Writing a Book Review as the Presentation of a Critical Analysis

Getting down to writing a book review, you should clarify for yourself what a book review is. It is not a summary of a book. Writing a book review lies in a critical description and evaluation on the significance of a book.

All book reviews have something in common. Writing a book review usually begins from the book description. Here are three main elements of the description.

1. The book setting. Describe the world that is presented from the point of view of the author. Note the main properties of that world and try to explain the purpose of accentuation on those properties.
2. The book characters. Analyze the main characters while writing a book review. Find their strengths and weaknesses. You can describe the attitude of the author towards his or her characters.
3. The plot of the book. Remember that book review writing is not a simple retelling. Summarize events taking into account cause and effect relationships.

The main problem in writing a book review is the ability of making a book description critical. Here you can find some prompts on how to organize you writing.

1. Before writing a book review, note some information about the author, conditions of the book writing, and the significance and popularity of the book among readers and professional critics.
2. State the theme of the book. It is the subject-matter of the book, answering a question what the author wanted to convey.
3. Analyze the style of the book. Writing a book review demands the use of quotations and references. Think about how the author’s language helps to discover the theme.
4. Book review writing is your critical analysis of the book. A summary helps you to convey your attitude and evaluation of the book.