University of Education Lahore

Department of English
Course Title: Advanced Academic Reading and Writing

Programme: BBA/ BFA

Course Code: ENGL 2116

Instructor Name: Zeshan Hakeem

Topic: Book Review

Book Review

Book Review
According to Merriam-Webster book review is a descriptive and
critical or evaluative account of a book. According to definitions.net
a book Review is a form of literary criticism wherein a book is
analyzed based on content, style and merit.
Purpose of Book Review
Types of Book Review
Descriptive Book Review
Critical book Review
• Reviewing a book
• Method of reviewing a book from Online Writing Labs (OWL
Purdue)
• Four Steps of Reviewing a book for Reviewers
1. Before You Read
2. As You Read
3. When You are Ready to Write
4. Revising
Before You Read

• Before You Read

• It is a first step of reviewing a book. Before you begin to read,
consider the elements you will need to included in your review. The
following items may help:
• Author
• Genre
• Title
• Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents
Before You Read

• Author
• In Before You Read step the reviewer should know the
following things about author:
• Complete name of the Author
• Other Written Works
• Author won Any Other Awards
• Author’s Typical Style
Before You Read
• Genre
• According to Encyclopaedia Britannica Genre, (French: “kind” or
“sort”) is a distinctive type or category of literary composition,
such as the epic, tragedy, comedy, novel, and short story. Type of
fiction e.g. fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, drama etc.

• Intended audience
• Purpose of the book
• Purposes of Author
Before You Read

• Title
• The title fit in or not
• Applied to the work
• The application of title in work is also important
• Kate Pearce’ novel ‘Educating Elizabeth’s title does
not apply to the story within as story is of serial killer,
according to a reviewer.
• Interesting or uninteresting
Before You Read

• Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents
• Revealing of information in Preface/introduction
• Guest Author in Foreword
• Book Jacket/Cover/Printing
• Book jackets are like mini-reviews
• Book Jackets provide interesting information
• Binding, page cut and typescript also contribute in judging book
As You Read

• As You Read
As You Read is the second step of book review. This step determines
how you will structure the summary portion or background structure
of your review. Following three elements are needed to be focused:
• Characters
• Themes, Motifs, Style
• Argument
• Quotes
As You Read

• Characters
• Characters in the work
• A character is person, animal or thing in story. The authors use
these characters to perform actions, speak dialogues and move
them in the plot.
• Principle Characters: Protagonist and Antagonist

• Effect of characters on story

As You Read
• Themes/Motifs/Style
• Themes
• Motifs
• Reviewers Role
• Their contribution to the work
• Describing the author’s particular style
• Every author possess unique style
• Style is accessible to every reader or not
• According to literarydevice.net argument is the main statement
of a poem, an essay, a short story, or a novel which appears as
an introduction…
As You Read

• Argument
• Set up of argument in book
• Argument fulfils the purpose or not
• Quotes
• According to Cambridge dictionary a quote is a phrase or short
piece of writing taken from a longer work of literature, poetry, etc.
or what someone else has said.
• Author’s talent or the feel of the book through a quote
When You Are Ready to Write

• When You Are Ready to Write

• Begin with a short summary or background of the work, but do not
give too much away. The final portion of your review will detail your
opinion of the work. When you are ready to begin your review,
consider the following:
• Establish a Background, Remember your Audience
• Minor principles/characters
• Organize
• Your Evaluation
• Publisher/Price and ISBN Number
When You Are Ready to Write

• Establish a Background, Remember your Audience

• Summary of the work
• The author’s text conveyed adequately to intended audience
• Text easy or difficult for the readers
• Minor principles/characters
• Deal only with the most pressing issues in the book. You will
not be able to cover every character or idea.
• Reviewers opinion about principle and other characters
• Other things might the author have researched or considered
When You Are Ready to Write
• Organize
• The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just
inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation
by ensuring that your summary is brief.
• Reviewers’ Evaluation
• Reviewers own evaluation is very important. After giving
summary and discussing characters, the reviewers give their
own opinion on one or few points in the book.
• Comparison of the work by the same author’s other books or
other books in the same genre?
• Publisher/Price
Revising
• Revising
• When making the final touches to your review, carefully verify the
following:
• Double-check the spelling of the author name(s), character names,
special terms, and publisher.
• Try to read from the vantage point of your audience.
• Is there too much/enough summary?
• Does your argument about the text make sense?
• Should you include direct quotes from the reading?
• Do they help support your arguments? Double-check your quotes
for accuracy.
 Example of Book Review
This example of Book Review was taken from owll.massey.ac.nz.

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 Conclusion
• A book review provides the information about the book.
Hence, it comprehensively covers all the aspects of the book.
These aspects illumine the mind of the potential buyers,
namely, readers. It also help the readers to prepare their
minds before reading as they have some idea of the content
which adds flavor to the reading of the book. A good book
review comforts the readers in many ways.
References
owll.massey.ac.nz. (2020, May 06). sample-book-review. Retrieved from
owll.massey.ac.nz: https://owll.massey.ac.nz/pdf/sample-book-
review.pdf
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Book Review. Purdue Online Writing Lab.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignme
nts/book_reviews.html
“book review” 2020. In Merrriam-Webster.com. Retrieved May 05, 2020, from
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/book%20review
“Educating Elizabeth” 2020. In goodreads.com. Retrieved May o6, 2020, from
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13305440-educating-elizabeth
“genre” 2020. In Encyclopaedia Britannican.com. Retrieved May 06, 2020,
from https://www.britannica.com/art/genre-literature
“quote” 2020. In dictionary.cambride.org. Retrieved May 03, 2020, from
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/quote
Thank You