One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest cover art

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

50th Anniversary Edition

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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

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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
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brilliant book , like the movie, it grabs you and won't last go till your finished ...have a listen

classic

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This book is an absolute work of genius , and a wonderful conversion into Audio. As a child of the eighties I loved the movie. I so wish I had read the book first.

Almost had me in tears ..

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Great story, I have seen the film a few times and always wanted to read/listen the book to see the differences. when hearing the story I was able to picture Jack Nicholson, trolling round the corridors causing mischief and winding up Nurse Rachett.

John C Riely was magnificent, capturing the voices and drama as the story unfolds.
well worth a listen.

excellent!!!

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A fantastic book expertly narrated by John C Reily!! Loved the movie, loved the book even more.

John C Reily is fantastic

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Why have I waited so long to listen to this book? I’m obviously crazy.
Outstanding writing, superbly delivered by John C Reilly.
Not an easy listen in places, but completely compelling.

Phew-eeee!

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