- Paperback: 635 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; Reprint edition (27 Oct 1977)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140045295
- ISBN-13: 978-0140045291
- Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 32,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The magnificent second novel from the legendary author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Sailor Song" is a wild-spirited and hugely powerful tale of an Oregon logging clan. A bitter strike is raging in a small lumber town along the Oregon coast. Bucking that strike out of sheer cussedness are the Stampers: Henry, the fiercely vital and overpowering patriarch; Hank, the son who has spent his life trying to live up to his father; and Viv, who fell in love with Hank's exuberant machismo but now finds it wearing thin. And then there is Leland, Henry's bookish younger son, who returns to his family on a mission of vengeance - and finds himself fulfilling it in ways he never imagined. Out of the Stamper family's rivalries and betrayals Ken Kesey has crafted a novel with the mythic impact of Greek tragedy.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In the search for the 20thC "Great American Novel", what a pity that Kesey's masterpiece (yes, even better than "Cuckoo") should have fallen foul in its time of what was deemed political incorrectness.
"Gravity's Rainbow" is perhaps the only other late 20thC work of such epic proportions (but it's not about America).
I don't think any other novel brings face to face so many vital opposites of the American way of life. The Cain/Abel, East coast/West Coast and generational confrontation between the two half-brothers: one with his six-pack and Fats Domino records, the other with his joint and Coltrane, is sublime.
Across from the fierce small town solidarity during a hard loggers' strike, Kesey places the nuclear and extended independent family spirit; both are wholly American. The district union leader and the local bar owner (increased activity for both) provide a wider, detached view; while the East-coast half-brother (coopted after fleeing a failing student career and a hilariously failed suicide suicide attempt) narrates a wonderful tale.
There is not a dud character in the whole novel; and it abounds with characters...
I envy those who have not read it, so much pleasure to come; although I may just dig my copy out and go for a fifth or sixth read
"Gravity's Rainbow" is perhaps the only other late 20thC work of such epic proportions (but it's not about America).
I don't think any other novel brings face to face so many vital opposites of the American way of life. The Cain/Abel, East coast/West Coast and generational confrontation between the two half-brothers: one with his six-pack and Fats Domino records, the other with his joint and Coltrane, is sublime.
Across from the fierce small town solidarity during a hard loggers' strike, Kesey places the nuclear and extended independent family spirit; both are wholly American. The district union leader and the local bar owner (increased activity for both) provide a wider, detached view; while the East-coast half-brother (coopted after fleeing a failing student career and a hilariously failed suicide suicide attempt) narrates a wonderful tale.
There is not a dud character in the whole novel; and it abounds with characters...
I envy those who have not read it, so much pleasure to come; although I may just dig my copy out and go for a fifth or sixth read
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Undoubtedly better in both form and content than Cuckoo's Nest, Sometimes a Great Notion is as a challenging, but enjoyable read. It is a long novel, with extremely lenghty chapters which demand the readers constant attention. Kesey presents characters even more memorable and convincing than those of Cuckoo's Nest. The conflict between the two Stamper brothers is utterly compelling, as is the presentation of other minor roles. The novel is more realistic than Cuckoo's Nest, being set in an Oregon logging town, but far more experimental, with Kesey employing multiple narrative viewpoints. As Kesey's finest novel, it works on an epic scale, dealing with the multi-generational Stamper family drama, and in a wider sense, American history.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the best book I have ever read. A bold statement, I agree, but nothing else comes close apart from watching your own family through the eyes of a fly on the wall. The relationship between the brothers is so fine tuned and subtly written it's amazing, not to mention the whole family. There's just so much good stuff in this book. The only reason that it has been overlooked so much is that it's rather long with some hefty chapters that need a couple of hours each. That doesn't detract from the book at all, it adds to it, making the reader commit to and become immersed in the story. Every character is real and I still think about bits when on the bus or train as if it were a memory from my own life it's that vivid in my mind. Do I sound mad yet? Probably. Should you read this book? Definitely.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
awesome_books_001 aka WRAP LTD
Purchased from awesome_books_001 aka WRAP LTD. Book was heavily yellowed with age, cover was not the same as that shown in the listing, the book was marked as £1. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tinea cruris
Yes, a brilliant novel, a penguin Classic, but no Kindle version
I've loved this book for years, probably the most read book in my collection and I'm pleased to see by the previous reviews that I'm not alone. Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. Harradine
Individual versus society
This is a long and dense book but a rewarding read. Kesey brings the reader right into the deepest recesses of the characters' minds. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2010 by noc
Stunning - best book I've ever read
Just amazing. Long but totally absorbing, packed full of beautifully written characters. Swings this way and that but you always feel like you're being led by a masterful writer.
Published on 10 Dec 2008 by Paul Rodriguez
A Modern American Masterpeice
Sometimes a Great Notion is an absolute masterpeice of a novel. It's a great pity that it has been overshadowed by 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' in popularity because it is a... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2007 by Aaron Noy
Shakespeare reincarnated
Absolutely one of the best contemporary american novels I've read.
Shakespearean in scope and depth. Read more
Shakespearean in scope and depth. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2006 by WhiteCrow
A great notion
Having read Cuckoo's nest, which I enjoyed a great deal, I brought 'Sometimes a Great Notion'. When it arrived I unwrapped it to discover a great block of a book and promptly... Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2006 by Sandy Potato
highly recomended
this is one of the best books ive ever read. easily as good as coocoos nest if not better. The book is massive; loads of characters and lovely discriptions of oregan. Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2003 by "fuzzythinker"
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