Writing a (decent) book review

Choose a book

 

Though it is hugely refreshing to rant passionately about a book that you deeply dislike, a book review is not the best place for that. For a non-biased, professional review, it is important to choose a book that interests you in some way. Once you’ve chosen your book, read it critically. This means slowing down and forcing yourself to read every single sentence without skimming (which is torture if you despise the book). Note what stands out to you! 

Summarize

The first part of a book review is a summary of the book itself. The first thing to include here is a hook to capture the reader’s attention. Next, you’ll include all relevant information such as title, author, genre, and publisher, as well as a short summary of the plot. This is usually where a potential reader is deciding whether they would be interested in the book. You should try to include themes, trigger warnings and whether the book is part of a series during this summary.

Tip: Only talk about plot information that is presented in the book blurb (which you can find by searching the book up on google or looking on the front flap of the cover).

Example: 

As the idyllic small town, Three Pines, prepares for a spring celebration, dark pasts and terrifying conspiracies boil beneath the surface, threatening to overflow. A World of Curiousities, written by the NYT best-selling author, Louise Penny, is a Canadian mystery and thriller novel published by Minotaur books. It centers around the experienced Head of Homicide, Armand Gamache, who must grapple with taunting memories from past cases and a terrifying serial murderer with a personal vendetta, this time at his very doorstep. The book is a welcomed continuation of the well-loved series “Chief Inspector Armand Gamache”. The book includes discussion of death by suicide, sexual abuse of children, mass shootings, and addiction.

Likes:

This second part is specifically dedicated to sharing what you liked about the book. Talk about your favorite characters and what made them so loveable and real to you. Something that is very important to mention here is whether the book elicited any strong emotions for you. On a technical side, discuss whether there was anything that you noticed the author did specifically well (i.e dialogue, description, etc). 

Example: 

Penny writes lovingly about her characters, handling their pasts as well as their flaws in the most forgiving and delicate of manners. Allowing each character to express their multidimensionality causes them to feel like real people. Her main character, Armand Gamache, was an interesting study of this in the book. The usually unflappable, calm and gentle leader of investigations slowly unravels throughout the book as his most haunting memories reappear suddenly. It was so realistic that it aroused a sense of building dread and anticipation for the ending.

Dislikes:

The next part of the review discusses your specific, objective dislikes about the book. Here, you can focus on what felt missing. Maybe you felt that the book was drawn out or too fast-paced, or that parts of the story were left unfinished. Talk about whether there were certain characters/relationships/themes/plots that should have been developed further, or whether the ending was satisfying. 

Example: 

Penny’s multiple storylines were, for the most part, well-woven into the narrative of the novel. However, there were some parts that could have used further development, especially towards the end of the book. The resolutions of the murder cases were anticlimactic, as if they were an afterthought in comparison with the other stories in the book. It felt as though Penny had built a sweeping, brilliant epic spanning centuries and dozens of characters, but didn’t know how to wrap it up.

Conclude

Lastly, all that is left to do is conclude your review. Summarize your thoughts about the book in a couple of sentences. Next, and one of the most important sections of your book review, is to recommend, recommend, and (surprise!) recommend. Who would enjoy this book? This could include age groups or fans of particular books or movies. 

 Example: 

All in all, Louise Penny’s A World of Curiousities, is another raging triumph. Combining humanity and hope with the most twisted of stories is not an easy task, but somehow Penny is able to achieve it. Fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and a good cozy mystery would love this book!

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About the author: Anuttara Lath is a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying creative writing, philosophy and Spanish. She has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember and her all-time favorite genres include fantasy, mystery and horror. She also enjoys swimming, yoga, eating/making tasty food, hiking and singing. She plans to go to law school after undergrad, but will definitely continue writing in the future.