Book Reviews, especially the ones done by professional reviewers, impact people’s buying decisions and the fortune of businesses being reviewed. Hence, it is an important role and comes with a huge responsibility of helping people make the most appropriate decision. This article attempts to navigate the maze of writing reviews and outlines the key things to follow while reviewing a book, particularly a work of fiction.
But before we start talking about how and what to do, let us understand, what is a Book Review.
A Book Review is an objective & unbiased assessment of the outcome of the reading process viz-a-viz the content, based on a combination of facts, a reviewer’s perspective, and the author’s objective.
There are a few parts to this definition that need explanation.
- Objective and unbiased assessment –The reviewer’s preconceived notions and biases about the book’s subject, its author, or its characters should not cloud the outcome of the review.
- The outcome of the reading process – The reading process leads to entertainment, information, or perspectives. It also makes the reader emote. The review is meant to give feedback on these aspects of the book reading process - what emotions did it generate? what information did it provide, what perspectives did it provide, and how entertaining was the book.
- Facts, reviewer’s perspective, and author’s objective – The review should be based on facts gathered during the reading process, from the book or other verifiable sources, the reviewer’s perspective based on the content of the book and the author’s intent behind writing the book. The last element is a little tricky to find and understand. Reviewers could directly ask this question to the authors and then use their own assessment to see if the book stood up to the author’s intent.
Now that we have understood what is a Book Review, let us see what is an ideal structure for a book review.
- A quick short – SUMMARY of the book, much like the blurb, preferably written in your own words, instead of copying the blurb. You must try to capture, WHO did WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW. Remember not to give any spoilers or reveal the climax.
- Your overall OPINION of the book around three important aspects - Conflict, Characters, and Plot. You may want to study these elements in detail to understand the nuances. This helps in a better assessment of the author’s work.
- What WORKED and Why – Talk about things that enhanced the reading experience – like language, writing style, plot surprises, characters you could relate to, description of the setting, etc. Here is your chance to talk about how the book echoed your thoughts, gave you an emotional high, or did wonders to your mood.
- What could be BETTER and Why - Talk about things that did not do justice to the reading experience – like language, writing style, plot loopholes, ill-developed characters, poor descriptions, incoherent narration, etc. Remember,
- Do not nitpick to find faults – If there are none, so be it. Highlight only those issues which are large and glaring – especially around plot, characters, conflict, setting. Avoid mentioning smaller errors like grammar issues, typos, cover design, or layouts. For grammar, you could make a passing reference if it is very poor.
- Do not confuse your preference with the quality of the book. If you like slow pace and the book is fast, that is not the book’s fault. It is a case of your preference not matching with the book. Don’t blame the author or the book for this.
- FINAL Thoughts – Summarise your review crisply and provide a recommendation. A quantified method of giving stars or ratings is not mandatory but a recommendation is a must. Personalise the recommendation.
Some Dos & Don’t’s
- Take notes while reading – these notes are some of the facts that go into the review.
- Add quotes/excerpts from the book – ones that you like or the ones that substantiate your claim in the review.
- Compare with similar works, if you have read and are in a position to compare.
- Remember to entertain – Sprinkle humour, emotions, and build in curiosity – Entertain your reader and not make the review dull and boring. The review should neither be too long nor too short.
- Do not read other reviews before you put down yours.
- Do not make the book review very clinical. Add the emotions the book generated in you with experiences that you have had. For example, a memory it rekindled, a belief it strengthened, etc.
With these steps, chances are you would build trust with the readers and will be able to provide meaningful inputs to the readers and help them make an informed decision.
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