Book Review Example

Possible difficulties

A review implies a certain contradiction. On the one hand, it is a critic's personal opinion, on the other - his professional view of the work. Therefore, the art of this genre is the search for the golden mean, which allows to note subtleties and nuances, positive and negative moments without dissolving in our ideas and emotions. Try to realize this before you start to work on the evaluation of the other person's material.

It is recommended to visit forums where people express their opinions about the novels, magazines, collections of poems they read. You will find quite vivid examples of the subjectivity and superficiality of the emotions. To understand how the final result should look, read the characteristics of various literary works in the nearest library or bookstore and, of course, consider the collection of ready-made book review examples for students on this page.

Decide on the size of the paper. It can be short, take a form of an essay or an annotation. The main thing is that it should not turn into a treatise. Bad book review writing examples are usually distinguished by the following features: firstly, a strong passion for personal assessments and opinions, and secondly, immersion in retelling instead of objective criticism and response.

Features of a professional review

Feel yourself a master of the situation, let your individuality become that very prism through which you can see the whole picture. Trust yourself, your knowledge and experience. Revive in your mind the diversity of all the literature which your eyes saw, recall the whole arsenal of styles, genres, compositions. This will allow you to expand the professional look and, at the same time, to highlight the subtleties and elusive peculiarities of the book.

Take into account the form of the literary work. Agree, the characteristic of poetry is different from the book review examples describing novels or science fiction. Pay homage to the style of the text, use the language of the genre to emphasize its shades. The following words will be appropriate for the fiction: an unreal world, unhuman, unimaginable. And here are examples for poetry: muse, rhyme, romance.

Try to draw up a complete picture of the work. After examining the author's text, collect the details in a single whole thing, combine the literary tools together, putting the mark "my opinion" implicitly and unobtrusively. Everything from which the work is woven is nothing but the tools of the writer. Using them, he paints an image of his world. Gather the puzzle to help the reader taste the beauty of the word and enjoy its true impression.

It is important to catch a wave of goodwill without losing courage and sincerity in assessments. Do not try to find flaws or merits if they are absent in reality.

Review plan

Despite the fact that literary criticism is a creative activity, you will barely succeed without a clear strategy. The writing of every qualitative example of a good book review began with a compilation of the plan. After all, any prepared, thoughtful activity is the guarantor of effective use of precious time, emotional and mental resources.

Here is a classic outline:

1. A short description of the work, literally in one or two sentences. Information about the author, title and year of issue of the book.
2. Your impressions, emotions, discoveries, doubts.
3. The meaning of the title, decision whether it corresponds to the content.
4. Analysis of the form and meaning of the text, peculiarities of the composition, individual style and features of the characters.
5. The final part: compose a holistic conclusion. Put a point, highlighting your understanding of the work and its relevance.

After drawing up a clear structure of the paper, it's time to fill it with energy. If there is a lack of inspiration and emotion, try to become an actor. Choose the hero from the book who interested you most of all and let him complete this task, "walk in his shoes". Imagine that you have to experience all those exciting events that are described in the literary work.

When the critic lives inside the book, the assessment of what is happening becomes much closer and more understandable than in an example of book review written from the outside. Take a closer look at the author of the story chosen by you through the eyes of his hero. Perhaps, he is angry with his creator, reproaches him. But it is more likely that he is grateful to the writer.

At the same time, do not forget that you do a serious job, which means that each of your statements should be reinforced by arguments. Good example of a book review cannot boil down to banal "I like it" or "I do not like it".

Do not be discouraged if your first text is not perfect. No one is born a brilliant critic. In order to achieve success in this area, it is necessary to constantly train your mind by acquiring a reading and writing experience. Fortunately, a collection of book review examples for high school students and adult literature lovers on our website can provide you with a solid foundation for creative growth. Study other people's texts, and eventually, you will be able to develop your own style, make a high-level analysis, and your word will have real value in literary circles.