How to Write a Book Review

by Bill Asenjo
A book review describes, analyzes and evaluates. The review conveys an opinion, supporting it with evidence from the book Do you know how to write a book review? I didn't. And even though I knew I didn't, that didn't stop me from firmly inserting my foot in my mouth by agreeing to conduct a book review writing workshop for my local Barnes & Noble. I blithely assured myself it would simply be a matter of picking up Book Reviews for Dummies, or something to that effect. Au contraire. It's easier to find information on bomb-making than book review writing. So I did what any other resourceful writer on deadline would do; I panicked. Well, for a moment. Quickly composing myself I scrounged the library and internet for every conceivable source that even hinted at the term "book review." What follows is the result of my gleaning

Before reading, consider:

Title - What does it suggest? Preface or Introduction - Provides important information about the author's intentions or the scope of the book. Can you identify any limitations? Has the author ignored important aspects of the subject? Table of Contents - Shows how the book's organized -- main ideas, how they're developed (chronologically, topically, etc.)

Points to ponder as you read the entire book:

What's the general field or genre? Does the book fit? From what point of view is the book written? Do you agree or disagree with the author's point of view? Make notes as you read, passages to quote in your review. Can you follow the author's thesis, "common thread"? What is the author's style? Formal? Informal? Suitable for the intended audience? Are concepts well defined? Is the language clear and convincing? Are the ideas developed? What areas are covered, not covered?How accurate is the information? Is the author's concluding chapter, the summary, convincing?

If there are footnotes, do they provide important information? Do they clarify or extend points made in the text? If relevant, make note of the book's format - layout, binding, etc. Are there maps, illustrations? Are they helpful? Is the index accurate? What sources did the author use -- primary, secondary? Make note of important omissions. What did the book accomplish? Is more work needed? Compare the book to others by this author, or books in this field by other authors. (Use the books listed in the bibliography.)

Writing the Review:

Include title, author, place, publisher, publication date, edition, pages, special features (maps, etc.), price, ISBN. Hook the reader with your opening sentence. Set the tone of the review. Be familiar with the guidelines -- some editors want plot summaries; others don't. Some want you to say outright if you recommend a book, but not others. Review the book you read -- not the book you wish the author had written. If this is the best book you have ever read, say so -- and why. If it's merely another nice book, say so. Include information about the author-- reputation, qualifications, etc. -- anything relevant to the book and the author's authority. Think about the person reading your review. Is this a librarian buying books for a collection? A parent who wants a good read-aloud? Is the review for readers looking for information about a particular topic, or for readers searching for a good read? Your conclusion should summarize, perhaps include a final assessment. Do not introduce new material at this point. To gain perspective, allow time before revising.

Writing a Fiction Book Review

Note: You don't have to answer every question -- they're suggestions! Points to Ponder:

What was the story about? Who were the main characters?

Were the characters credible? What did the main characters do in the story? Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures? Who was your favorite character? Why?

Your personal experiences

Could you relate to any of the characters in the story? Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?

Your opinion

Did you like the book? What was your favorite part of the book? Do you have a least favorite part of the book? If you could change something, what would it be? (If you wish you could change the ending, don't reveal it!)

Your recommendation

Would you recommend this book to another person? What type of person would like this book?

Things to Bear in Mind:

Don't be intimidated by famous authors -- many have written mediocre books. Don't review books by people you know, love, or hate. Do you want to be a book reviewer? Start by doing. Write book reviews for local newspapers. If they don't have a book review section, start one. If you have a specialty -- romance, mystery, dark fantasy -- cultivate it, become an

A book report presents the content and structure of a book as objectively as possible, without comparison. It provides not only a summary of content but also an analysis of structure. The purpose of the report is to give enough information about a book to help decide whether it will be of use or interest to the reader. A book review is a descriptive and critical or evaluative account of a book. Like the book report, it provides a summary of content and an analysis of structure, yet you will also assess the value of a book and recommend (or not recommend) the book to other readers. Reports and reviews are concerned mainly with the one book presented, relying upon only a few standard reference works for brief and relevant comments on the author and on any special circumstances about the writing of the book. Book reports and book reviews are not research papers. The research paper is based on material from as many sources as are needed to back up its topic. The kind of information that should be given in both a book report and a book review is covered in points 1-7. Point 8, Critical Comments, needs to be covered in book reviews.

