Book review

If you are ever asked about a film/book, you would certainly recommend it or not depending on how much you liked it. Find below some interesting expressions to give your opinion in just one word:

Fascinating! Far-fetched! Brilliant! Gripping!

Moving! What a bore! Entertaining! Funny!

Exciting! So-so! Worst film/book ever!

Second-rate! Readable Hilarious! Wishy-washy!

The best movie/book ever! Thrilling!

Frightening! Awesome! Crappy! Fantastic!

A masterpiece! Outstanding! Amazing! Shocking!

Thumbs up! A must read! Not my cup of tea!

Just alright! Poor! Dreadful!

When giving details about a book, we must include key information. A good review should include:

1. The setting—where does the story take place? Is it a real place or an imaginary one?
2. The time period—is the story set in the present day or in an earlier time period? Perhaps it is even set in the future! Let your reader know.
3. The main character(s)—who is the story mostly about? Give a brief description. Which is your favorite character?
4. The plot—what happens to the main character? WARNING! Be careful here. Do not fall into the boring trap of reporting every single thing that happens in the story. Just summarize the basics. In this particular book review we are far more interested in your opinions than in a rewrite of the plot, so keep it simple.
5. Your opinion. Once you have described the basics the book, you can tell what you think about it. Some questions you might want to answer are:

• Did you like the story? Why or why not?
• What was the best part of the book? Why? And the worst?
• How did the story make you feel? Did you feel different things at different points in the story?
• Would you change the end or any other part of the story?
• Would you recommend it to friends? Why (not)?
• Would you read other books by this author?

Check this INTERESTING handout to boost your reviews.

Source: EOI Elx