How to Write a Book Review

How to Write a Book Review

What is a book review?

            Books are written works by an individual or a group of people that have been fastened by a cover together. Review is an activity where you analyze and critique a book basing on its content, the style of writing it and giving merits and demerits of the book. Consequently, book review is a write up that describes a book, analyses its content and gives a feedback on its quality. The review of the book may be necessitated by the author to get a primary view, get your opinion, give a summary or make a scholarly review.  Therefore, a book review is a criticism by the reviewer aimed at expressing reactions to the book that are beneficial to the author of the book and the reader.  Scholarly reviews are academic papers in which a student is required to review a book or an article as an assignment or requirement in a particular field of study.

 How to write a book review- Introduction

            The book review introduction is meant to give an overview of the book per se.  This introduction may bring up a challenge to beginners or freshmen, now that you are writing an introduction on material that is not yours. Such freshman challenges can be solved by seeking help from professionals online, especially when writing a scholarly review.

In writing a book review introduction, begin by stating the purpose of your review, then describe the content of the book, giving its title, author, and an evaluation of the theme.  State whether your purpose is to give an opinion or summarize the book because this will give the author and readers an informed analysis of the book.  After the introduction, you can now discuss what you like about the book and also mention some things that you dislike about it.

What are 5 important points to consider when writing a book review?

            Consider the following points when writing a book review: –

1. The purpose of writing the book
2. Strengths or what you like about the book
3. Weaknesses or what you dislike about the book
4. Critical evaluation and
5. A personal view and your rating of the book.

What are 5 stages of writing a book review?

            The commonest types of reviews are Fictional book reviews done for endorsement and business reasons. In most cases, your book review should have the following stages: –

Introduction – state the purpose of your review. Describe the book outlining its content, theme, relevance of the topic and why readers should care to read the book.

Analysis – describe the purpose and intentions of the book which are beneficial to the reader.  Give a summary of the plot and highlight the strengths of the book.  Comment on the language, structure and style, assessing its worth.

Critique – make literary criticisms based on the content of the book, pointing out your dislikes and weaknesses of the book tactfully.

Interpretation – give your personal views on the importance and significance of the book and your endorsement to the reader.  Cite specific parts of the book to support views.

Conclusion – summarize everything about the book making your recommendations for reading, and rate the book where necessary.  Make the reader to fully understand the book and be persuaded to read it.

Consider reviewing a book like The Glass Hotel written by Emily St. John Mandel for reading purposes.  Briefly the author writes on psychological fiction addressing human fallibility perpetrated by wealth, greed, happiness and guilt. The scene is at a hotel on Vancouver Island that can only be accessed by boat.

The main character is Jonathan Alkaiti who designs a fraudulent financing scheme miraging Bernie Madoffs Ponzi Scheme.  Alkaiti defrauds many people including Leon and Olivia.  He cohabits a bartender called Vincent who drowns in Alkaitis money wealth ignoring her half-brother Paul working at the hotel. The graffiti at the hotel results in Paul exiting the hotel inconsiderably.  Vincent ends up drowning in the ocean after seeing her mother’s ghost.  Alkaiti ends up in prison serving a life sentence after mishandling an investigation.  He thrived on crime and was a big con.  Mandel looks at the many ways human beings falter and fail and fall back into similar traps.  The literary styles used in the book are appealing making the writer to meet objectives of the book.  The people mentioned in the book are not real people.

The Glass Hotel takes us up and down the ladder of time from 2018 to 2029 in a disconnected manner.  Mandel also takes us through an illusion of how someone is able to know and not know something at the same time.  Mandel is also the author of Station Eleven and uses similar characterization in both books.  This makes The Glass Hotel to mirror Station Eleven.

The book takes us through choices we make in life that chart our life paths infinitely through the living and the dead; a gradual beginning of the apocalypse as our lives are transformed into other beings.  Bad choices will come to haunt us in life.  Fallible human activities will falter and life is an endless pathway of networks.

The Glass Hotel takes the reader through mystery in psychological fiction mixing the rich and the poor, past and present and lives of the living and the dead.  Alkaiti ends up being tortured by the ghosts of the dead whom he had punished by his fraudulent Ponzi scheme.  Cataclysm sets in on Alkaiti and the same will happen to similar characters.

What are 20 best books to read and review in 2021

            There are very many books that have been written with differing intentions, as a textbook or novel.  Fictional books are novels with imaginative writing and since they are published for trading purposes, a book review is ideal so as to give information to the author and the reader about the book. Therefore, fictional book reviews ensure that the value of the book is maximized. Goodhousekeeping.com has the books listed below and more as the best books for review and reading in 2021.

1. The Push by Ashley Audrain. It is a psychological thriller.

“Starkly original and compulsively readable,” commented Krishn Hannah.

2. A Crooked Tree by Una Mannion.
3. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins.
4. Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion.
5. Summer-water by Sarah Moss.
6. How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones.
7. Life Among the Terranauts by Caitlin Horrocks, the author of The Vexations. This is a series of vivid, immense short stories. “A perfect story collection of Astronomical range.” Comment by Claire Vaye Watkins.
8. The Removed by Brandon Hobson, the author of Where the Dead Sit Talking.
9. Girl A by Abigail Dean. Story about family dynamics.
10. The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson.

“The kindest lie is a drop dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, and what it means to grow up black.  This beautifully crafted debut will keep you asking these questions and more.”  Comment by Jodi Picoult.

11. My Year Abroad by Chang-Rae Lee.
12. This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith.

“Cross-Smiths tender writing draws you in with enormous warmth and control.” Comment by Raven Leilani.

13. The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan, author of Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.
14. No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, the author of Priest Daddy.
15. All Girls by Emily Layden.
16. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. Nobel prize winner in Literature.
17. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.
18. Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge.
19. The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone.
20. Caul Baby by Morgan Jerkins.

Why is it necessary to do a book review?

            A book review is done about the book and not about the author.  Therefore, the review is done to help the author to market the book after improving on any comments, and working on the recommendations made by the reviewer.  The book review also helps other writers, the publisher, booksellers and educators to recommend it with authority for reading, publishing and circulation.  Through the book review, the quality of the work is improved; success of the book is achieved because many readers get interested in the book ultimately reading it,

How can this essay help a student?

            Many students need a lot of guidance in writing essays. This is because of the existence of several types of academic essays each having specific qualities and characteristics.  Some of the essays are descriptive, narrative, analytic, reviews, and argumentative and distinguishing one type of essay from the other occasionally poses challenges to students, especially freshmen. Therefore, this essay is important to a student and can help in not only making a distinction from other essays, but also in understanding how to write a book review as an essay.

Where can one get a book review essay?

It is very easy to get book review essays. You can access websites on the internet that offer such services like essaytutors.com. And you will be directly in contact with professionals who will offer you such essays, and even offer to write essays and other academic papers for you at your own request. In case you are a freshman, the professionals will also help you to tackle freshman challenges that you will face. Your college library is another place where you can find book review essays by following directions from your lecturer.