One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Very good and very sad. Well worth a read.

I watched this movie years ago and really liked it, although the end of it seemed so sad and wrong somehow. I finally got to read the book and loved it. All through my reading of it I pictured Jack Nicholson who superbly played the main character in the movie. He portrayed a man with a strong will who signed himself into a mental institution and caused all manner of chaos. That character brought life to the people in his section, until the head nurse started battling him and it got very bizarre.

This was a best seller when I worked in a book store--my job was to read all the best sellers and "sell" them to customers! What a wonderful job!

For a comedy this book is very sad. I had to read this book in high school and was glad for the change from the usual themed books in high school.

This really is an excellent book. The first person prose is engaging and flows so naturally that, despite the fairly complex character development and twisting plot, it is easy to read. The characters are brilliantly built and maintained, there is no two dimensional character at all, the two central characters, Nurse Ratchet and McMurphy have such well developed personalities and goals I can't help but think Lee Strasberg would cry with joy to read it. over all, as close to perfect a book as I have read.

I'll admit that I had seen the film many times before reading the book. However, this was one of those rare instances where it didn't matter. The book and film share similarities, but there are drastic differences between the two. This is a wonderfully written story about existing within the walls of a mental institution. The story is told through the eyes of the Chief, a huge Native American who is deaf and dumb. The sterile, ordered life in the ward is shaken up when Randall Patrick McMurphy arrives and challenges the routine set forth by the head nurse. This story moves swiftly and eloquently, painting a fantastic picture of structured life, insubordination, consequences, and redemption. Definitely worth spending some time reading.