Participants’ Number : 19070915710022

Name : Ulises Esterlina Sinaga

School : SMK Swasta Clemen Tapiannauli

Task 4
Read the following novel reviews, Identify the reviewer, the topic, and the social
function of each review

REVIEW 1

THE MARS ROOM

Woman behind bars

BookPage review by Alden Mudge
BookPage Top Pick in Fiction, May 2018
Much of the action of Rachel Kushner’s brilliant new novel is set in California prisons.
She has done her research, and the novel is filled with distressing factual details like death-
row inmates sewing sandbags and prison staff using a powerful, probably toxic disinfectant
called Cell Block 64. And of course there are the stultifying, dehumanizing prison routines.
But the moral scope of The Mars Room is really too large for it to be considered a
prison novel. Through its vividly rendered characters, it asks the reader to ponder bigger
questions—Dostoyevskian questions—about the system of justice, the possibility of
redemption and even the industrialization of the natural landscape.
The novel’s central character is Romy Hall. We meet her as she is being transported from
a Los Angeles jail to Stanville, a prison in California’s agricultural heartland where she is to
serve two life sentences. She is 29, born to a cruel mother in a San Francisco neighborhood
that bears little resemblance to the high-tech mecca of today. She is the mother of a young
son she worries about obsessively. Until she fled a stalker by moving with her son to Los
Angeles, she hustled as a lap dancer at a place called the Mars Room in downtown San
Francisco. We don’t learn the details until late in the novel, but we know that because of her
ineffectual lawyer, she ends up in prison for killing her stalker.
Kushner (Telex from Cuba, The Flamethrowers) is both tough and darkly funny in
writing about her characters’ situations, and she writes not so much for us to empathize with
them, but rather to understand them. The Mars Room is a captivating and beautiful novel.
https://bookpage.com/reviews/22546-rachel-kushner-mars-room#.Wus-QsiFPIU

REVIEW 2

MY EX-LIFE

As we stumble along
BookPage review by Harvey Freedenberg
 Stephen McCauley’s bittersweet seventh novel gives the lie to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
pronouncement that there are no second acts in American lives. Because for all their
missteps, the angst-ridden characters that populate My Ex-Life seem determined, in their
endearingly flawed ways, to make the best of their unique circumstances.
Most of the novel’s action unfolds in the slightly shabby seaside resort of Beauport, just
north of Boston. It’s home to Julie Fiske and her restless daughter, Mandy, who’s on the cusp
of high school graduation. In the midst of a fractious divorce and pressured by her husband to
sell the rambling home they once shared, Julie reaches out to her first ex-husband, David
Hedges, a college admissions consultant, in a desperate bid to help her daughter and bring
order to the chaos of her life. David left Julie three decades earlier after discovering his true
sexual orientation, and he now lives in San Francisco, where he faces his own real estate
crisis—an impending eviction.
McCauley seasons the novel with a liberal helping of the anxieties of contemporary
American life, chief among them upper-middle-class parents’ apprehension about their
children’s futures and aging baby boomers’ regret that life’s brass ring will always be just out
of reach. He excels in some wickedly funny scenes that depict Julie’s fumbling efforts to turn
her home into an economically productive Airbnb, as well as a tender portrayal of the odd
sexual tension that bubbles up during Julie and David’s reunion. They’re the sort of people
who know their lives possess all the ingredients for happiness, but who seem to have lost the
recipe. For all the idiosyncrasies of McCauley’s creations, it’s likely many readers will see
aspects of their own lives reflected in these pages.
https://bookpage.com/reviews/22552-stephen-mccauley-my-ex-life#.Wus_pMiFPIU

REVIEW 3

MR. FLOOD'S LAST RESORT

Watch your step

BookPage review by Stephenie Harrison
What do you get when a cantankerous old hoarder in a decrepit mansion collides with a
world-weary caregiver who has a reluctant talent for communing with the dead? The answer
is Jess Kidd’s imaginative second novel, Mr. Flood’s Last Resort, an enchanting thriller that
disarms and delights.
When Maud Drennan is assigned to look after Cathal Flood, all she knows is that he has
managed to run off his previous caregivers through a combination of psychological warfare,
booby traps and outright hostility. However, Maud is made of stronger stuff than her
relatively plain appearance would suggest, and she arrives at Cathal’s doorstep ready for a
fight. With dogged determination, Maud slowly enters into an uneasy truce with the
inscrutable old man, but she also comes to realize that there is more to Cathal—and his
property—than meets the eye.
While the moldering manor house is filled with decades-old detritus and an army of
slightly feral cats, it is also a mausoleum of secrets, potentially lethal ones. When Maud
learns about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Cathal’s wife—and the
house begins to offer up clues regarding a cold case that eerily echoes memories from
Maud’s traumatic childhood—she knows it is up to her to uncover who Cathal Flood truly is
and to appease the restless spirits that haunt the halls of his home.
Unique and unconventional, Mr. Flood’s Last Resort is an unforgettable mystery that
will appeal to fans of Tana French and Sophie Hannah, as it charms and unsettles in equal
measure. Kidd (Himself) deftly balances whimsy and humor with a genuine sense of malice
and danger. Savvy readers will question who can be trusted, as nothing—not even Maud—is
as it initially seems.
https://bookpage.com/reviews/22550-jess-kidd-mr-floods-last-resort#.Wus_5ciFPIU

The Identification of the reviewer, the topic, and the social function of each review

Component REVIEW 1 REVIEW 2 REVIEW 3

THE MARS ROOM MY EX-LIFE MR. FLOOD'S LAST
RESORT

Name of Alden Mudge Harvey Freedenberg Stephenie Harrison

Reviewer
Social To appreciate novel to appreciate a novel to appreciate and to critic
Function a novel
Generic Orientation/ Orientation/ •Orientation/Introduction
structure Introduction Introduction: What do you get when a
Much of the action of Stephen McCauley’s cantankerous old hoarder in a
Rachel Kushner’s bittersweet seventh novel decrepit mansion collides
brilliant new novel is gives the lie to F. Scott with a world-weary caregiver
set in California Fitzgerald’s who has a reluctant talent for
prisons. pronouncement that there communing with the dead?
are no second acts in
American lives.

