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Loading... One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (original 1962; edition 1979)by Ken KESEY
Work InformationOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (1962)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I remember this as engrossing and memorable as an adolescent. ( ) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is now a new all-time favourite. Harrowing and heart-breaking, brilliantly written and thought-provoking I savoured every delicious word with frequent pauses to process and absorb. Nurse Ratched runs her ward in the Oregon state mental hospital like a well-oiled machine. She controls the Acutes and the Chronics, the Walkers, Wheelers and Vegetables with an iron-clad fist and a rigid daily routine until Randle Patrick McMurphy rocks up, committed by the state from the Pendleton Farm for Correction on the grounds of insanity orchestrated by the man himself hoping for a cushier number. A self-professed con artist and gambler he immediately ups the ante betting he can deal the cards that will crack Big Nurse’s poker face. The characterisation is sublime: Mack, the user and hustler, womaniser and disruptor with his red hair and big arms, cap, grin and swagger; manipulative and sadistic Miz Ratched preceded by her bolster bosom and wicker basket with her trepidatious, hand-picked minions bobbing along behind her and half Indian giant Chief Bromden, our befogged, paranoid and seemingly deaf and mute narrator sprang into life, burrowed into my brain and held me in thrall. There’ll always be a special place in my heart for stuttering, man-child Billy Bibbit. Nurse Ratched has sedation and seclusion, the Disturbed Ward and the Shock Shop, therapeutic adjustment and surgical reconditioning at her fingertips to emasculate, subjugate and humiliate her charges. McMurphy has charisma and joie de vivre, playing the system and playing the fool, provocation and intimidation up his sleeve to sever the puppet master’s strings and transform his colony of timid little rabbits into a pack of teeth baring wolves. Images from the film only served to enhance my overall reading experience. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. One of a kind! This was a pick for my works book club, and I wasn’t too excited. I watched the movie years ago, and doubted the book would add much to the story. But boy, was I wrong! “What do you think you are, for Chrissake, crazy or somethin'? Well you're not! You're not! You're no crazier than the average asshole out walkin' around on the streets and that's it. ” In an Oregon State mental hospital ward, Nurse Ratched rules over her patients with manipulation, mind-numbing medication, and electroshock therapy. Her carefully curated regime is disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy - the swaggering, fun-loving trickster who resolves to oppose her. His struggle is seen through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a seemingly mute half-Indian patient who understands McMurphy's heroic attempt with the powers that keep them imprisoned. What is surprising about this book is how much fun it is! Through the character of McMurphy, Kesey portrays a rebellion against Ratched with ever increasing antics. The novel also highlights the institutionalization of individuals who do not fit society's expectations. Chief Bromden as the narrator allows the reader to see the events of the novel through the eyes of someone who is both inside and outside the system. His descriptions of the "fog" and the "combine" are confusing at first but are powerful metaphors for the way the patients are treated so that from the moment of McMurphy's arrival I felt completely on his side. A strange juxtaposition to how I would feel if I were to meet his behaviour in the real world. McMurphy's efforts to unite the patients and challenge Nurse Ratched's authority lead to a sense of camaraderie and mutual support among the patients, who had previously been isolated and oppressed until ultimately the characters are forced to confront the consequences of their actions and the limitations of their freedom. While it is worth noting that the novel's was written in the 60s and attitudes towards women and race may be considered outdated by today's standards, I still enjoyed the book immensely. A devastatingly honest portrayal of the boundaries between sanity and madness. Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inHas the adaptationIs abridged inHas as a studyHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Classic Literature.
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:An international bestseller and the basis for the hugely successful film, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of the defining works of the 1960s. In this classic novel, Ken Keseys hero is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel who swaggers into the world of a mental hospital and takes over. A lusty, life-affirming fighter, McMurphy rallies the other patients around him by challenging the dictatorship of Nurse Ratched. He promotes gambling in the ward, smuggles in wine and women, and openly defies the rules at every turn. But this defiance, which starts as a sport, soon develops into a grim struggle, an all-out war between two relentless opponents: Nurse Ratched, backed by the full power of authority, and McMurphy, who has only his own indomitable will. What happens when Nurse Ratched uses her ultimate weapon against McMurphy provides the storys shocking climax. BRILLIANT!Time A SMASHING ACHIEVEMENT...A TRULY ORIGINAL NOVEL!Mark Schorer Mr. Kesey has created a world that is convincing, alive and glowing within its own boundaries...His is a large, robust talent, and he has written a large, robust book.Saturday Review. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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