book review examples

book review examples

Book Review Examples

1. Introduction

Hello, my name is Queenie. I am going to review the novel “Outsider” by S.E. Hinton. S.E. Hinton wrote this compelling sequel to the “Outsiders” in 1999. It is even more intriguing than the first, as it takes the reader into the lives of the characters we love and hate. This book was a great mix of entertainment, and it also has a lot of meaning and hints on life. It is a definite recommend to all of those who read the first novel. Reading the first book is not necessary to understand this book, but it would be good to read the first book to understand some parts. I guarantee that all readers would like this book, it also teaches some valuable lessons and is also quite amusing. The story takes place in a small town in Oklahoma, where Ponyboy, now an adult, is in a depression clinic because of the death of Johnny and Dallas. He is now living in the memories of his friends. This book displays that it is natural to have periods of depression when dealing with death, but we should not live in the past. This is a valuable lesson: to let go of the past and to continue on with life. This is a very difficult task and Ponyboy learns this through a boy he meets in the clinic named John. John is a troubled kid who is tough, selfish, and violent and tries to get what he wants and will take shit from no one. He ran away from his foster home and ended up where he is now. Ponyboy sees a lot of resemblance of the young tough Johnny in this boy and decides that he wants to help John, unlike the way he helped Johnny.

2. Key Elements of a Book Review

What follows is an explanation of the various elements of a book review. These are the key areas to address when you are writing your own review. They are also the aspects of the book upon which the reviewer will concentrate. The key elements of a book review include: a) Information about the book: This includes the title, author, publisher and place of publication, and the publication date. b) Genre: This may be given to you by the teacher, in which case you should simply make note of this. Otherwise you will need to decide by yourself. c) A brief overview of the story: This is the basic plot or story. It should not be a commentary on whether you ‘liked’ it or not – that is your opinion. d) Analysis of character, setting, plot and theme: This is the core of a book review. Who are the characters? Is there a setting? If so, describe it. What actually happens in the story i.e. the plot. But most importantly, what are the underlying ideas, or the theme? This is what your teacher will be looking for.

3. Examples of Positive Book Reviews

The author of The Real Lolita, Sarah Weinman, has received wide acclaim from critics as well as the general public. The praise is well deserved, as Weinman’s narrative is well-researched and highly informative. In particular, The Real Lolita is a very entertaining read that is difficult to put down. Many readers have been strongly affected by this novel; it is a suspenseful and poignant piece that forces readers to question what they know and what they do not. The Real Lolita provides readers with an excellent opportunity to consider legal and illegal content, European and American literature, literary and popular fiction, the history of the novel, film and media, and issues of debunking, reception, and relevance in this case. This novel has the ability to change its readers and make them better, more educated people by increasing their levels of empathy and understanding of a topic that is often glossed over. The Real Lolita is a book many people will find to be both a meaningful and influential experience.

4. Examples of Negative Book Reviews

Examples of negative book reviews are helpful because they provide models for writing a clear and tactful evaluation. Although it’s rather easy to point out what you do not like about a book (e.g. “I hate it. It was boring”), it is more helpful to explain why, as it enables the writer to improve. It is important to mix in positive feedback with the negative to avoid coming across as if the reviewer has a personal vendetta against the author. However, there are occasions where a review can be scathingly witty and still be a fine review, as long as the points are made well and are seen to be reasoned. It takes talent to write an entertaining review and this should not be discouraged. But as the writer, it is important to remember that being too offensive can damage your credibility. As Alfred Kazin says, “The most feared word in the reviewer’s parlance today is ‘acerbic.’ For that is the way one reviewer described another’s review, convicting it of every crime on literary earth.” Step into the author’s shoes for a moment to consider how you would feel to have worked on something for months or possibly even years, only to have someone tear it to shreds in an ill-constructed, unthoughtful review. Use a negative review as a way to help, not hinder, the writer and don’t hold the mistakes of students up to ridicule. Everyone starts out someplace, and it is our job as critics to guide them. Review 1 Review 2 These two reviews of Hubert Selby Jr’s “Requiem for a Dream” are written by Amazon top reviewers. Although they are being nothing if not honest in their strong dislike for the book, they have both failed to mix any positive feedback in with their negative points and as a result have turned in reviews that are harsh to the point of being pure bile. This will not help a writer to improve.

5. Conclusion

As we have clearly seen, book reviews are an important way to express our thoughts and feelings about a book. It is also a good way to express our understanding regarding the book. In a book review, we read the book and then give our opinions regarding the book and then in the last we tell the readers that they should read this book or not, so a review is basically a kind of an evaluation. After reading this essay, we get to know the true intention of writing a book review. It is not about writing a summary about the book but it is about analyzing the book and then communicating your thoughts and feelings to the readers. All the information should be considered and then logically evaluated. The end result should be an evaluation of the writer’s thoughts and if done successfully, the readers will be able to understand and also they will be able to make a judgment on whether to read the book or not. Remember, a conclusion is the review “Writer’s Final Impression” of the book. In this essay, the author is trying to simply state the types of reviews that people write, the simple steps to write an effective review and also the way to get a review published in The Council Chronicle. The first one we can call it as a personal review and the second one is known as an evaluative review. The terms are obviously explained in the essay. It will be not possible for everyone to publish a review in The Council Chronicle. They only publish the well-written reviews so this passage will enable one to write an effective review. Although people who are aspiring writers, write reviews as a sort of practice in their quest of writing a book. This essay would also be beneficial for those who would be interested in evaluating their own book.