I decided to read the cliffnotes instead of rereading the book before I had a test on it. It was awful, the cliffnotes completely fail to really illustrate the ideas George Orwell was trying to convey. 1984 is an excellent book and well worth the time to read it.

As an English teacher, I really hate it when my students read the cliff notes instead of the book, but I do believe well-written Cliff notes can dramatically increase a student's understanding of a book by introducing ideas, concepts, and symbols the student might have missed and by presenting issues that help the student think about the book. That's just what these Cliff Notes do, and I even use them in my class. I've found they really help to fuel discussions and increase everybody's meaningful experience of the book. I highly recommend them.

I had to read 1984 for a class I was taking and I bought the Cliffs Notes to go with it and it really helped. A lot of 1984 was pretty obvious, but most of it wasn't, and the Cliffs Notes to it were really good and made me understand the book a lot better. I highly suggest that someone reading 1984 buy it.

Disgusting! Horrible! Terrible! Words in the book are for 5 year old who have the intelegence of chimps in bubbles. =) Anyone scoring below a 500 and is currently in ESL should get this book.

This is the best way to study vocabulary. All u got to do is slip the card in the card holder and slide it up and down. It is really easy to learn this way and i learned 60 volcabulary in 2 days so i am so happy!!!!!!!!! I think everyone should get this because it is cheap and it works.

These flashcards are the best tool that you can use to prepare for the SAT. They increased my verbal score by over 100 points. I recommend them to any high school student studying for the SAT.

How in the world does someone die and come back to life over and over again? Too many static characters. Readers need change. C'mon homey, find another woman!!!

candide is very good work of voltiar

This review is of James K. Lowers Cliff Notes for Voltaire's "Candide," the French comic masterpiece. The strength of this particular little yellow book with the black stripes are the introductory and background materials for "Candide." Although Voltaire's novel is a literary masterpiece, is it also a rhetorical work that needs to be understood in its particular context of time and place. In his "Introduction," Lowers defines a "Voltairean" and provides a very detailed 10-page essay on Voltaire's career and how he came to write "Candide." After the standard summary/commentary review of the novel's chapters, Lowers is equally detailed in covering the "Background to 'Candide.'" Specifically, he establishes the Philosophy of Gottfired Wilhelm Leibnitz, satirized by Voltaire as "optimism" (the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds) and embodied in Alexander Pope's "Essay on Man," a poetic but rationalistic effort to justify the ways of God to man philosophically. Lowers shows how Voltaire responded to the devastating Iberian earthquake on November 1, 1755 with his "Poem Sur Le Desastre de Lisbonne" and "Candide," showing how the philosophy of optimism was inadequate for explaining such tragedies. This book ends with a look at other sources of influence for Voltaire, the structure and style of the novel, and satire in irony in "Candide." But clearly the strength of this Cliffs Notes is on the macro level, explaining the importance of the novel in history, more so than on the micro level, dealing with the book on a chapter by chapter basis. However, it is clear that there is an abundance of insightful material here to be used by both teachers and students in coming to terms with Voltaire's comic novel, most of which will prove useful even before reading "Candide."

this book if very brief (it offers no more information or instruction than that provided in the lsat registration booklet that comes with your test application). the sample questions for the analytic section are much easier than those on the lsat, but the logic questions were about the same difficulty. if you only have a few days to prepare, i guess this would be a good choice since it is a quick read, but if you have more time, i recommend barron's pass-key instead. FYI: don't take the december lsat, i did and everyone had a cold and was coughing and sneezing and blowing their noses and it was impossible to concetrate--it was a nightmare!

There are many guides to the LSAT and they are all very similar to each other. However, the Cliff's notes version has three sample tests and discusses each section of the test in-depth. It leaves the reader well prepared for the test and for half the price of most of the other books. In addition, since actual sample tests are available from LSAT.ORG, there is simply no reason to buy another book and pay more money. The only downside is that the book is very small so it's relatively hard to write on the sample tests as the book suggests. Overall, it is well worth the 9.99 suggested retail price.

In going through the book, the questions seemed complicated at first, but the book teaches you how to take the information and make a diagram and place all the information in proper order, this makes answering the questions very simple, (once you get the hang of it!).

You can read Slaughterhouse Five in a few hours. Nobody needs the Cliffs Notes to this book. Everyone knows Cliffs notes are not used for notes, so all you lazy students, just read the actual book. It's worth your time. Cliffs Notes don't deserve any stars, and in this case, don't waste your money. The book is incredibly simple, and short. Don't make it meaningless!

Don't know if it's just me, but I couldn't work this book out at all. Sure, I understood it but I couldn't really see what it was getting at. I understand this book is considered a literary classic in the USA so maybe it's because I'm a dumb English guy but, whilst I enjoyed it to a point, I couldn't really relate to it at all.

So, three stars because I'm sure some of you will like it but it wasn't my cup of tea.

You have to accept this Vonnegut-style, or you will be disappointed just by his strange ideas about time-warp, extraterrestrials and his special wit. If you fight through, you will find more than this - it's a short book about a man/child, driven into WWII although neither grown-up nor a real soldier, just to be imprisoned by the germans to work for them. Through several timeshifts he tells us about his life, youth, WWII including the horrendous bombing of Dresden, his later life as an optometrist and ... ohh no - it's short enough that you can read it for yourself. Try it, but don't beat me nor the writer for not matching your special taste in books :-)

Perhaps the Seattle teacher should learn what the word "editor" means: Bloom's role in this series is an EDITOR, not a WRITER. What Bloom does in this, and many other series, is sort through chaff to find the wheat of criticism, and presents it to his readers so that they will have a rounder view of the literature at hand. As always, some of this work is above the heads of all but the finest readers, but in Bloom's collection there is very little of the self-serving nonsense that passes for criticism these days. Kudos to Bloom Brontosaurus!

Truely a classic. A must read for everyone who can even remotely claim to know literature. Read it--now--you won't regret it.

It is very difficult to review so superb a work but i will try:in short there are two basics things in the Divina Commedia that attract the reader:one is a very comprehensive descripition of medieval society,history,religion and science made by a first class scholar like Dante Alighieri,the other is a most penetrating and revealing analysis of the "ethernal" human being with all the good and the bad everyone of us experiences in his daily life.In the Commedia every aspect of life is examined and accounted for.But i think that the real magic of Dante is the almost super-natural ability to express his views in the most exquisitely crafted verses of Italian literature.Try for example to read Dante and Virgilio encounter with Ulysses or with Paolo and Francesca and you will be almost lifted by the author powers of dramatic rendering of life to another plane of existence and knoweldge.I adore Dante and hope everyone loves him too!Best Italian book ever written!

I have been in the insurance industry 15 years and just decided to buy this as an addition for my work desk. I rarely open the book, however, anytime I go to look up a coverage definition it is not listed. This book is of NO use to me. Not really sure who would use this.............a person who hands out maps at the Auto Club who may need to look up a word or two?

For general knowledge of insurance terms I guess this is an adequate dictionary and nevertheless needed for understanding insurance terms. I find however that being IN the insurance business as a newcomer and needing to have all my insurance words defined, this dictionary lacks many terms used, at least on the Life insurance side of it, so leaves me grasping for other sources and references to find these words which should be defined in this dictionary in the first place.

This is an American based book but covers every imaginable insurance term, in every sector of the finance/insurance industry. It not only provides definitions of terms but broadley defines the cover provided under different types of insurance. This is a must for any professional in the financial services/insurance industry as a great reference.

I read the novel Tess, not the notes on it. However, I did use cliffs notes for a book report to help with the character analyses and themes and such for the book. Cliffs notes was very helpful, even after reading the novel! Useful thing to have.

I always enjoy reading literature of the late nineteenth century period, and I would have to say that Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy was one of the best -second only to my favorite Jane Eyre. Recently I finished the novel for an AP English class at Mercy High School. Not only was the story romantic and interesting, but it was also surprising and captivating. As the heroine of the story, Tess was an extremely courageous and strong character, constantly facing hardships and internal and external struggles. I was also torn, however, between Angel and Alec -which character is more honorable and who do I like more? Angel and Tess were passioately in love, but he could not see past the offense she had committed when she needed him. Alec wrongfully took advantage of Tess, but sincerely attempted to win her back in the end. Alec was there for her when Angel was not, yet, I still lean more towards Angel as my favorite of the two. I also want to point out that the message Tess gave throughout the novel is very true -complete happiness is not permanent, it goes away and it comes back, but only comes back if you have a strong soul and sheer determination to destroy anything in your way.

I am currently studying Tess for my Hsc exams at the end of this year,and as a related student i have come to be rather familiar with Tess's character and how Hardy presents her to us.Tess is a victim of a changing society to which she really does not belong.Tess endures so much during her young life that it would be unfair for us to state that she was a depressing ,sad character.She trully is a heroine as she has the courage to tell Angel the truth about her past on their wedding night and faces her destiny of being executed in the 7th phase,she even has the courage to hand over her younger sister for Angel to marry and look after,thus how can anybody be so cruel and insensitive to say that tess is a sad and depressing character.Yes she may be weak and let people step on her but with what she endures she still continues on with her life,she demonstrates,resourcefulness and endurance.Atrue heroine in my eyes.And to those who think highschool students know nothing and should not be listend to,rethink your statement.

Most of this book has stuff you don't need to know. For example, it talks about graphing complex functions and sequences and series. You'll never see anything like that. If you do, it will be easy enough not to know the formulas they give you. The practice tests are ten times more difficult than the real test. Go with the Princeton Review, or better yet, take the SAT. They at least give you enough time to do the sections.

This was a great study aid for preparing for the ACT. I don't think I could have been as prepared for the test had it not been for this great book. Thanks to this book I am sure any college will accept me, well maybe not any.

I took the ACT my junior year and only received a score of 25. However, after using this book for about a month in advance, I was able to achieve a score of 29. I attribute most of, if not all of that increase to this book. It's practice tests are great, but that is not all. For each section different topics are discussed and mini-tests are given in these areas. The English section really helped me to not only practice, but understand many simple ideas about grammar and punctuation, that I had never learned. Not only does it cover everything you need to know, but in a few cases it covers information that is not necessary. However, it is very rare, and chances are it will only help you, and not hurt you. If you plan on taking the ACT and need review material, this is the book for you!

We found this book to be VERY VIOLENT. There are several disturbing photographs and sketches that are inappropriate for any child. One of the sections is about Chinese tortures and states "The 'lightest' penalty was beating - 4 to 100 blows . . might also be condemed to have his ears cut off or be shut inside a tiny cage. The frame torture consisted of placing a piece of wood weighing over 80 pounds around the convict's neck. He was not able to sleep or rest, and the slightest fall could break is neck and kill him." This is accompanied by a VERY DISTURBING photograph of men and a child being tortured! A children's book?

Also, of the many photos, only one is of a woman or girl. She is working in a silk work factory.

Overall, my opinion of the book was very negative - especially in its depiction of China and it's people.

This book was not violent. There were many pictures of woman and children and there was nothing disturbing about it. The reviewer from Boston obviously did not read this book. There is one picture referring to chinese torture. It is realistic and tasteful. Children need to understand history and the world around them. This book helps.

Okay, my two cents on the controversy: In one of Tintin's adventures in China he was forced to wear a piece of wood around his neck that was chained to his foot. This book, in answering the question "Do Chinese tortures still exist?", talks about what is called the "great imagination" the Chinese showed in the punishment of their prisoners, how this compared to what other nations around the world were doing to prisoners, and the improvement of the legal system in China today. The photograph in question shows three men and a younger boy with their heads held between two giant tubes of bamboo as pillories. The book explains that the idea was that this would prevent prisoners from sleeping or resting and certainly takes the subject of torture seriously.

The key context here for the question being raised is that "China: Tintin's Travel Diaries" is a companion volume to Tintin's adventures in China, "The Blue Lotus," and many of the thirty key questions raised by the book are designed for young readers who have read the Tintin story. Some questions are also basic to the subject of China, such as "How many people live in China?" and "Why did the Chinese build a great wall?" The books in this series were inspired by Herge's character and the conceit is that Tintin would have kept notebooks as he traveled around the world on his adventures. From an educational standpoint the book explores the geography, customs, culture, and heritage of the people living in China. Herge's original cartoons from "The Blue Lotus" are juxtaposed with photographs from today and if young readers are inspired to find out more about other lands after reading about Tintin's adventures that would be a good thing.