Elements Of A Book Review

A book review is a commentary, not merely a summary. A book review is an opportunity to gauge the finesse and shortcomings of a book. However, a book review is very different from a book report. In a book report the main feature is plot summary. In a book review, plot summary only provides support to the primary analysis of the book’s content. It is incorporated only when necessary, or presented as a brief segment in the start of review. A book review is also not just a book summary. A book summary for non-fictional work briefly refers to the main point covered in the book, whereas for fictional work it describes the plot summary, theme of the book and main characters.

2. A book report or summary do not provide the critical analysis,

Introduction. The introductory paragraph usually includes the title, author, publisher, place and date of publication, number of pages and price of the book. This is also called a bibliographic entry Thereafter, a thesis statement is given which offers the reviewer’s opinion about the book and the reviewer tells the readers how he interprets the book. It evaluates whether the author met their objectives, and if the claims made by the author are valid (Hotson 2013) . The thesis statement needs to be supported by evidence using credible sources and examples from within or outside the book.
8. Body. The body paragraphs include a brief summary of the book and objective material which supports the thesis statement of the review writer. For fictional works, the summary briefly mentions the characters, plot and theme setting. For nonfictional, an explanation of the main points is given. For poetry, the theme, language and style are discussed. The body of a book review gives a clear overview of the contents of the book, its purpose for the target audience, and the reaction or evaluation of reviewer. This is followed by a background helping placement of the book in context, by discussing the general problem the book author aims to address. The body paras may also include the following