One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

50th Anniversary Edition

By: Ken Kesey, Robert Faggen - introduction

Narrated by: John C. Reilly

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.

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

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!

The best narration I’ve heard!

John C Reilly is a very talented man. He made this book extremely enjoyable. I hope he decides to narrate others!

awesome

amazing book, now words, studied Kesey and the pranksters before. His method of writing is fantastic.

Terrifying and real

A truly terrifying tale of mental illness, helplessness and the cruelty of those who abuse their power. It is written from the viewpoint of a character who is an observer though most of the book, but some of the story gets twisted by his paranoia and warped sense of reality. One of my favorite aspects of this book is how the [mild spoilers] big nurse often displays psychopathic tendencies towards the patient who claims to be one himself, kind of blurring the lines of who should be in power and who actually has the patients' wellbeing in mind.

Thoughtful exploration of humanity and sanity

Any additional comments?

This is an unflinching look at mental illness, psychiatric hospitals and friendship. The book explores the questions of sanity - what is it; what defines it? It also explores hopefulness, loyalty and heroism within the construct of a rigidly structured hospital ward reigned by a sadistic, insane (or compassionate, sane?) nurse and her similarly formed minions. With vivid symbolism, this book is considered an allegory for Christ's sacrifice to save humanity. The question is was the ward truly saved? How one answers this question, I believe, turns on one's view of Flowers for Algernon - is it better to never have experienced freedom/sanity/happiness/intelligence or better to have experienced it briefly then lose it in a consciously helpless way?