Bibliographical Information
Give the author's name; full title of book including subtitle; editor, if any; place, publisher and date of publication; edition, if necessary; and the number of pages - all this in bibliographical form under the title of the report.

Background Information
Supply any information about the author which shows their credentials for writing in this field or which reveals any influences, which may have affected the author's point of view. Note any interesting circumstances that led to the writing of the book.

Classification on the Basis of the Kind of Book

The book is non fiction, but classify it further according to its subject area, such as history, philosophy, travel, biography, autobiography, psychology, anthropology, etc. Clues for this classification may be found in the title, subtitle, table of contents, reviewers' comments, author's preface, and introduction.

Classification on the Basis of the Author's Intention

The author's intention may be apparent by the way the author treats the subject. Is the material meant for specialists, students, or the general public? Is it limited to a narrow area or is it a survey of the subject? Several areas may provide clues: appendices, bibliographies and general indexes usually accompany scholarly works; prefaces and introductions often contain an author's explicit statement of intention; the content and style of expression will be a good indication of the intended audience.

Subject and thesis statement

What is the book about? Tell your reader not only the main concern of the book in its entirety (subject) but also what the author's particular point of view is on that subject

(thesis statement). If you cannot find an adequate statement in the author's own words or if you feel that the stated thesis statement is not that which the book actually develops (make sure you check for yourself), then you will have to compose a thesis statement that does cover all the material. This statement must be brief (a sentence or a paragraph), accurate and comprehensive.
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Analysis of Structure
The thesis statement will clearly indicate the major idea of the book, but you must also point out the organization of subsidiary ideas, and how they relate to the thesis statement and to one another. The chapter headings and sectional divisions will reveal most of the outline of the book; however, on reading the book, you may see another plan, with somewhat different divisions. If so, make your own plan, showing clearly the order and relation of the parts. Whether your own or the author's it should include the thesis statement, major parts, their division into sections and the main points in these sections (summary of content).

Summary of content
The summary is based on your reading notes, follows the author's order, and is drastically reduced to the chief ideas which advance the author's argument. It may be presented with the analysis of structure or discussed separately.

Critical Comments
Although the book report is mainly concerned with content and structure, it may contain some critical comment or your opinion about the book; check with your professor whether such comments are required. Critical comments should form the bulk of the book review. State whether or not you feel the author's treatment of the subject matter is appropriate for the intended audience. Ask yourself: Has the purpose of the book been achieved? What contribution does the book make to the field? Is the treatment of the subject matter objective? Are there facts and evidence that have been omitted? What kinds of data, if any, are used to support the author's thesis statement? Can the same data be interpreted to alternate ends? Is the writing style clear and effective? Does the book raise issues or topics for discussion? Support your evaluation with evidence from the text. In conclusion, you may want to state whether you liked or disliked the book.

Books on writing book reports and book reviews

Buckley, J. (1998). Fit to print: the Canadian student's guide to essay writing. LB 2369 B83 WEB Drewry, J. E. (various editions). Writing book reviews. PN 98 B7D7 WEB VAN Lindholm-Romantschuk, Y. (1998). Scholarly book reviewing in the social sciences and humanities. H 61.8 L56 1998 VAN Teitelbaum, H. (1982). How to write book reviews. REF PN 98 B7T45X WEB VAN

Useful Web sites

Writing Book Reviews (Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University) How to Write a Book Review (Dalhousie Libraries) Book Reports and Book Reviews (Student Development Centre, University of Western Ontario) [PDF

How to Write Book Reviews

A book review is both a description and an evaluation of a book. It should focus on the book's purpose, contents, and authority.

Scan the Book's Preliminaries

Before beginning to read, consider the following: 1. Title - What does it suggest? 2. Preface - Provides important information on the author's purpose in writing the book and will help you to determine the success of the work. 3. Table of Contents - Tells you how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they are developed - chronologically, topically, etc.

