One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Exceptional

An incendiary meditation on the nature of sanity (or the lack thereof), power, and individuality in the face of absolute compliance. Never have I read a book which walked the razors edge of these thematic elements with such subtle and profound elegance. While I have seen the movie, of course, and as a result knew the general ending... it was still breathtaking. And, without question, the novel dwarfs the movie.

One could write a whole essay, if not an entire second book, discussing the implications of the plot and its characters. I won't attempt to do such a thing here, but will parse a few major thoughts.

Power only works through the ability to be seen as powerful.

This can be built, or stripped, with tremendous ease.

Those who seem the weakest, roughest, or least likely to have unfathomable levels of compassion can surprise you. I'm not saying they will. Only that they can.

On the flip side, those placed in a position which should be paragons of kindness and compassion can be reprehensible and, I'll say it, outright evil.

Fear is the mind killer. Anyone can be brave, just like anyone can be broken. In this book the most downtrodden, for the most part, were set free by the sacrifice of one, the destruction of another's facade, and the annihilation of both. There were no true victories in the classic sense, but in the theoretical sense... the victor remains extremely clear in my mind.

Highest marks. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

24 of 24 people found this review helpful

Best Narration I have ever listened to

This is a great book, made perfect by the narration of John C Reilly.
The best narration of an audible book I have ever listened to.
This book is a stunning example of how power corrupts so completely.
There is a fine line between sanity and normality.
I hope Mr Reilly graces us with more narrations in future.

13 of 14 people found this review helpful

Fantastic

What did you love best about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

John C. Reilly's performance. Hats off to whoever it was that thought of having him read 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.' When I saw this on audible's homepage I knew it was going to be something special.

What other book might you compare One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to and why?

'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' has been compared to 'The Catcher in the Rye' and that sounds about right. However, I've always found it difficult to compare some books to other. In terms of quality, where the source material and the narrator are well matched, I would compare this to audible's 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' and 'Blood Meridian.'

What does John C. Reilly bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I would probably find John C. Reilly's readings of directions on how to take Tylenol entertaining. Having him read one of the best English-language novels is a rare treat.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I don't think another film adaptation needs to be made of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.' The Milos Forman, Jack Nicholson version is pretty damn good.

Any additional comments?

One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to from audible. I’d put it right up there with Junot Diaz’s and Jonathan Davis’s ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’ and the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R. R. Martin and Roy Dotrice. This is one of those rare examples where the marriage of performer and material are perfect. I would also highly recommend this to first-time listeners as an example of what the medium can be when it’s at its best.

34 of 38 people found this review helpful

McMurphy vs. Nurse Ratched

McMurphy lost the battle. Nurse Ratched remains the most famous villain of all American literature.

I ead Cuckoo's Nest a long time ago (approximately 50 years, but did not see the 1975 movie. My impression then was that it is a profoundly sad story about the treatment of people in mental hospitals at the time the book was published (early 1960s). At he time few lobotomies and electrical shock treatment were widely used. The value of the book is the strength of the message that our mental health system must be changed because it is likely doing more damage than good.

I'm now even more saddened by the story Ken Kesey tells. There are no winners here except for the great performance by John C Reilly. Cuckoo's Nest is was not written to entertain; it was written to inspire anger anger strong enough to stir Us citizens into action.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

Excellent

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book is one that will stick with me for a long time. I have seen the movie several times but never took the time to read the book. I had no idea what I was missing out on! Understanding psychiatric illness from a patient's perspective so completely is a rare experience and one that I would recommend to anyone. John Reilly did an excellent job narrating, capturing the characters so that the listener is drawn in.

What was one of the most memorable moments of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

When Chief finally talked.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I wouldn't make a film of this book, as I don't think a remake would top the original film.

Any additional comments?

I rarely write reviews, but this one just begged for comment. It was moving at times and hilarious at times. I can understand why it is considered a modern classic.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

A Monument of Wit

"The monuments of wit survive the monuments of power."
-- Francis Bacon, 1561-1626

This novel still represents for me the tremendous power of literature; a monument of wit so keenly illustrating the evils of unbridled government oppression, in a democracy, and its institutional forms, both subtle and ruthless.

Ken Kesey wrote this relatively straightforward story in 1959 (published in 1962) of an Oregon mental ward, its patients and the battle between Randle McMurphy, a rebellious, gregarious convict who saw the ward as an easy way to serve his few months prison time, and Nurse Ratched, one of the most memorable and monstrous villains in all of literature. The book's primary metaphor is that of the government as "The Combine," as it's known by the narrator "Chief" Bromden, a mechanism for manipulating individuals and processes. Kesey personifies The Combine in Nurse Ratched, a hellhag who uses a bagful of disciplinary tactics, most so subtle that the mental patients can't see they're being controlled and some so heinous it's unimaginable they can be used without some sort of due process (e.g., electroshock "therapy" and lobotomy).

The novel is, by turns, hilarious and infuriating.

John C. Reilly, a one-time Oscar nominee and best known for his comic roles in Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, is the perfect narrator for this motley crew of characters and is spot-on in his portrayal of McMurphy.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

CrAzY Adds Color to the World!

Where does One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best. The story's not perfect, but most of it is very interesting. And the performance is great.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters. Colorful as they all were.

Which scene was your favorite?

Probably the scenes where all the patients are together talking in their group meetings. Quite funny.

If you could take any character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Harding. Love his brilliance!

Any additional comments?

Their outing was unnecessary and a bit out-of-place. Should have kept it all in the cuckoo's nest. Overall though, definitely recommend this one!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

John C. Reilly is amazing!

Where does One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the top books.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the beautifully constructed sentences. You can't listen to this book and not appreciate the vivid imagery and the how well it is written.

What about John C. Reilly’s performance did you like?

I chose this book because I like John C. Reilly. I loved it from the beginning because he did a great job with the voices and was one of the best narrators I've heard. By the end I was so captivated in the story and the characters that I almost forgot who was narrating. Excellent job!

Who was the most memorable character of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and why?

The character narrating the book is Chief Brompton and thought he was most memorable because of how much he changes from beginning to end.

Any additional comments?

Great read!

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

This is a MUST HAVE audio book!

What does John C. Reilly bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have been an audiobook user for many years, and John C. Reilly is absolutely the best narrator I've ever heard. He could turn the phone book into riveting entertainment. The book is a classic, so I knew I'd enjoy the story and characters, but John C. Reilly took the experience to another level.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

A Good Book about Mental Illness

I have enjoyed listening to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Not only is the book interesting, the narrator (John C. Reilly) is amazing. It's about a group of people in a psychiatric ward and what happens to them is told from the perspective of a Native American. Audible should please let the narrator narrate more books 'cause he really brought the characters to life. I'm also looking forward to reading more books by Ken Kesey, but I felt he used the term "the black boys" too much. Mentioning their names would have been wonderful, but it's still a good book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful