A standard study guide to Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls.

This Cliffs Notes contribution is a moderately useful supplement to Hemingway's famous novel. Unlike some in the Cliffs Notes series, it does not summarize each chapter, but rather, offers commentaries on each. Thus, the lazier student will not find it a substitute for reading the work itself. I found no great insights, and was a bit put off by the author's penchant for finding "irony" throughout the work (to my mind, an overextension of the concept). However, since I was experiencing the novel as an audio work, I found the Cliffs Notes useful in keeping me apprised of the main themes and the subtleties that might otherwise have been lost on me. Chapters/ sections of this work are as follows: "Life and Background" of the author; "General Introduction" to the novel; "List of Characters"; "Commentary" on each of the chapters; "Notes on Main Characters"; "The Hemingway Code Hero"; "Ideology"; "and Style". A series of "Review Questions" are offered to stimulate thought. ( )