One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Book Description

The imaginative characters and innovative story structure made Ken Kesey?s debut novel ripe for commentary. Take a closer look at One Flew Over the Cuckoo?s Nest, which also enjoyed critical success as a play and a film.

The title, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest, part of Chelsea House Publishers' Modern Critical Interpretations series, presents the most important 20th-century criticism on Ken Kesey's One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest through extracts of critical essays by well-known literary critics. This collection of criticism also features a short biography on Ken Kesey, a chronology of the author's life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Work That Is Hard To Come By.......2007-09-08

This book is one of those books that stands out from the rest. It is well written, the illustrations in this addition only add to the story to give it a greater feel for the residence of the institution. I absolutely love this book!

The characters are life-like and easy to relate to. I recommend this book for those who avid or occasional readers. It is a story that will survive many more generations.

He makes the Cheif big and he makes all of us big.......2007-09-06

The perfect metaphor for school, or work and the handbook for any revolutionary. What can I say about such a good book except for what it has meant to me. R.P. McMurphy dies for all of them and all of us. He makes the Cheif big and he makes all of us big, and I spent my life feeling just like that locked in a system inescapable and hopeless, so powerful that resisting is foolish, but resistance is the only option, because they don't only want your body in chains, but they want your mind, and to stop resisting would be to give them your soul. I think of McMurphy when I'm at a seminar, or driver's education class, or anywhere with bad florescent light and dirty chairs, or when I'm playing poker.

Peace,

Jacques Paisner, Author of Albuquerque Blues

Other Books.......2007-09-03

An iconoclast who likes a good time ends up in a mental institution. He threatens the status quo, and hence the power structures embodied in the tyrannical head nurse.

A struggle develops between the two, as various escapades escalate to the not so pleasant conclusion. Rather well done.

Complex and tragic.......2007-05-11

I have always regarded `One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' as one of the best movies ever made. I never read the book because, well... I'd already seen the movie. But the book was highly regarded and since I hadn't seen the movie in at least 20 years, I thought it was time to read Kesey's novel.

Ironically, reading the novel has ruined the movie for me.

After reading the novel, I felt compelled to re-watch the movie and was surprised to find how superficial it seemed to me. Kesey was not happy with the movie version of his novel (despite all those Oscars). I had never understood why, until now. The very essence of Kesey's characters were gutted by the movie (not just their physical appearance but the very core of who the characters are and what they represent). Nicholson's performance, which seemed like a tour de force before, now seems superficial to me.

The novel is written from the perspective of one of the patients (the Chief) who everyone on the ward believes is deaf and dumb. The Chief is essentially a `fly on the wall', observing all that happens, virtually unnoticed (at least initially). His tenacious grasp on reality (his hallucinations and paranoid delusions may be the result of drugs he is forced to take, mental illness, or a combination of both) provides a fascinating perspective and allows Kesey to use the Chief's altered sense of reality as a source for much of symbolism in the novel.

The movie may be good (possibly even great), but the novel is much richer, more complex and profoundly tragic. R.P. McMurphy is the ultimate doomed rebel. This is one of the best novels of the 20th Century (despite its inexplicable omission from Modern Library's `Best 100 Novels of the 20th Century').

Much Better Than The Movie.......2007-05-08

I debated reading this book, assuming that it was a pulpy best seller whose subject matter was already exhausted by a very good movie. But the book has true literary merit and is infinitely better than the movie. The story is told from the viewpoint of the Chief, whose struggles with his own demons and delusions adds a whole new layer of complexity to the story. McMurphy's character is at once more iconic and more subtle than that portrayed by the movie. He struggles with the burdens of being the hero, a bit like "Cool Hand Luke", to draw on another great movie. But the Christ symbols are also more present in the book. To be sure, it's a strange Christ who strangles Nurse Ratchet. Much as you want her to be strangled, I don't think that particular twist works any better in the book than in the movie. Still, Ratchet's role as the symbol of everything that's wrong with our overly controlled and bloodless social order and McMurphy's humanity are wonderfully conveyed in this book. It's a significant book and is better than a lot of highly ranked novels of the latter half of the twentieth century.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Penguin Classics)

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an american classic
A sixties novel that remains current today
This entertaining and often hilarious read remains
Do not be misled by the teens writing bad reviews about Cuckoo's Nest....
Fantastic

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Penguin Classics)
Ken Kesey , and Robert Faggen
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141181222

Book Description

Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the seminal novel of the 1960s that has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Here is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy's heroic attempt to do battle with the awesome powers that keep them all imprisoned.

