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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Nov 9, 2025 2:10 AM

Author:Ken Kesey

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Pitching an extraordinary battle between cruel authority and a rebellious free spirit, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a novel that epitomises the spirit of the sixties.

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 electroshock 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. The subject of an Oscar-winning film starring Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest an exuberant, ribald and devastatingly honest portrayal of the boundaries between sanity and madness.

'A glittering parable of good and evil'

The New York Times Book Review

'A roar of protest against middlebrow society's Rules and the Rulers who enforce them'

Time

'If you haven't already read this book, do so. If you have, read it again'

Scotsman

Reviews

As gripping as a thriller and endlessly thought-provoking... Surprising, spellbinding, witty and utterly original

—— Chris Dolan , Sunday Herald

Lazarus is Dead is a delightful falsehood - a brilliant novel and a shining example of the gospel untruth

—— Alfred Hickling , Guardian

This clever and original book keeps the reader guessing until the death - and beyond

—— Financial Times

An idiosyncratic delight...Yet again, Beard shows himself to be one of our most inventive novelists

—— Max Davidson , Mail on Sunday

A brilliant reimagining of the Lazarus story...wry, incisive and surprisingly moving (Favourite Books of 2011)

—— Irish Times

Ultimately it is the narrative voice - cultivated, wry, yet not too knowing to sustain a note of wonder - that makes this novel so compelling

—— Sunday Times

A thoughtful, enjoyable book

—— Spectator

He can stir emotion quickly and simply... his essayistic digressions temper the mythic luminosity of his subject

—— TLS

Beautiful prose...this is a challenging, thoughtful read, even for the die-hard heathen

—— Eastern Daily Press

Beard writes with sharp clarity; short unadorned sentences that contain an unforced, incisive wit....Lazarus's legend continues to fascinate in this totally original book

—— Sunday Business Post

A fascinating mixture of fiction and academic essay...using biblical sources and other, less orthodox ones, Beard weaves a compelling tale portrait of first-century Israel, of Jerusalem with its factions and sects, and of Jesus, Lazarus's enigmatic friend, as he makes his journey towards the Cross

—— Catholic Herald

I finished the book at a sitting. What makes it so gripping is Beard's limitless curiosity.

—— James Russell Blog

The approach is unusual, the narrative bold and exhilarating...this book with its melding of fiction and non-fiction, critical analysis and detective work, consolidation and controversy, is a potent combination that breathes life not only into the 'imaginative representations' of historical events but also into the possibilities of what we think a novel might be able to achieve.

—— Just William's Luck

So good it's almost off the scale for me. Brave, brilliant and utterly readable.

—— The Bookbag

Metropolitan media types transplanted to Suffolk provides fertile ground for Canter’s third hilarious novel…every page contains a joke

—— Christopher Hirst , Independent

Acute, horrifying and entertaining

—— The Lady

Pleasingly geeky novel ... No wonder there are plans to make into a film

—— Shortlist

Ready Player One is a fantastic adventure set in a futuristic world with a retro heart. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down and I couldn't wait to pick it back up

—— S.G. Browne, author of Breathers and Fated

Cline's novel is a nerdcore odyssey; engaging and fun, this Gen-X popcult thrillride drew me in like a Galaxian machine set to free play.

—— James Swallow

Cline [crafts] a fresh and imaginative world from our old toy box ... Cline strikes the nerves of nerd culture as expertly as Andy played that skeleton organ in The Goonies

—— Entertainment Weekly

Totally awesome!

—— Edinburgh Evening News

I would recommend this book in a heartbeat...young or old - it's just brilliant!

—— Books4Teens.co.uk

In the safe hands of none other than Mr. Steven Spielberg, this is your last chance to read the book before the movie hype drowns out the written word. A mixed up dystopian fantasy adventure novel with more nods to 80’s pop culture than even the biggest John Hughes fan will be able to handle, it’s just a whole lot of fun to read

—— 'Best books of 2015’, All in London

This is one you need to read before EVERYONE knows about it!

—— So Feminine

Ultimately entertaining, enthusiastic and enjoyable. A real must-have for any collection…a beautifully constructed piece of escapism which will pull you in with such vigour that you miss your train stop.

—— Live Magazines

Powerful and very timely message

—— Guardian
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