One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest cover art

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

50th Anniversary Edition

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

By: Ken Kesey, Robert Faggen - introduction
Narrated by: John C. Reilly
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

A fiftieth-anniversary edition of Ken Kesey's searing American classic.

Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Turning conventional notions of sanity and insanity on their heads, the novel tells the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the story 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 powers that keep them all imprisoned.

Hailed upon its publication as "a glittering parable of good and evil" (The New York Times Book Review) and "a roar of protest against middlebrow society's Rules and the invisible Rulers who enforce them" (Time), Kesey's powerful book went on to sell millions of copies and remains as bracing and insightful today as when it was first released. This new deluxe hardcover edition commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the original publication of the novel on February 1, 1962, and will be a must have for any literature lover.

Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Thriller & Suspense Fiction Funny

Critic Reviews

"A work of genuine literary merit . . . What Mr. Kesey has done in his unusual novel is to transform the plight of a ward of inmates in a mental hospital into a glittering parable of good and evil."
--The New York Times Book Review

"[A] brilliant first novel . . . a strong, warm story about the nature of human good and evil . . . Keysey has made his book a roar of protest against middlebrow society's Rules and the invisible Rulers who enforce them."
--Time

"The final triumph of these men at the cost of a terrifying sacrifice should send chills down any reader's back. . . . This novel's scenes have the liveliness of a motion picture."
--The Washington Post

"An outstanding book . . . [Kesey's] characters are original and real. . . . This is a tirade against the increasing controls over man and his mind, yet the author never gets on a soap box. Nor does he forget that there is a thin line between tragedy and comedy."
--Houston Chronicle
All stars
Most relevant
as with the title of the review, John C Reilly is probably my favourite narrator now, too bad he hasn't narrated much books.
Actual story is great too!

really great narration and story!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

superb. I couldn't put it down. totally different from the movie. would highly recommend. cheers

My favourite movie. highly enjoyed the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

brilliant. five stars. a book that elicits every emotion. story, narration both first class.
enjoy.

brilliant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

great book! got to be one of my favourites. I couldn't stop listening. narrator was great too

one of the favs

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The narrator was incredible. I knew everyone by voice - and the emotion!
The way the author describes impressions and exchanges between characters is something you can't live without experiencing. This is my new favorite book.

fan freaking tastic!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved everything about this book. It's a true classic. The narration was fantastic. It's a fascinating journey into the world as it is perceived by every individual in the story. This book is still so very relevant as human psychology hasn't changed. it just goes to show that human beings are as fragile today as they were when this book was written, maybe even more so.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Great book, I think this is better then the movie. I loved the narration so much!

Great storytelling.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

John C Reily!s performance as narrator is awesome. He brought this classic story to life

Classic novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

John C Reilly captured the characters perfectly in his narration and performance. His narration have a new life to this story.

Perfect performance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is an intense, yet beautifully written account of mental health hospital treatment some 50 years ago. The characters are all unique with both entertaining and poignant representation, each reaching their individual arc at different parts of the story. The narration was excellent and this is a book I could listen to over and over.

Remarkable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.