Monday 16 October 2017

THE ART OF WRITING A BOOK REVIEW

When writing a book review a student has to keep in mind that, in a contrary to the report, the review is not a content summary and there is no point in retelling the story. Although all the elements of a simple report can be included in the review in a brief form, the main part of the work must be
dedicated to the analysis of the book: symbols used, tone and objectivity of the author, the book’s relevance to the historical setting, significance and lasting value of the book, etc. – all these aspects should be discussed in the review. The core of any review is a personal opinion, new ideas and angles of perception: a good book review contains a strong thesis based on innovative and fresh vision and individual preferences. The structure showing how to write a book review is rather simple: Introduction establishes the context of a book, contains a general idea of the work and points out the overall impression; Basic details paragraph introduces the title, author, and other factual information from a report; Summary paragraph deals with a description of the book organization and the content of each part and is written in rather an evaluative language; Evaluation/Critique part is the main one when it comes to the review. It is based on a concise and strong thesis, personal opinion that is to be proved: there are no neutral reviews. It can also discuss positive and negative aspects of the book, contrast and compare it with the other pieces of art, draw analogies, suggest improvements, etc. The conclusion is, obviously, a summary of the impression. It outlines the contribution made by the book, indicates its potential readers, rate the book. A suitable quote will only boost the effect of the review. This simple algorithm not only facilitates writing book reviews but also gives students a hint on how to write a book critique.

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