A book review is an informal form of literary criticism, where a book is simply critiqued or simply analyzed on the basis of style, content, and merit. The New York Times has a guide to writing book reviews that can help novice and seasoned authors alike. Writing a book review can be daunting. But with a little help, you can make your review as insightful and informative as possible. If you want to learn how to write a book review, keep reading below.
The first thing to consider when reviewing a book is the primary purpose of the review. What is the primary purpose of the review? Is it to criticize the book according to its merits, or is it intended to sway the reader towards a particular opinion (or lack of opinion)? For example, is the review of an attack on Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” or an appreciation of the novel’s intricate plot? Or perhaps it is an impersonal criticism that describes the primary theme of the book while leaving the readers with nothing more than a generalized impression of the subject matter?
The second thing to consider when writing a book review, is whether the writer intended to make a literary critique or just an observation about the subject matter. In other words, what is the intention of the author? For instance, is the book critique an attack on capitalism or a statement about the darker side of capitalism? Of course, one can simply make a comment on a bad book without using the “literary language” of criticism. However, the writer may prefer to use specific literary language to describe the impact of the book on the reader.
Thirdly, the reviewer should consider the intended audience for the book reviews. Is the review intended to appeal to readers who are either academic professionals or laymen? Or is the review intended to appeal to the general public? An academic book review may not be well received by laymen but the general public may be quite interested in reading about the experiences of the author.
Fourthly, the book reviews should provide the readers with key points that should be of particular interest to them. The reviewer should give his or her opinion of the book without offering his own personal opinion. He or she should make his or her observations and then add his or her own suggestions to the book reviews. The key points of these book reviews are important to the reader, because these points help to define the interest and need for the book in question.
Fifthly, a book review is not necessarily a literature review. A literature review is typically a criticism of a book’s overall value based on the merit of the literature. A literature review is usually more concerned with what the book says about the literature rather than its aesthetic value. This type of book reviews is usually conducted by experts in their field. It is often part of a review of a book, which is organized by a publisher or literary organization such as the New York Times.
Sixthly, the writer of a review should have an understanding of the intended audience or readers. For instance, if the review is intended for the class ofrics, it needs to be written in a way that is easily understood by a class. The same goes for a review of a book that is written for the layman. The intended readers will have different needs from the intended readers of a scientific paper. The writer should therefore have a good understanding of his or her intended audience so that he or she can write a review that will appeal to that specific group.
Seventh, the writer of a review must keep in mind that he or she is commenting on the book’s main subject matter or themes. The review must be based on the merits of the book rather than on its subject matter alone. The writer must be careful to avoid subject matters that he or she is unfamiliar with because this will take away from the overall quality of the review. Finally, he or she must take into consideration any relevant comments made by other readers of the book. The context of these other readers’ comments will help to determine the merit of the book.