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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
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
milohno's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Body horror, Medical content, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Racism, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, and Ableism
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Author: Ken Kesey
Genre: Classic
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: February 1, 1963
T H R E E • W O R D S
Disturbing • Shocking • Powerful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Nurse Ratched rules the roost, unopposed by her patients, at an Oregon State mental hospital. Her regime is soon disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy, who has resolved to oppose her rules in an attempt to battle the powers that keep them all imprisoned.
💭 T H O U G H T S
What an emotional ride!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a fictionalized (but all too real) look into the lives of the institutionalized and the journey had me feeling all of the emotions. From hatred towards nurse Ratched, to sympathy and love for the patients, to the shocking similarities to reality.
I feel as though there is a special place for Chief Bromden. Kesey couldn't have chosen a better narrator, yet his offers a unique perspective, flowing from reality to delusion and back again flawlessly. This book wouldn't be what it is if the narration had been from a different perspective.
Everything - the characters, the plot, and the writing - comes together to offer so many layers and covers a wide array of themes. It isn't surprising why this is a classic piece of literature, and opens up so much discussion.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• most readers
• classic enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing."
"More was revealed in a human face than a human being can bear face to face."
"The world news might not be therapeutic."
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Confinement
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Ableism, Medical trauma, Death, and Misogyny
voilajean's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Confinement, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization
sweetchocolatez's review against another edition
- 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
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
jeremie'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
4.5
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Misogyny, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Pedophilia, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
mariaviola'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
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, and Homophobia
kstericker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Suicide
Minor: Racial slurs and Adult/minor relationship
bailee_c's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Mental illness