Evaluatioan: Evaluatioan:
Evaluatioan:
The angst-ridden The answer is Jess Kidd’s
The moral scope of The imaginative second novel, Mr.
characters that populate
Mars Room is really
My Ex-Life seem Flood’s Last Resort, an
too large for it to be enchanting thriller that
determined, in their
considered a prison disarms and delights.
endearingly flawed ways,
novel.
to make the best of their
unique circumstances

Interpretative Interpretative recount: Interpretative recount:

recount: Most of the novel’s action When Maud Drennan is
The novel’s central unfolds in the slightly assigned to look after Cathal
character is Romy Hall. shabby seaside resort of Flood, all she knows is that he
We meet her as she is Beauport, just north of has managed to run off his
being transported from Boston. It’s home to Julie previous caregivers through a
a Los Angeles jail to Fiske and her restless combination of psychological
Stanville, a prison in daughter, Mandy, who’s on warfare, booby traps and
California’s agricultural the cusp of high school outright hostility. However,
 heartland where she is graduation. In the midst of Maud is made of stronger
to serve two life a fractious divorce and stuff than her relatively plain
sentences. She is 29, pressured by her husband appearance would suggest,
born to a cruel mother to sell the rambling home and she arrives at Cathal’s
in a San Francisco they once shared, Julie doorstep ready for a fight.
neighborhood that bears reaches out to her first ex- With dogged determination,
little resemblance to the husband, David Hedges, a Maud slowly enters into an
high-tech mecca of college admissions uneasy truce with the
today. She is the consultant, in a desperate inscrutable old man, but she
mother of a young son bid to help her daughter also comes to realize that
she worries about and bring order to the there is more to Cathal—and
obsessively. Until she chaos of her life. David left his property—than meets the
fled a stalker by Julie three decades earlier eye.
moving with her son to after discovering his true While the moldering manor
Los Angeles, she sexual orientation, and he house is filled with decades-
hustled as a lap dancer now lives in San Francisco, old detritus and an army of
at a place called the where he faces his own real slightly feral cats, it is also a
Mars Room in estate crisis—an mausoleum of secrets,
downtown San impending eviction. potentially lethal ones. When
Francisco. We don’t Maud learns about the
learn the details until suspicious circumstances
late in the novel, but we surrounding the death of
know that because of Cathal’s wife—and the house
her ineffectual lawyer, begins to offer up clues
she ends up in prison regarding a cold case that
for killing her stalker. eerily echoes memories from
Maud’s traumatic
childhood—she knows it is up
to her to uncover who Cathal
Flood truly is and to appease
the restless spirits that haunt
the halls of his home.

Evaluative Evaluative summation:

Evaluative summation:
summation: Unique and unconventional,
For all the idiosyncrasies
The Mars Room is a
of McCauley’s creations, Mr. Flood’s Last Resort is an
captivating and unforgettable mystery that
it’s likely many readers
beautiful novel. will appeal to fans of Tana
will see aspects of their
own lives reflected in these French and Sophie Hannah, as
pages. it charms and unsettles in
equal measure
Language Adjective: Adjective: Adjective:
feature Brilliant, Best, divorce and disarms and delights,
dehumanizing, worries, pressured, funny. charms and unsettles,
captivating, beautiful. malice and danger.
 Complex Complex Clause :
Clause : He excels in some
Until she fled a stalker wickedly funny scenes that
by moving with her son depict Julie’s fumbling
to Los Angeles, she efforts to turn her home
hustled as a lap dancer into an economically
at a place called the productive Airbnb, as well
Mars Room in as a tender portrayal of the
downtown San odd sexual tension that
Francisco. bubbles up during Julie and
David’s reunion.
Complex Clause:
-When Maud Drennan is
assigned to look after Cathal
Flood, all she knows is that he
has managed to run off his
previous caregivers through a
combination of psychological
warfare.
-However, Maud is made of
stronger stuff than her
relatively plain appearance
would suggest, and she
arrives at Cathal’s doorstep
ready for a fight.
-While the moldering manor
house is filled with decades-
old detritus and an army of
slightly feral cats, it is also a
mausoleum of secrets,
potentially lethal ones.

Metaphore: Metaphore: Metaphore:

She is the mother of a In their endearingly flawed There is more to Cathal—and
young son she worries ways, to make the best of his property—than meets the
about obsessively. their unique circumstances. eye.
Tense: Tense: Tense:
Present simple and past Present simple and past Present simple and past
simple simple simple

Part 2: Constructing Review

Reading Review
1. To readReviewtext
Writing Review
1. To determine the social function of the review text
2. To write the background and summary of the book or movie
3. To write the evaluation and intrepetation
4. To write the Evaluative Summation : The last opinion consisting the appraisal or
the punch line of the art works being criticized.