Read the Text

Record impressions as you read and note effective passages for quoting. Keep these questions in mind: 1. What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it? (Use outside sources to familiarize yourself with the field, if necessary.) 2. From what point of view is the work written? 3. What is the author's style? Is it formal or informal? Does it suit the intended audience? If a work of fiction, what literary devices does the author use? 4. Are concepts clearly defined? How well are the author's ideas developed? What areas are covered/not covered? Why? This helps to establish the book's authority. 5. If a work of fiction, make notes on such elements as character, plot, and setting, and how they relate to the theme of the book. How does the author delineate his characters? How do they develop? What is the plot structure? 6. How accurate is the information in the book? Check outside sources if necessary. 7. If relevant, make note of the book's format - layout, binding, typography, etc. Are there maps, illustrations? Do they aid understanding? 8. Check the back matter. Is the index accurate? What sources did the author use - primary or secondary? How does he make use of them? Make note of important omissions. 9. Finally, what has the book accomplished? Is further work needed? Compare the book to others by this author or by others. (Use the listing in the bibliography.)

Consult Additional Sources

Try to find further information about the author - his/her reputation, qualifications, influences, etc. any information that is relevant to the book being reviewed and that would help to establish the author's authority. Knowledge of the literary period and of critical theories can also be helpful to your review. Your professor and/or reference librarian will be able to suggest sources to use.

Prepare an Outline
Carefully review your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe the purpose or thesis of your review. Then, outline the arguments that support your thesis. Your arguments should develop the thesis in a logical manner.

Write the Draft

Skim your notes again; then, using the outline as a guide and referring to notes when necessary, begin writing. Your book review should include the following: 1. Preliminary Information - the complete bibliographic citation for the work ie. title in full, author, place, publisher, date of publication, edition statement, pages, special features (maps, colour plates, etc.), price and ISBN. Example:

Rory Maclean Under the Dragon Travels in a betrayed land London: Harper Collins, 1998 224pp. $37.50 0 00 257013 0
2. Introduction - Try to capture the reader's attention with your opening sentence. The introduction should state your central thesis, and set the tone of the review. 3. Development - Develop your thesis using supporting arguments as set out in your outline. Use description, evaluation, and if possible explanation of why the author wrote as he/she did. Use quotations to illustrate important points or peculiarities. 4. Conclusion - If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally. It can include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not introduce new material at this point.

Revise the Draft

1. Allow some time to elapse before going over your review, to gain perspective. 2. Carefully read through the text, looking for clarity and coherence.

3. Correct grammar and spelling. 4. Verify quotes for proper foot-noting.

To Write a Historical Book Review

Consult Writing a Historical Book Review

For Further Writing Assistance

Consult Writing Critical Book Reviews, published by The Writing Centre at Queen's. To learn more about book reviews, look at examples of ones in The New York Times Book Review, the New York Review of Books, and the Times Literary Supplement to see how professional writers review books.

For Further Reading

Barzun, Jacques and Henry F. Graff. The Modern Researcher. 4th ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1985. D13.B334 1985 Drewry, John. Writing Book Reviews.Westport: Greenwood Press, 1974. PN98.B7D7 1974 Literary Reviewing. Charlottesville, University Press of Virginia, 1987. PN441.L487 1987 Reviews and Reviewing: a Guide. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1986. PN98.B7R5 1986 Also check the following websites, which discuss the elements essential to a good review. Dalhousie University Libraries: How to Write a Book Review Laurentian University Desmarais Library: How to Review a Book University of Alberta Libraries: How to Write a Book Review

Book Reviews
How to write a book review
There are two approaches to book reviewing:

Descriptive reviews give the essential information about a book. This is done with description and exposition, by stating the perceived aims and purposes of the author, and by quoting striking passages from the text. Critical reviews describe and evaluate the book, in terms of accepted literary and historical standards, and supports this evaluation with evidence from the text. The following pointers are meant to be suggestions for writing a critical review.

Basic requirements
To write a critical review, the reviewer must know two things:

Knowing the work under review: This demands not only attempting to understand the author's purpose and how the component parts of the work contribute to that purpose, but also knowledge of the author: his/her nationality, time period, other works etc. Requirements of the genre: This means understanding the art form and how it functions. Without such context, the reviewer has no historical or literary standard upon which to base an evaluation.

Reviewing essentials
o o o

Description of the book. Sufficient description should be given so that the reader will have some understanding of the author's thoughts. This account is not a summary. It can be woven into the critical remarks. Discuss the author. Biographical information should be relevant to the subject of the review and enhance the reader's understanding of the work under discussion. Appraise the book. A review must be a considered judgment that includes: a statement of the reviewer's understanding of the author's purpose how well the reviewer feels the author's purpose has been achieved evidence to support the reviewer's judgement of the author' achievement.

