lParentEdge’s

Guide to Writing an Effective Book Review

Spark Interest. Kindle Imagination. Fire Intellect

When does a review of a book really begin? Is it when you put pen to paper? Or is it when you start critiquing and analysing the book in your mind? Or is it, in fact, when you peruse the bookshelves to carefully choose a book that you want to write about? For aren’t you already making a judgement about the book at that point—on whether it is worth writing about or not? The next phase of this journey is to read the book; as you read it you also enjoy it, analyse it in your mind and form opinions. Writing the actual words down to describe the book is only an expression of your thoughts.

A book review should be true to your feelings—it should express your love for the book, the feelings it stoked in you and your conviction that the world will be a better place for reading this book. So how do you review a book?

Firstly, when you set out to review a book, choose one that is age appropriate; not too complicated for you, but not too simplistic either. Choose a book that you can relate to, maybe a genre that you are interested in and, of course, something that you are already predisposed to like.

As you become better at, and more comfortable with critiquing books, you can and should read and review genres that you do not traditionally pick up and also attempt to appraise books that you did not particularly enjoy reading. The challenge lies in presenting a balanced and objective assessment that is not unduly coloured by your personal taste and preferences, but informs the reader about the book’s plot and good and not-so-good aspects.

Structuring a book review

IntroductionThis section introduces the book and sets the context. Include details like author and publisher, yes, but also genre, when the book was written, in response to what, the social/political milieu of the time and other such details. Include some interesting facts that will set the book in a context and give the reader an idea of what he can expect. You can also make the introduction personal—how you came across the book, why you were tempted to pick it up.

Examples:On To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Many people are famous after writing many books. Harper Lee wrote only one book in her whole life, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, which has won multiple awards, sells six million copies worldwide yearly, and has been published in multiple languages.

On Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell:----------------------------------------------------------------------------Anna Sewell wrote only one book, the enduringly popular novel Black Beauty in 1877. Her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, was also a successful writer of children's books. Anna helped edit many of her mother's texts and thus gained exposure to writing from an early age. Black Beauty is one of the few books that have changed the way some people look at animals. Anna Sewell called it 'the autobiography of a horse'.

On Matilda, by Roald Dahl:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have read many of Roald Dahl’s books for children: Fantastic Mr Fox, George’s Marvellous Medicine, James and the Giant Peach, The Twits, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but Matilda is my favourite. This book turned 25 years old in 2013!

On The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas:----------------------------------------------------------------------------This wonderful masterpiece is written by Alexandre Dumas, who has also written other books like The Count of Monte Christo, The Black Tulip, Twenty Years After, and many more. In this book, all the chapters end like cliff-hangers, full of suspense and mystery. Have you ever wondered why? The reason is that this book was published serially in newspapers.

Overview/plot summaryIn this section, you describe what the plot is or what the book is about. Introduce characters, the ambience and the story. Remember that you are writing a summary of the story, and that the main objective of a review is to give an opinion on it so your description should not take more than a paragraph or two. This means that you do not have to go into details of incidents and the sequence of events; rather, you explain what the story revolves around. Most important, no spoilers! Don’t give away the ending, the surprises and the entire plot; once all this is revealed, the reader will have no incentive to pick up and read the book.

Examples:

On Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lizzie (Elizabeth) Bennett is the charming and intelligent protagonist of the book, set in Victorian England. She is second oldest among her five sisters, and although not particularly well known for her beauty or talent, her wit and sharp mind make her a lady designed to stand out from the crowd. Mr. Darcy, an unsociable gentleman with thousands of pounds and very little personality, first meets Lizze at a ball where she vows to loathe him for all eternity. Very shortly, circumstances begin to change. The Bennett girls learn that, on the death of their father, they will lose their property and money if they are not married, which starts off the mad scramble for husbands. Lizzie's older sister and Mr. Bingley, Darcy's best friend, immediately fall in love, forcing Lizzie and Darcy's relationship to progress from one of complete hatred to mild tolerance. Old grudges and feuds arise, innocence is lost, and the real world stands exposed in all its brutality. Romance, trouble and the drama of 19th century England sweep Lizzie into a world very different to the one she knows, changing everything she thought she knew about people. And slowly, she finds herself falling for her very best enemy.

On Divergent, by Veronica Roth:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------The story revolves around Beatrice (Tris) Prior, who lives in a dystopian Chicago where society is divided into five factions based on one’s personality—Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave and Erudite for the knowledgeable. On a specific day, all sixteen year olds must go through an aptitude test and then choose the faction to which they are going to devote the rest of their lives. Tris is under intense pressure to choose between her family and her desires. She undergoes an arduous initiation and struggles hard to live out the choice she has made. She faces some challenges which she never anticipated and discovers conflicts between factions. Tris also learns a secret that could either help her save her loved ones or destroy her. Her initiate trainer turned love interest, Four, has many secrets of his own. Will Tris be able to decipher them?

Stylistically, it is better if you do not divide this section into ‘What I like about this book’ or ‘My favourite scene’. Instead, these aspects should flow naturally through your review, finding mention where appropriate.

Tips: Remember to always give reasons to support your opinions.

End with a strong sentence of recommendation and also include a sentence on which age group this book is suitable for.

Examples:

On The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Though Holling mostly narrates his experiences at school, the story is more realistic and ‘wholesome’ because he talks about the most important things in his life as well, which makes the book equal parts politics, school life, father-son relationship and love. Holling makes the relationships he shares with others look so authentic: the big sister-little brother relationship, his awkward hate-like relationship with Mrs. Baker, and his relationship with love interest Meryl Lee Kowalski. He also describes the typical life of a seventh grader.

On Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick Riordan has truly brought alive the world of Percy Jackson, where Gods and monsters fight for the upper hand. The aspect that I liked the most about this book is that Riordan has brought Greek mythology into the modern world, combining it with action and adventure, making it very interesting. He has portrayed Hades, the Greek God of the underworld, with a leather coat and boots, making him resemble Mick Jagger. Ares, the Greek God of war is given a ‘Ghost rider’ look. And Poseidon, the Greek God of the seas, wears a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts and sports a fishing rod! I feel that this book is definitely a fun way to get introduced to Greek mythology.

I read this book whenever I feel lonely or sad as it’s an ‘all time depression drainer’. The scene in the book that inspired me the most is when Percy uses his quick thinking and defeats his enemy, Luke, by channelling his power of controlling water. This book is also packed with values as it demonstrates courage and determination even in the face of the most desperate situations. And edge-of-the-seat thriller, this book also inspired me to read the rest of the books in the Percy Jackson series. Definitely a ‘must read’ for everyone.

CritiqueHere is where you actually ‘review’ or evaluate the book, moving beyond the story to talk about themes, subtext, explanations and analysis. You can mention what you liked or did not like about the book and why, and compare it to other similar books. Analyse the characters, the situations and the plot, but without giving too much away. Here are some aspects that you can include:

Was the book thought-provoking, and why?

How did it affect you, what emotions did it cause in you, and why?

Is it similar to other books? How is it different from other books by the same author?

Comment on the language, tone, style.

Is it representative of its genre?

Which characters did you like or dislike and why? Which situations?

Be original: This is your opinion on a book so think through why you like this book and write that down in your own words. Don’t copy from others’ reviews! Honesty will make your review more compelling than the best language.

Make notes: Before you start writing, make notes of the points that you want to communicate and opinions that you want to express. At this stage, you could also pull out and jot down supporting quotes or passages from the book that illustrate your point.

Be original: This is your opinion on a book so think through why you like this book and write that down in your own words. Don’t copy from others’ reviews! Honesty will make your review more compelling than the best language.

Highlight favourite passages/scenes, quotes, incidents: Quoting directly from the book adds a personal touch, shows readers what you really enjoyed and also offers them a flavour of the book so to speak, a glimpse into language and style.

Highlight favourite passages/scenes, quotes, incidents: Quoting directly from the book adds a personal touch, shows readers what you really enjoyed and also offers them a flavour of the book so to speak, a glimpse into language and style.

Experiment as you improve: A good writer can experiment with interweaving plot summary and opinion, i.e. analysing the book as you describe what it is about.

Examples:

On To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The blacks having just won their rights makes Atticus' job even harder in a town where inequality is masked in the adults' attitudes; it is a town where people do not realize the folly of their ways and beliefs. Lee says aptly, "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.”

On The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------The book features sparkling wit and repartee that will leave you in splits. Read this wonderful passage for instance: “You know,” said Arthur, “it’s at times like this, when I’m trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I’d listened to what my mother told me when I was young.”“Why, what did she tell you?”“I don’t know, I didn’t listen.”

Examples:

On To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Running in parallel is the story line of the Radley family. The hype about Boo Radley's family in itself is a reflection of societal judgement and faults in their beliefs about race. For most part of the book, Radley comes off as an obscure figure, perennially confined to the four walls of his room. He is rumoured to be a lot of things, none rather pleasant.

Things to keep in mind

On The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lovelace wants to execute an evil, destroy-the-world plan. Will Nathaniel succeed in his mission to save the world? Will Bartimaeus co-operate? Will Simon Lovelace face his end because of his own folly? Find out

Highlight favourite passages/scenes, quotes, incidents: Quoting directly from the book adds a personal touch, shows readers what you really enjoyed and also offers them a flavour of the book so to speak, a glimpse into language and style. in The Amulet of Samarkand!

Examples:

No negativity: Don’t be negative about a book. While it is okay and even normal to dislike some aspects of a book, it is not acceptable to slander the book or be negative about it. After all, each person’s taste is different and the purpose of a book review is to present the book to the reader, giving him a peek into it so he can choose whether to pick it up or not. So while it is fine to say, “the plot could have incorporated a little more realism even if it is set in a dystopian world,” it is not advisable to say, “the plot was ludicrous and unrealistic.”

Polish your writing: Finally, read and re-read your review, proofing and editing for language, spelling, vocabulary and logical flow. If you are going to review someone else’s written work, you need to ensure that your own writing is first error-free, informative and useful to the reader.

No spoilers: Don’t give away surprises, or the main elements of the plot, or the conclusion. Leave these to the reader to discover on his own. Here is an example of a good way of winding up your summary, before you move on to the analysis bit.

We hope that this guide has given you a good idea of how to write a book review. Now practise writing some reviews, starting with simple books and moving on to more complex ones.

Happy reading!

*Feel free to write in to editor@parentedge.in with any queries you may have.

Make multiple drafts: In the first draft, when you actually put pen to paper, you should ideally be simply writing down your thoughts and opinions; let your ideas and feelings flow without bothering too much about the structure. You can impose a structure when writing your second draft. The first draft should be more creative and the second should use editing to be more logical. This will result in a review that is technically well-written but also passionate and heartfelt.

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