through.
It was an interesting, thoughtful, and enjoyable read that had to something to say about authority figures and how easily we trust (and betray) others.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, Torture, and Forced institutionalization