With a Preface and Illustrations by the author
Introduction by Robert Faggan

Customer Reviews:

an american classic.......2007-09-23

All part of the great american adventure. Randall P. McMurphy is my new hero . Very enlightining because we always think about the movie but what I liked about the book was, it was chief's story as much as macks. I feel the movie was censored. I must admit when McMurpy spoke it was with Jack Nicholson's voice

A sixties novel that remains current today.......2007-06-27

I knew this book as one of the anthems of the sixties, bringing to the fore the themes of rebellion against arbitrary authority and the rejection of conformity. But I did not actually read the book till recently.

I found that Kesey's "sixties" novel passes the test of great literature. It transcends its moment in time and gains universality. The struggle between the individual and the demands of society is nowhere portrayed as sharply and brilliantly as in this novel. McMurphy is a bit extreme, as is Nurse Ratched, but the interplay of extremes is fascinating.

Do not ignore the fact that Bromden, the narrator, actually shows serious signs of mental illness. His constant references to the "Combine" and his fear of the "fog" are paranoid delusions. It's an amazing tribute to Kesey's skill that he chose to tell the story this way rather than in a more conventional mode of narration, and that he succeeded.

This entertaining and often hilarious read remains.......2007-05-09

This review is for the Penguin Books paperback edition, 2003, with illustrations by Ken Kesey and introduction by Robert Faggen. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, first published in 1962, was Ken Kesey's debut novel.

The setting is a ward at a hospital for the mentally ill, probably in the late fifty's. Chief Nurse Ratched has absolute control over her ward. Through insinuation and intimidation, she has oppressed the patients, aides, junior nurses and even the ward doctor into wimps. We see this through the eyes of the narrator, Big Chief Bromden Jr., a half-Indian who pretends he is a deaf-mute. The staff ignores him, and allows him to clean the staff room during their meetings. He's the all knowing fly on the wall.

Enter the new admission, Randal Patrick McMurphy, the roughneck gambler who got himself transferred to a mental hospital to escape the rigors of a prison work farm. McMurphy considers most of the patients essentially sane, and cannot understand why they have allowed Nurse Ratched to dominate and humiliate them. McMurphy rallies his fellow inmates towards mutiny in a long battle to undermine Nurse Ratched's authority.

Weaved into ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is a social commentary on the mid-century ideas for treatment of those who could not or would not conform to normality. The novel, and the subsequent movie and play, undoubtedly helped popularize the need for change. Although that is behind us, this entertaining and often hilarious read remains.

Do not be misled by the teens writing bad reviews about Cuckoo's Nest...........2007-04-16

As I commented on one young reviewer's post...there should be a rule stating that if you have not read the book then you should not be allowed to write a review for it or even rate it. Most of the poor reviews and low ratings for this novel are from ignorant teenagers whose reviews are barely coherent and furthermore who have not even actually read the book beyond a few pages. Rant over, thanks.

Moving on, I have owned this book for several years but simply never got around to reading it until now. Things to keep in mind: I did see a stage production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, but I have never seen the movie. I am not going to summarize the book, I will just get to my point. I will say that Cuckoo's Nest is not by any means a breezy read, and I also had a little bit of difficulty in the beginning fully comprehending some of what was going on mainly because it is not written in any typical fashion and yes, it is written from the perspective of a mental patient whose perception is not always clear...or is it? Not only that but Kesey was volunteering to take part in LSD testing during the time he wrote the book, which he wrote from his experience working in a Veteran's hospital. The first portion of the book is a bit slow, but once you get past the introductions, so to speak, and adjust to the style of the narrator's prose it takes a turn and you can't help but care for these characters and feel what they feel and go through and how they change and evolve. You might even see some of your own experiences or selves in the situations in Cuckoo's Nest, mental patients or not.

