Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Such a heart breaking read, I couldn't help but falling inlove with the characters, even though they are deeply flawed, maybe because of that.

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.

Content Warnings

socialpsysteph's review against another edition

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challenging reflective 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

4.0

This is definitely a TBR vet for me. For whatever reason I just haven't gotten around to it but this was the year! I listened to this on audiobook and I think that was a great way to consume this. The story is told from the perspective of an unreliable narrator (he has schizophrenia), so listening was definitely easier than physically reading would have been. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and the dynamics on the ward. This is definitely not a light or easy read, but would recommend for anyone interested in the history of mental healthcare/psychology. I think this story does a good job of humanizing those with mental illness and touching on a lot of the abuses that used to be present in these institutional settings.

This book counts for Popsugar 2022 for a book with an onomatopeia in its title.

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foxo_cube's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

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

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is, I think, my favourite book of all time.

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.

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c3liaiswhoiam's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

I ended up really enjoying this reading experience, which was a relief upon the disaster that was Catch-22.
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.

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islajackson's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad 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

3.5

It was good I think but I hated it 😭😭😭luv chief though

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jeremie's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad slow-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

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kstericker's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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mwreadings's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

0.75

I study this for A-Level so I had to read it. I hate it with a passion. The racism, ableism, homophobia and the misogyny are so deeply ingrained in the characters and the plot. Ken Kesey's descriptions often reveal these prejudices and make him such an unlikeable author. I think the premise of society being a Combine that creates identical people is such a good concept and he is a decent writer but his political opinions are not aligned to mine. I dislike the message of the book and the depictions of women and African Americans in particular.

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