Product Description

Since its first publication in 1962, Ken Kesey's astonishing first novel has achieved the status of a contemporary classic. Into the all-powerful mental institution comes McMurphy, a brawling gambling man of immense charm, who wages total war on behalf of his cowed fellow inmates. What follows is at once hilarious and heroic, tragic and ultimately liberating, as McMurphy's war is first won, then lost.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #129333 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'Kesey can be funny, he can be lyrical, he can do dialogue, and he can write a muscular narrative. In fact there's not much better come out of America in the sixties... If you haven't already read this book, do so. If you have, read it again' SCOTSMAN

About the Author
Ken Kesey was born in Colorado in 1935. He founded the Merry Pranksters in the sixties and became a cult hero, a phenomenon documented by Tom Wolfe in his book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. He died in 2001.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest is a truly fascinating book that kept me gripped all the way through. Set in a mental home, the patients take it upon themsleves to uprise and rebel with the help of their new friend Randle P McMurphy. It is written from the viewpoint of Chief Bromden, and Indian patient at the home.. A truly moving tale, by a masterful writer.

BRILLIANT

must read
I am 16 years old and had to do this book for my specialist study in higher English. This is basically when you pick a book and write around 2000 words on it, this counts towards your final exam.

This is one of the best books i have ever read. It has all sorts of wierd and wondeful themes. Kesey relates to a lot of what happened in 1960's America and most of the book is related in some way to his experiences. An interesting and non-conformist look at the hippie movement. If you enjoy this book then i recommend "Electric Acid Koolaid Test" by Tom Wolfe

Put simply; a great book.
There's no need for me to go on too long about this book, because my point is quite simple; this is a great book.

What most people find surprising, having seen the film version of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', is that the book's narrator is Chief Bromden, the big American Indian fella. From such a narrative perspective, at times it's uncertain how much of what we are told we can genuinely believe, but this itself adds to the experience and depiction of the institute and Bromden's state of mind. Bromden's experience of the institute is one of 'machines' and 'fog', which is both scary and intruiging.

The author, Ken Kesey, has created a series of strong, believable characters, particularly Nurse Ratched, McMurphy, and Billy Bibbet, all of which are difficult to forget, and trigger different emotional responses. This is one of the few books that I have read that I closed and thought 'bloody hell, that was good.'

For old and young readers alike, I can't recommend this book enough.