I finished what started as a difficult read within two days and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding novels I have read in a long time. I actually cried; this is now one of only three books that has ever hit me in such a way! It's an inspiring and sad story about the power of ideas, spirit, conformity and freedom. Although it may be a little rough at the start, I highly recommend getting through that part and finishing the story...you'll be glad you did!

Fantastic.......2007-04-06

You know the plot. Rebellion against authority. You've seen it re-hashed a hundred times, but never treated this well. In Cuckoos Nest, Kesey has made the authority palpably evil - malicious and vindictive. He's made the innocents perfectly pitiable. He's made the rescuer a brash brawler fueled by testosterone - not admirable, but respected all the same.

The Big Nurse embodies the tyranny of small minds who gain power, absolute power, over those who are helplessly subject to them. She rules with cold authority over her ward of mental patients, twisting them inside so that they'll never escape her machinations until Randall McMurphy appears in the ward, having conned his way in to avoid work detail in prison. Thus begins a battle of the wills that is full of high comedy and tragic results.

Even told through the perspective of a giant Indian mental patient, McMurphy's acts are not glossed over as the pranks of a fun-loving mischevious kid. The hatred that he and all patients on the ward have for the Big Nurse seeps out of the pages. McMurphy's goal is to make them into men, not cowering rabbits, and his final Pyrrhic victory transforms the men around him.

This is a modern classic that you will not be able to forget.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Ken Kesey
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0786180471

Book Description

McMurphy is a lusty, profane, life-loving fighter who rallies the other mental-hospital patients around him by challenging the dictatorship of Big Nurse. It soon becomes a grim struggle for the minds and hearts of the men.

Customer Reviews:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.......2007-09-07

Great book. I hadn't read it since the 60's!
So much better than the movie. It was our book club's September reading. A wide range of women from 40-75. It was all agreed upon that this book was worth reading again.

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One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Ken Kesey
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451137094

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest: Rising to Heroism (Twayne's Masterwork Studies)

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i was pleased by the book and find it worth reading

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest: Rising to Heroism (Twayne's Masterwork Studies)
M. Gilbert Porter
Manufacturer: Twayne Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805779884

Customer Reviews:

i was pleased by the book and find it worth reading.......1999-09-09

after reading one flew over the coocoo s nest, i thought that the book was definitely worth reading although i did notice a lot of unnessasery information. i definitely find that the book was quite boring until i got at a certain point in it. i admire the characters,espacially chief,for his actions. anyways, i liked the book but if i had to suggest anything, i would suggest you watch the movie because it is amazing and is quite close to the book, except that the book s ending is different. hope you enjoy your book!

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Ken Kesey
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1565118219

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Penguin Modern Classics)

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A frustrating, castrating, terrorizing nurse

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Penguin Modern Classics)
Ken Kesey
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

ASIN: 0141187883

Customer Reviews:

