As Cliffsnotes go, this may not be the best way to gain a solid understanding of the novel. It mixes summary with analysis and a "healthy" dose of criticism, to the point where you have to do a lot of your own cobbling things together, even if you *have* read the book. Ms. Poston's views on Fitzgerald and what she perceives as his failures as a writer are ubiquitous. Again, not saying that there's no place for questioning an author's choices, but I don't believe the Cliffsnotes series is that place.