Sometimes a Great Notion

By: Ken Kesey

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Length: 30 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

A literary icon sometimes seen as a bridge between the Beat Generation and the hippies, Ken Kesey scored an unexpected hit with his first novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. His successful follow-up, Sometimes a Great Notion, was also transformed into a major motion picture, directed by and starring Paul Newman.

Oregon’s Stamper family does what it can to survive a bitter strike dividing their tiny logging community. And as tensions rise, delicate family bonds begin to fray and unravel.

©1963, 1964 Ken Kesey (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Raw and captivating

This is a very visual story which was performed especially well. The only problem I had with it is the over-abundance of profane language. Other than that this is a good story that is believable and interesting.

Great book...

great book, very well written and narrated, long but worth hanging in there for the ending.

Can't get lost in it.

Would you try another book from Ken Kesey and/or Tom Stechschulte?

No not of Ken Kesey. I didn't like that the first person would switch between characters without announce that it did. I wouldn't know who "I" was for a while. Yes to Tom.

What other book might you compare Sometimes a Great Notion to and why?

It shares some things with East of Eden. The two rival brothers their differences.

What didn’t you like about Tom Stechschulte’s performance?

I wished that Tom Stechschulte would have made the voices of the two main characters more different to help tell who's talking/thinking.

Do you think Sometimes a Great Notion needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No I don't think it does. The world and place in the book isn't a place that I'd like to visit again for a good while. To store succeed in its goals and doesn't need to say more on these characteristics.

Good, albeit sometimes confusing listen.

I enjoyed Sometimes a Great Notion and would solidly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, descriptive story. It felt a bit long in places, while there were a few spots where I was left wanting more. The sheer number of characters is a bit overwhelming, but the narrator, Tom Stechschulte, did a masterful job in giving them distinct voices. I did have a problem keeping up a few times and had to do a little re-listening to stay on track. Overall, solid listen to a wild and imaginative story born in the heart of logging in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-1900's.

A grande Epoch that captures the heart and soul of a time in the Northwest.

Ken Kesey is to Oregon what Steinbeck is to California. This beautiful powerful wild wet and wonderful story cannot be diminished. Even so it is unfortunate that the reader often comes off as prissy. He should’ve spent more time learning the the correct pronunciation, at least the correct northwest pronunciation, of words such as slough and Alsea and less trying and failing to give voice to the many personalities found in the story. The words are powerful enough. Yet for all that one would be hard put to find a more stirring use of their time than listening to this truly grand tale.

Fantastic audio! Story is a bit wondering!

If the story was about 25% shorter I would have enjoyed it more! The audio version was great! I liked it better then the book itself!

Poetry in Motion

Would you listen to Sometimes a Great Notion again? Why?

I will keep listening to this forever.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sometimes a Great Notion?

Kesey is intensely artful and prolific with words that weave the threads and themes of weather, wilderness, wily human behavior, bewildered communication and willful characters to create an unforgettable fabric that constantly enraptures me. Unlike other reviewers who tired of the unclear distinction between voices, I found the unmarked shifting of speakers fascinating as if I were within that family myself, both part of it and also above it watching the whole thing like an organism comprised of swarming cells.

Which scene was your favorite?

The opening narration setting the scene of the river and the house is unforgettable.

If you could take any character from Sometimes a Great Notion out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Viv, because I wonder how a woman could just settle into this and flow with it like she did.

Hard to follow.

Jumped to too many third-person positions. Very difficult at times to figure out which character's perspective was being given. Kept waiting for something in the story to pull it together to make sense.

Never Give a Inch

I was assigned this book in the early 70's at the University of California, Berkeley. It was a class on the history of rebellion, so I read it with that mindset. The book is about the struggle to figure out who you are, and hang on to it. The characters experience and understand the world in vastly different ways that lead them into conflict with each other, nature, and politics.

I didn't know 30 hours could pass so quickly

Riveting, well-written, and thought provoking, Kesey crafts a such realistic world you're just sucked right into it.