A frustrating, castrating, terrorizing nurse.......2006-07-08

This book deserves to be a classic and may remain one for quite a long time. The first reason is that it is an adventure book in a strange country, beyond all frontiers and borders, in a psychic world, that of an asylum. It is full of suspense and typically the fight between two people, an inmate, a man, on one hand, a nurse, a woman, on the other hand. Both white with the rest of the personnel being black and the rest of the inmates being europeans, except for one who is an Indian. Clear cut adventure and action with blood, violence, wit and enough sex to be appealing. The second reason is that it is an extremely detailed trip down into the psychiatric health system, into the institutionalizing of all displeasing people, all disrupting people, all disquieting people, in one word people that cannot live in society without causing some kind of a stir. All types are studied here and all cases are refused as being the results of some repressed personal sexual drive. It may be the case, but most of the time it is just plain repressed individuals, rejected individualities, refused personalities. They are locked up away from society for this society to go on thinking all its members are beautiful, clever and brilliantly aware of what the future will be and what they have to do to make it come faster. But that is not all. The novel is an allegory too, an allegory of what changing a society may be, of what historical change may mean. The allegory follows a pattern. Change can only come from the rebellion of the victims of the dominant social order, the Combine as Chrief Bromden calls it. This is the typical revolutionary pattern. But Kesey adds the fact that this rebellion of the main victims can only come if some particular person arrives among them and wakes up in them the energies they need to become rebellious, to recapture their freedom from the Combine. The pattern of the Savior, the guru, etc. But this pattern is defeated in a way because the Combine's strategy will be to isolate this leader, victimize him in order to reduce his influence, or even destroy him if necessary, in this case with a good old lobotomy that leaves him a vegetable for everyone to admire in fear and awe. And yet things will fail for the Combine, because in any modern democratic society people are individuals and they use their individual rights to vote with their feet against the Combine. In a word the Combine fails because everyone runs away from it and leves it alone in the battlefield which is no longer a battlefield but a plain empty wasteland. That's how the Combine is forced to accept change and to change. This optimistic ending is contained in the symbolic last scene or episode, that of the self-liberation and escape of the Indian Chief. He finds out and we find out with him that nothing was wrong with him, except that his presence was disruptive for the plans of the Combine that required his village to be bought up and its inhabitants to be scattered and taken care of with good old fire-water. And that is the last level of allegory : the repressed past of a country, people, culture, individual will always finds its way to freedom and regeneration, and then the whole world will have to make do with it. The Combine, the establishment of any society, can always sacrifice some people, leaders or not, on the altar of their established power, sooner or later this established power will crumble under the pushing from those it has repressed and exploited since it took over from another establishment before it. Cyclical instating of one establishment against another and of its falling down in front of a third one. Is there any meaning in these historical cycles ? No one knows and no one can know, though quite too many people pretend to know and have a ball of crystal in the back of their eyes.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris Dauphine & University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Cliffs Notes)

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Cliffs Notes)
Bruce Edward Walker
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764586629

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, you explore Ken Kesey's best-known work, one that challenges the preconceived ideas of what constitutes sanity and insanity. A mistakenly undertaken power struggle in an insane asylum results in a suicide, a murder, and a liberation, and leaves the reader with a paradoxical feeling that both disturbs and pleases.

This study guide carefully walks you through the novel by providing summaries and critical analyses of each section. You'll also explore the life and background of the author, Ken Kesey, and gain insight into how he came to write One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Other features that help you study include

Character analyses of major players
A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
Critical essays on topics like the role of women and the comparison between the film and novel
A review section that tests your knowledge
A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Download Description

"Kesey's novel is an important book that challenges the preconceived ideas of what constitutes sanity and insanity. A mistakenly undertaken power struggle in an insane asylum results in a suicide, a murder, and a liberation, and leaves the reader with a paradoxical feeling that both disturbs and pleases. This is a book of strange magic. This concise supplement to Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest helps students understand the overall structure of the work, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author. "

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One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Ken Kesey
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1598870521

Book Description

Available for the first time on CD, now with a bonus author interview with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one of the most electrifying, most admired novels of our time. Set in the bleak confines of a state mental hospital and narrated by a half-Indian patient named Chief Bromden, it’s the story of a titanic battle of wills between two unforgettable characters. On one side is Big Nurse, who rules her ward with iron discipline. On the other is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a lustful, brawling, life-loving new inmate who refuses to knuckle under to Big Nurse’s soul-destroying methods. In the end, McMurphy pays the ultimate price for his defiance—but not before his rebellious spirit has shown Chief Bromden the way to reclaim his own future. This special edition brings Kesey’s own reading of the novel to CD. As a bonus, the recording also includes a 24-minute interview recorded in 1989 for public radio’s Fresh Air. Terry Gross speaks with Kesey about the influences and inspirations for his most important novels, the government-sponsored drug experiments in which he was an early participant, his role as leader of the legendary Merry Pranksters, and his status as a 1960’s counter-culture icon.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Ken Kesey
Manufacturer: Marion Boyars Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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