Play Book Tag discussion

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Summary:
Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward in an Oregon State mental hospital with a strict and unbending routine, unopposed by her patients, who remain cowed by mind-numbing medication and the threat of electric shock therapy. But her regime is disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy – the swaggering, fun-loving trickster with a devilish grin who resolves to oppose her rules on behalf of his fellow inmates. His struggle is seen through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a seemingly mute half-Indian patient who understands McMurphy's heroic attempt to do battle with the powers that keep them imprisoned.

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My thoughts:
Right off the bat I can say I really struggled with reading this book. I found it hard to follow and understand what was going on. The writing just seemed to be very vague and shallow. This may just be my issue and mine alone, but I found myself having to read other books every fifty pages between this book. It just took so long to get into it and I wasn’t able to see what the desired outcome of the story was.

The book is split into four parts which seem to coincide with the new addition to the facility: McMurphy. The very first part being very slow moving (McMurphy’s introduction), the second being more exciting (get to see McMurphy’s personality through his stories and gambling), the third is the big extravaganza (McMurphy gets some of them to go on a fishing trip and sneaks some women into the asylum), and the fourth is the downfall (the aftermath of everything McMurphy has done (view spoiler)[including his lobotomy (hide spoiler)]).I just don't see the significance of this story line.

A large issue I had was with the fishing trip. There was no way the doctors met the woman (a woman of the night so to say) and still agreed that they all were able to go fishing.

Some of the reviews listed on the book refer to it as “brilliant,” “a smashing achievement,” and “the story’s shocking climax.” However, I didn’t feel this way about the book. There was nothing that was an amazing plot twist or anything I would hold on to in my mind for a while after reading the book.

Thank you, Kelly. I love seeing your take on these books.

This was one I had to read as a freshman in college 50 odd years ago.

It was considered amazing at the time and it wasn't so long since lobotomies were performed.

That's awesome! I've always thought lobotomies were interesting!

This is such a well-known book and yet, I've never read it. I find that some of these classics are less interesting to read than what their reputations would suggest. I enjoyed your review, Kelly!