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Rating: 
Summary: Serena, 1988
Review: Brilliant book, the bit in the front from Serena, 1988 is by far the easiest.
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Summary: a little soft and outdated
Review: east coast approach to macro
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Summary: Broad macro theory at your hands!
Review: I loved this book since I first read it. It's a complete book in terms of modern macroeconomic theory topics covered and in the treatment of them. The authors have focused in modern development in the field and have tried to gather a significant collection of models and theories which explain several aspects of the macroeconomic analysis (just check the index to find out all that you can read here!).
A drawback of this book is that it's kinda specialized in modern macro development and its methods: it assumes that the reader knows about basic macro theory, macro models, has strong mathematical foundations (calculus, systems of equations, optimum control theory, etc.) AND is used to the kind of relationship economists do between models and real life. This is NOT a book of macroeconomic policies, like how to manage a nation's deficit in the public budget, or so; but researches could find here the basis for developing more specific recommendations and policies to address such problems.
Rating:
Summary: Serena, 1988
Review: I used this book while in grad school and loved it. Other PhD students will probably appreciate it while others are likely to find it too difficult.
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Summary: Excellent book for grad students
Review: I used this book while in grad school and loved it. Other PhD students will probably appreciate it while others are likely to find it too difficult.
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Summary: Worst Book on Economics
Review: Some people seem to mistake bad writing for brilliance in content. The reason that many reviews seem to have trouble understanding some of the contents in the book should be an argument against the book, not an argument for its technical difficulties derived from some people's own uncertainty about their skills in maths.
I thoroughly advise people not to waste time looking into this book, let alone buy it which will be a waste of money as well.
I have not found a perfect macroeconomics textbook yet. But David Romer's Advanced Macroeconomics is much better than this one in every way.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, but problem with the level of discussion
Review: This book does a good job of going through macro and monetary economics as it is currently understood. If you can get through it, you are in good shape.Unfortunately, the book is written at a level a little beyond the typical student with a BA in economics. It is probably fine for the students at MIT, but for everyone else who lack the analytical tools, the major messages can get a bit lost. It is probably a bit too advanced for a first-year macro course and a bit too basic for a more advanced macro course.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of time and of money
Review: This book is indeed a collection of "mental gymnastics of a particularly depraved sort" (see the preface of the book), and one ought to wonder how can economists even concieve calling macroeconomics what is written in this textbook- a set of models based on dynamic equations and systems, calculus of variations, and optimal control theory. What does this have to do with reality? Nothing. It does not at all further one's knowledge of economics, it only forces you to perform the same(depraved)mental gymnastics the authors did.
Rating:
Summary: Three stars with a caution
Review: While this book is certainly a standard in graduate programs as a survey of modern theory, most people do not want a survey of modern theory from this perspective. This book has garnered itself three stars because of the difficulty of covering the spectrum of macro theory. Even for a graduate student in economics I am not ashamed to say that this book gave me a lot of trouble because of its prose style. This is a book that truly assumes familiarity not with economics but with macro theory, that is the systems of equations and methods. For some one wanting a self-teaching guide for macroeconomics I would recommend trying to find a general audience book, but for a survey of macroeconomics past the undergraduate level I recommend David Romer's Advanced Macroeconomics. Not that AM is ideal either but it is easier to follow.
Rating:
Summary: Three stars with a caution
Review: While this book is certainly a standard in graduate programs as a survey of modern theory, most people do not want a survey of modern theory from this perspective. This book has garnered itself three stars because of the difficulty of covering the spectrum of macro theory. Even for a graduate student in economics I am not ashamed to say that this book gave me a lot of trouble because of its prose style. This is a book that truly assumes familiarity not with economics but with macro theory, that is the systems of equations and methods. For some one wanting a self-teaching guide for macroeconomics I would recommend trying to find a general audience book, but for a survey of macroeconomics past the undergraduate level I recommend David Romer's Advanced Macroeconomics. Not that AM is ideal either but it is easier to follow.
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