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A review by kelly_e
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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? Yes
4.25
Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
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."
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."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Confinement
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Ableism, Medical trauma, Death, and Misogyny