How to Write a Book Review

by Rana Asfour

A review is really just a fancy term we use to describe the act of telling people whether we like something or not. Writing a review can seem scary or hard at first but the more your practice, the better you become and soon you’ll realise that it can be real fun too.

Reviews can be as simple or as elaborate, as short or as long as you like, but the main thing to keep in mind is that any review should be clear, accurate, with emphasis on constructive criticism. Refrain from using bad language or insulting terms and remember that any work you choose to discuss is the product of someone’s long hours and hard work.

Here are a few tips to set you on your way:

• Make sure you’ve got your elements in place
  

In your review make sure to mention the name of the author, the title of the book and the main characters. Make sure everything is spelled correctly as well.

• Don’t spoil the book by giving away too much of the story

Write down a brief summary of what the book is about and maybe mention one or two characters that you particularly enjoyed. But, whatever you do, NEVER EVER give away the plot or key events in the story. Remember, you’re enticing people to read the book for themselves and make up their own minds. They certainly want to enjoy finding things out for themselves just like you did.

• Strike a balance

When you’re reviewing a book, always make sure to mention the strengths as well as the weaknesses. Reviews are not just about pointing out what you didn’t like but also what you thought worked too.

• Be nice

Following on from the point above, it is understandable that you won’t enjoy every book you read. However, always keep in mind that this book is the product of its author’s long hours and hard work. So when you want to be critical, do so in a polite, clean, constructive and professional manner.

• Take notes
  

When you’re reading, make sure to take down notes and write down quotes that you feel you’d might like to use in your review. Looking back at your notes will help to keep the story structure and key elements in the correct order and you’ll remember who’s who in the story. If you’re using quotes, make sure you do so accurately and relevantly keeping them in context. Taking notes will also offer concrete examples that will back up the points that you are making whether for or against the book.

• Start easy

If you’re new at writing a book review, start with a book that you really like because then it’s easier telling others about it and you’ll be pretty confident writing about it too. If you're stuck on what to say in a review, it can help to imagine you're talking to someone (like a friend or sister or brother) who's asking you whether they should read the book.

• Check for spelling

There is nothing worse than a review with spelling mistakes. Readers might forgive one or two mistakes but more than that and you can be sure that people will stop reading what you’ve written regardless of all the effort you put into your work.

Here are questions to help you while reviewing a book. Try to answer them as accurately as you can without giving too much away. Keep the suspense.

1. Does the book have a genre? (Romance, thriller, action…)
2. What is the story about? Did you like it?
3. Who are the main characters and how believable did you find them?
4. How believable was the story and did you feel that the author’s style grabbed your attention and made you want to go on or did you feel it was slow and a chore?
5. Did you like the book?
6. What was your favourite part of the book and why?
7. What sort of people do you think would like this book?
8. Would you recommend the book to someone else?

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This article first published in Mintaad.com