Paperback, 560 pages
English language
Published Sept. 1, 2008 by Penguin Books.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) is a novel written by Ken Kesey. Set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, the narrative serves as a study of institutional processes and the human mind; including a critique of psychiatry, and a tribute to individualistic principles. It was adapted into the Broadway (and later off-Broadway) play: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Dale Wasserman in 1963. Bo Goldman adapted the novel into a 1975 film (of the same name) directed by Miloš Forman, which won 5 Academy Awards. Time magazine included the novel in its "100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005" list. In 2003 the book was listed on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's 200 "best-loved novels."
I get why there was a fuss and it became a classic, and it is well enough written that I finished it. I just didn’t find it that great a book, and although interesting it wasn’t really for me. Literarily valuable perhaps and worthy of consideration as a thing of its time and for a view of how people are, yes, but nothing to rave about - rather like Catcher in the Rye.
This book was quite an amazing read. I loved following the adventures of McMurphy as he bucked against the system and tried to help those around him. Seeing through the eyes of Bromden with his psychedelic descriptions were like watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon and really made this story enjoyable.
Ken Kesey wrote an absolutely perfect story, the plot grips you asking what McMurphy will dare next, written from a perspective that happily contextualizes and compares the exploits of McMurphy, until the very end. This is a must read book for anyone interested psychiatry and a tribute to Ken Kesey's literary power.
