HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW

While writing a book review it should be remembered that reviewing a book does not mean noting down the summary of the book. It is much more than that. A book review should consist of the entire head to toe of a book. A book review is the critical assessment of the book including factual and general information of the book. There are various formats of writing a book review but if no specific format is mentioned then one might follow the general format that is usually followed. The general format is described below.

Most of the book reviews begin with the bibliographical information about the book. the information should be written in the following order :-

Title of the book

Author of the book

Publication house along with the date and place of publication if possible

Number of pages the book contains

The introduction should contain the brief summary of the book along with the title and the name of the author being mentioned again. The introduction should contain the paraphrase of the story because a reader should know the story and then only he or she will be able to take a critical approach about it. Otherwise the reader might find the analysis absolutely ridiculous and meaningless if he or she does not have any idea about the plot. While describing the plot avoid the unnecessary details and concentrate on those facts which affects the plot of the play directly.

Next the genre of the book should be described along with the causes that are highlighted in the book. The background of the story should be mentioned. The important quotations by the author should be taken up and then explained briefly one by one.
Finally you get to write the most important part of the review (the portion which is most interesting according to me at least). This paragraph should include the your own analysis and perceptions about the book. there are a lot of points which should be covered . you should discuss if the book has successfully achieved its goal or not, what major points have been missed out from the book and how much can a reader relate to the book. It is necessary to note that author’s viewpoint might not match with yours, and it is perfectly alright. Lastly you should discuss what conclusion the book has achieved.

The second last paragraph of the book review should consist few details about the book. Most of you might feel this portion as not so important but mentioning some of these points would make your book review far more informative than many other book reviews. These informations should include the number of pages, the paper quality of the book, for example, matte finish or a glossy outlook printing quality of the book (just mention is it good average or below average), next mention about the cover of the book, for example is it hard cover or something else), comment about the cover page design is it appropriate or not. Lastly if it is a novel mention the number of chapters or if it is a play mention the number of acts and scenes.

Finally in the conclusion portion you should compare the book with some other books you have read preferably of the same genre which would give a complete ending to your book review.