An international bestseller and the basis for the hugely successful film, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of the defining works of the 1960s.
In this classic novel, Ken Kesey’s hero is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel who swaggers into the world of a mental hospital and takes over. A lusty, life-affirming fighter, McMurphy rallies the other patients around him by challenging the dictatorship of Nurse Ratched. He promotes gambling in the ward, smuggles in wine and women, and openly defies the rules at every turn. But this defiance, which starts as a sport, soon develops into a grim struggle, an all-out war between two relentless opponents: Nurse Ratched, backed by the full power of authority, and McMurphy, who has only his own indomitable will. What happens when Nurse Ratched uses her ultimate weapon against McMurphy provides the story’s shocking climax.
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
User reviews
1 review
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0(1)
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Great
(Updated: June 04, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
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Reader reviewed by Mairi
After one fight too many, the court ruled Randle Patrick McMurphy insane and sent him from a work camp to a mental hospital, which thrilled him no end. In his fellow patients he found what he described as "fresh blood" and led them in challenging Big Nurse, who ruled their ward with an iron fist. A short time after McMurphy's arrival, the mental ward is unrecognizable.
I started to read this book when I was twelve, but my father took it away from me, which was probably a smart move. It was originally written for adults and, though it has a lot that would appeal to teens such as myself, younger children might want to steer clear of it. That being said, I'm glad I finally read this book.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of those books that everyone should read eventually, and though a lot of people might be offended by McMurphy's lewd behavior, I thought it was great.
After one fight too many, the court ruled Randle Patrick McMurphy insane and sent him from a work camp to a mental hospital, which thrilled him no end. In his fellow patients he found what he described as "fresh blood" and led them in challenging Big Nurse, who ruled their ward with an iron fist. A short time after McMurphy's arrival, the mental ward is unrecognizable.
I started to read this book when I was twelve, but my father took it away from me, which was probably a smart move. It was originally written for adults and, though it has a lot that would appeal to teens such as myself, younger children might want to steer clear of it. That being said, I'm glad I finally read this book.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of those books that everyone should read eventually, and though a lot of people might be offended by McMurphy's lewd behavior, I thought it was great.
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