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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest  By  cover art

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

By: Ken Kesey, Robert Faggen - introduction
Narrated by: John C. Reilly
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Editorial review


By Seth Hartman, Audible Editor

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO

My introduction to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was certainly not a standard one. Rather than starting with the novel by the counterculture writer Ken Kesey or watching the iconic film starring Jack Nicholson, I was cast in a high school theatrical production of the work. Having only done lighthearted musicals up to that point, Cuckoo’s Nest was my first taste of dramatic acting. I remember feeling both shocked and intrigued by the script, pulling from my one year of AP Psychology to try to understand the medical terminology peppered through the pages.

Though I had been exposed to politically motivated works in school before (classics like 1984, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451), I had never experienced one that addressed these issues with such realism. Rather than creating a world that is close to home yet different in some way, Kesey transports us to what feels like a real-life psychiatric hospital in the 1950s. Nurse Ratched and her gang of nurses, orderlies, and security personnel rule over the ward with an iron fist, threatening anyone who steps out of line with electroshock therapy or, for those "beyond fixing," lobotomy treatments. With the arrival of upstart patient Randle McMurphy, the lives of everyone in the hospital are changed forever.

Our narrator in this story is Chief Bromden, a larger-than-life Native American inpatient who is always sweeping the halls. Other standout characters are Dale Harding, an insecure man who hides his homosexuality by voluntarily committing himself, the nebbish Billy Bibbitt, and the overly talkative Charles Cheswick. McMurphy—who enters the ward as a means of dodging the draft, not because of overt mental illness—challenges the status quo, bringing a rebellious spirit to these men and others in the ward, while slowly driving Nurse Ratched up a wall.

Continue reading Seth's review >

Publisher's summary

A 50th-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 audio edition commemorates the 50th anniversary of the original publication of the novel on February 1, 1962, and will be a must have for any literature lover.

©1990 Ken Kesey (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

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What listeners say about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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100 times better than movie!

I love the book told through the Native American character. I found myself unable to turn it off. much better than movie!

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Seriously the best narration ever

I’m in awe... just fantastic ❤️ everything about this narration was perfect. The music, the voices, the tone... the accents. My favorite audible narrator ever

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Excellent story with Stellar Narration

Previous to listening to this audible book my only experience with the story was the movie. The book expands on several characters and does a great job providing their personality re-developments. John C. Reilly does a great job with the narration and providing unique voices for the inmates and staff. Would like to see him narrate several more titles if possible.

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Fantastic narration!

Wow. John Reilly is not only an amazing on screen, but he’s incredible in my headphones. He was perfect for this story, too. Just wow.

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AAA+++ novel with top-notch performance by John C Reilly

On its own right this is a fantastic story that introduces one of the most controversial, iconic characters of modern literature in Patrick McMurphy. That said, every once in a while the narration of an audiobook lifts the overall experience to an even higher level then the novel on its own...this is one such case. I’ve been a fan of John C Reilly‘s work as an actor for many years but this read of Cuckoo’s Nest is one of the top performance of his career.

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Best narration I’ve ever heard

Amazing story. Amazing narration. Will be looking for more John C Reilly in the future

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John C Reilly is amazing!

The narration by John C Reilly is absolutely amazing. Does justice to this classic. Definitely a must.

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There needs to be an option for more than five stars

John C Reilly is a masterful voice actor. I can honestly say, of all the books that I have listened to thus far (and there has been many) this is far and away the best. Everyone knows the story is beautifully written, but it takes on a whole new life read by John C Reilly.

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Don't know why I waited so long.

Insanely great. (Pun intended). Give it a listen. Worth the trip. This is where Trump belongs.

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Great story of individualism, struggle, uniformity

I know of the acclaimed movie but I haven't seen it, and so the specifics of what happens were a bit of a surprise to me. But what really struck me were the images and ideas of the orderly machine-like rhythms of world that the asylum was trying to create, light that sneaks in through the fog in laughter and friendship, and the battle of men who are trying to assert their humanity and individuality in the face of someone trying to stand on them to maintain power.

There's a lot of misogyny in the book's themes, but the book is a product of it's time. The narration took a while to get used to, but in the end it was fine.

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