I just finished this about 20 minutes ago and have put this up at the top of my list as some of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. I had a friend that told me that the book wasn't as good as the film (of course I don't see how that can ever be true) but she was definitely wrong!

I really liked how Kesey would weave together Chief's rather straight forward narration and sudden breaks into stream-of-consciousness (like after EST) together without making it seem too awkward.

The ending had the bittersweetness that I love so much in other authors like Irving and Faulkner. In fact I can even see that Irving may have adopted a similar wit and style from Kesey - at least from this book (I haven't read anything else by him).

Any other thoughts, love or hate, or any thematical issues?

It's been a while since I read it, but I was shocked at how much the movie craps all over the narrative done by Chief and basically makes it a loony bin flick starring Jack Nicholson.

I loved the final part of the breakout, the imagery is really beautiful. I never wrote any essays on it though, but enjoyed the book immensely.