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The 10 Best Book Reviews of 2022

Merve emre on gerald murnane, casey cep on harry crews, maggie doherty on cormac mccarthy, and more.

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Way back in the mid-aughts when I first started writing about books, pitching a print publication was the only reliable way for book critics to get paid, and third-person point of view was all the vogue. Much has changed in the years since: Newspaper and magazine book sections have shuttered, many digital outlets offer compensation when they can, and first-person criticism has become much more pervasive.

I don’t celebrate all these changes, but I’m certain of one thing in particular: I love book reviews and critical essays written in the first-person. Done well, they are generous invitations into the lives of critics—and into their memory palaces. With that in mind, most of my picks for the best book reviews of 2022 were written in the first person this year.

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

Chess Story

Adam Dalva on Stefan Zweig’s Chess Story , translated by Joel Rotenberg ( Los Angeles Review of Books )

Dalva’s review of Chess Story is a great example of the power of a first-person point of view—he doesn’t just examine the book, he narrates his own journey to understand it.

“In my own quest to understand Chess Story, I gradually realized that I would have to learn the game it centers on. And that has led me into a second obsession, much more problematic: I have fallen passionately in love with online bullet chess.”

Merve Emre on Gerald Murnane’s Last Letter to a Reader ( The New Yorker )

Merve Emre’s analysis of Gerald Murnane’s final book is a beautiful piece of writing. I love how she opens on a note of suspense, pulling you into a story you can’t stop reading.

“On most evenings this past spring, the man who lives across the street sat at his small desk, turned on the lamp, and began to write as the light faded. The white curtains in his room were seldom drawn. From where I sat, I had a clear view of him, and he, were he to look up from his writing, would have had a clear view of a house across the street, where a woman with dark hair and a faintly olive complexion was seated by a window, watching him write. At the moment he glanced up from his page, the woman supposed him to be contemplating the look, or perhaps the sound, of the sentence he had just written. The sentence was this: ‘Since then I have tried to avoid those rooms that grow steadily more crowded with works to explain away Time.’”

Nuclear Family Joseph Han

Minyoung Lee on Joseph Han’s Nuclear Family ( Chicago Review of Books )

Lee brings her own experience to bear in this insightful review of a novel about Korean Americans in the diaspora. (Disclosure: I founded the Chicago Review of Books in 2016, but stepped back from an editorial role in 2019.)

“In diaspora communities, it’s not uncommon to find cultural practices from the homeland, even after they’ve become unpopular or forgotten there. This is colloquially referred to as ‘the immigrant time capsule effect.’ It can be experienced in many of the ethnic enclaves in the U.S. My first impression of Los Angeles’ Koreatown when I visited in the 2010s, for example, was that it felt very much like Seoul in the 1980s. Grocery stores were even selling canned grape drinks that were popular when I was a child but that I haven’t seen since.”

Chelsea Leu on Thuận’s Chinatown , translated by Nguyen An Lý ( Astra )

Astra magazine’s “ bangers only ” editorial policy led to some spectacular reviews, like this Chelsea Leu number that opens with a fascinating linguistics lesson.

“It was in high school Latin that I learned that language could have moods, and that one of those moods was the subjunctive. We use the indicative mood for statements of fact, but the subjunctive (which barely exists in English anymore) expresses possibilities, wishes, hopes and fears: ‘I wouldn’t trust those Greeks bearing gifts if I were you.’ More recently, I’ve learned there exists a whole class of moods called irrealis moods, of which the subjunctive is merely one flavor. André Aciman’s recent essay collection, Homo Irrealis, is entirely dedicated to these moods, celebrating the fact that they express sentiments that fly in the face of settled reality.”

Casey Cep on Harry Crews’ A Childhood: The Biography of a Place ( The New Yorker )

Cep is a magician when it comes to capturing a sense of place, as evidenced by her book about Harper Lee, Furious Hours , and this review of a book about another Southern writer, Harry Crews.

“Dehairing a shoat is the sort of thing Crews knew all about, along with cooking possum, cleaning a rooster’s craw, making moonshine, trapping birds, tanning hides, and getting rid of screwworms. Although he lived until 2012, Crews and his books—sixteen novels, two essay collections, and a memoir—recall a bygone era. The best of what he wrote evokes W.P.A. guides or Foxfire books, full of gripping folklore and hardscrabble lives, stories from the back of beyond about a time when the world seemed black and white in all possible senses.”

Best Barbarian Roger Reeves

Victoria Chang and Dean Rader on Roger Reeves’ Best Barbarian ( Los Angeles Review of Books )

Last year I professed my love for “reviews in dialogue” between two critics, and Chang and Rader continue to be masters of the form in this conversation about Roger Reeves’ second poetry collection.

“Victoria: Do you have thoughts on the flow of the poems or allusions? I have a feeling you will talk about the biblical references. But I’m most curious to hear what you have to say about the purpose of the allusions and references. Is the speaker agreeing with them, subverting them, both? Is the speaker using them as a way to press against or think against, or toward? I know you will say something smart and insightful.”

“Dean: That is a lot of pressure. I’ll try not to let you down.”

The Passenger Sella Maris

Maggie Doherty on Cormac McCarthy’s The Passenger and Stella Maris ( The New Republic )

I didn’t think anyone could persuade me to read another Cormac McCarthy novel after The Road, but Maggie Doherty makes every book sound fascinating by making it part of a bigger, true story.