While you read:

Read the book with care. Highlight quotable passages. Note your impressions as you read. Allow time to assimilate what you read so that the book can be seen in perspective. Keep in mind the need for a single impression which must be clear to the reader.

The review outline

A review outline gives you an over-all grasp of the organization of the review, to determine the central point your review will make, to eliminate inessentials or irrelevancies, and to fill in gaps or omissions.

Examine the notes you have made and eliminate those with no relationship to your central thesis. By organizing your discussion topics into groups, aspects of the book will emerge: e.g., theme, character, structure, etc. Write down all the major headings of the outline and fill in the subdivisions. All parts should support your thesis or central point.

First draft
o o o o o

Opening paragraphs set the tone of the paper. Possible introductions usually make a statement about the: Thesis Authorial purpose Topicality of the work or its significance Comparison of the work to others by the same author or within the same genre Author. The body of the review logically develops your thesis. Follow your outline or adjust it to further your argument. The aim should be to push your central point. Put quoted material in quotation marks, or indented, and properly footnoted. Concluding paragraphs sums up or restates your thesis or it may make a final judgement regarding the book. Do not introduce new information or ideas in the conclusion.

Revising the draft

Allow time to elapse, at least a day, before starting your revision. Correct grammatical mistakes and punctuation as you find them. Read your paper through again looking for unity, organization and logical development. If necessary, do not hesitate to make major revisions in your draft. Verify quotations for accuracy and check the format and content of references.

Reviewing considerations
Fiction

Rule number one: do not give away the story! Character

From what sources are the characters drawn? What is the author's attitude toward his characters? Are the characters flat or three dimensional? Does character development occur? Is character delineation direct or indirect? Theme

What is/are the major theme(s)? How are they revealed and developed? Is the theme traditional and familiar, or new and original?

Is the theme didactic, psychological, social, entertaining, escapist, etc. in purpose or intent? Plot

How are the various elements of plot (eg, introduction, suspense, climax, conclusion) handled? What is the relationship of plot to character delineation? To what extent, and how, is accident employed as a complicating and/or resolving force? What are the elements of mystery and suspense? What other devices of plot complication and resolution are employed? Is there a sub-plot and how is it related to the main plot? Is the plot primary or secondary to some of the other essential elements of the story (character, setting, style, etc.)? Style

What are the "intellectual qualities" of the writing (e.g., simplicity, clarity)? What are the "emotional qualities" of the writing (e.g., humour, wit, satire)? What are the "aesthetic qualities" of the writing (e.g., harmony, rhythm)? What stylistic devices are employed (e.g., symbolism, motifs, parody, allegory)? How effective is dialogue? Setting

What is the setting and does it play a significant role in the work? Is a sense of atmosphere evoked, and how? What scenic effects are used and how important and effective are they? Does the setting influence or impinge on the characters and/or plot? Biography

Does the book give a "full-length" picture of the subject? What phases of the subject's life receive greatest treatment and is this treatment justified? What is the point of view of the author? How is the subject matter organized: chronologically, retrospectively, etc.? Is the treatment superficial or does the author show extensive study into the subject's life? What source materials were used in the preparation of the biography? Is the work documented? Does the author attempt to get at the subject's hidden motives? What important new facts about the subject's life are revealed in the book? What is the relationship of the subject's career to contemporary history? How does the biography compare with others about the same person? How does it compare with other works by the same author? History

With what particular period does the book deal? How thorough is the treatment? What were the sources used? Is the account given in broad outline or in detail? Is the style that of reportorial writing, or is there an effort at interpretive writing? What is the point of view or thesis of the author?

Is the treatment superficial or profound? For what group is the book intended (textbook, popular, scholarly, etc.)? What part does biographical writing play in the book? Is social history or political history emphasized? Are dates used extensively, and if so, are they used intelligently? Is the book a revision? How does it compare with earlier editions? Are maps, illustrations, charts, etc. used and how are these to be evaluated? Reviewing poetry

Is this a work of power, originality, individuality? What kind of poetry is under review (epic, lyrical, elegaic, etc.)? What poetical devices have been used (rhyme, rhythm, figures of speech, imagery, etc.), and to what effect? What is the central concern of the poem and is it effectively expressed? Finding book reviews Many indexes, such as ABI Inform and Historical Abstracts include citations to book reviews. Reviews can also be found at book-related online sites, such as Amazon.Com