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Friday, July 12, 2013

The Path to Writing a Good Review




Tips for Writing a Good Book Review by Kitty Griffin
 
1.     With the emergence of E-books, reviewing books seems to be more important than ever. Even reviewing traditional books is important. So how can you construct a good review?


2.     First, mention the name of the author and the title of the book in the first paragraph.


3.     Before you even start writing, jot this down—what did the main character want and what did they do to get it? What was the problem? What was the theme?


4.     As you write the review, imagine you are telling a friend about what you read.


5.     Try to separate your main points to give your review clarity.

6.     Make sure that you are clear about what the reader is getting into when they read this story. It’s a mystery. It’s science fiction. Identify the genre.


7.     Can you talk about the author’s “voice”? Is the main character authentic?


8.     Use quotes if you can to show an example of the author’s style.


9.     If you are encouraging others to read the book, make sure you explain your feelings.


10. Do a little research into the author. For instance, if you’re reviewing a courtroom thriller it’s important to know that the author is a lawyer.


11. Give a good description regarding the setting of the book. If you were to close your eyes, could you see this place?


12. Why did you like the main character?


13. Why did you dislike the antagonist? How did the author make this person disagreeable?


14. If there’s an unreliable narrator, talk about that. What did you believe? How did this add to the book.


15. Give the reader a sense of the plot but DON’T SPOIL THINGS!  

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