A book review is a critical appraisal of a book. It contains a summary of the content and assesses the importance of the book. It also goes beyond assessment and summary, it’s an opportunity for the reviewer to assess the content, quality and relevance of the book.
Typically, a book review ranges from 500-1000 words, but may be longer or shorter depending on the content and complexity of the book being reviewed.
Things to consider before writing a book review:
- Have you read the book?
- Do you like the book?
- What was your favourite part in the book?
- What was your least favourite part in the book?
- Would you recommend the book to others for reading and why?
- Do you have enough information about the book you want to review?
After you have considered these questions and you have your answers, you can now begin to write.
Common features of a book review are:
A presentation on the summary of the book: A good book review presents a concise summary of the book, so that someone who hasn’t read the book would have an idea of what it is about.
An evaluation of the content of the book: In reviewing a book, a reviewer should be able to present some discussion of what he considers note-worthy or important in the book. He or she can also discuss whether or not the arguments made by the author were effective or persuasive.
An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the book: In reviewing a book, the reviewer should be able to point out what he or she considers the strength or weaknesses of the book, whether he would recommend it for reading or not and should also evaluate the authenticity and the overall quality of the book.
Once you adopt the features stated above while reviewing a book, you would have come-up with a perfect book review.