“Such is the paradox of The Passenger , a novel at once highly attuned to the pleasures of collective life and resistant to the very idea of it. Unlike the violent, stylized books for which McCarthy is best known, this new novel is loose, warm, colloquial. It explores the sustaining, if impermanent, bonds formed among male friends. It’s full of theories and anecdotes, memories and stories, all voiced by some of the liveliest characters McCarthy has ever crafted. The Passenger is McCarthy’s first novel in over 15 years; its coda, S tella Maris , is published in December. Together, the books represent a new, perhaps final direction for McCarthy. The Passenger in particular is McCarthy’s most peopled novel, his most polyphonic—and it’s wonderfully entertaining, in a way that few of his previous books have been. It is also his loneliest novel yet.”

Allison Bulger on Vladimir Sorokin’s Telluria , translated by Max Lawton ( Words Without Borders )

I’m always interested in how critics find new ways to start a review, and Bulger’s opening lines here are a particularly sharp hook.

“Of all the jobs esteemed translator Larissa Volokhonsky has rejected, only one text was physically removed from her apartment on the Villa Poirier in Paris.

‘Take it back,’ she said. ‘Rid me of its presence.’

“The cursed title was Blue Lard (1999) by Vladimir Sorokin, known to some as Russia’s De Sade, and Volokhonsky’s revulsion was par for the course. It would be twenty years before another translator, Max Lawton, would provide eight Sorokin works unseen in the West, including Blue Lard , in which a clone of Khrushchev sodomizes a clone of Stalin.”

Summer Farah on Solmaz Sharif’s Customs ( Cleveland Review of Books )

Farah’s nuanced review of Solmaz Sharif’s new poetry collection further illustrates the potency of a first-person voice.

“Our poets write of our martyrs and resist alongside them; sometimes, I wonder, what life will be like after we are free, and what a truly free Palestine looks like. Last spring, the hashtag “#غرد_كأنها_حرة” circulated on Twitter, a collection of Palestinians imagining life as if our land was free; people imagined themselves moving from Akka to Ramallah with ease, returning to their homes their grandparents left in 1948, and traveling across the Levant without the obstacle of borders. This stanza acknowledges there is more work to be done than just ridding ourselves of the obvious systems that oppress us; decolonization and anti-imperial work are more holistic than we know. Sharif’s work is about attunement to the ways imperialism is ingrained into our lives, our speech, our poetry; this moment is direct in that acknowledgement.”

Nicole LeFebvre on Dorthe Nors’ A Line in the World ( On the Seawall )

LeFebvre opens this review like she’s writing a memoir or a personal essay—an unexpected joy that would be very hard to do in third-person.

“Each morning when I wake up, I hear the gentle crash and lull of waves on a beach. ‘Gather, scatter,’ as Dorthe Nors describes the sound. My eyes open and blink, adjusting to the dark. The sun’s not up yet. I scoot back into my partner’s body, kept asleep by the rhythmic thrum of the white noise machine, which covers the cars idling in the 7-Eleven parking lot, the motorcyclists showing off their scary-high speeds. For a few minutes, I accept the illusion of a calmer, quiet life. ‘Gather, scatter.’ A life by the sea.”

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The 13 Best Book Review Sites and Book Rating Sites

Knowing where to buy books can be challenging. So, here are the best book review sites to help you avoid buying books that you'll regret reading.

Nobody likes to spend money on a new book only to face that overwhelming feeling of disappointment when it doesn't live up to your expectations. The solution is to check out a few book review sites before you hit the shops. The greater the diversity of opinions you can gather, the more confidence you can have that you'll enjoy the title.

Which book review and book rating sites are worth considering? Here are the best ones.

1. Goodreads

goodreads

Goodreads is arguably the leading online community for book lovers. If you want some inspiration for which novel or biography to read next, this is the book review site to visit.

There's an endless number of user-generated reading lists to explore, and Goodreads itself publishes dozens of "best of" lists across a number of categories. You can do a book search by plot or subject , or join book discussions and reading groups with thousands of members.

You can participate in the community by adding your own rankings to books you've read and leaving reviews for other people to check out. Occasionally, there are even bonus events like question and answer sessions with authors.

2. LibraryThing

librarything book review

LibraryThing is the self-proclaimed largest book club in the world. It has more than 2.3 million members and is one of the best social networking platforms for book lovers .

With a free account, you can add up to 200 books to your library and share them with other users. But it's in the other areas where LibraryThing can claim to be one of the best book review sites.

Naturally, there are ratings, user reviews, and tags. But be sure to click on the Zeitgeist tab at the top of the page. It contains masses of information, including the top books by rating, by the number of reviews, by authors, and loads more.

3. Book Riot

book riot

Book Riot is a blog. It publishes listicles on dozens of different topics, many of which review the best books in a certain genre. To give you an idea, some recent articles include Keeping Hoping Alive: 11 Thrilling YA Survival Stories and The Best Historical Fiction Books You’ve Never Heard Of .

Of course, there's also plenty of non-reading list content. If you have a general affinity for literature, Book Riot is definitely worth adding to the list of websites you browse every day.

bookish

Bookish is a site that all members of book clubs should know about. It helps you prep for your next meeting with discussion guides, book quizzes, and book games. There are even food and drink suggestions, as well as playlist recommendations.

But the site is more than just book club meetings. It also offers lots of editorial content. That comes in the form of author interviews, opinion essays, book reviews and recommendations, reading challenges, and giveaways.

Be sure to look at the Must-Reads section of the site regularly to get the latest book reviews. Also, it goes without saying that the people behind Bookish are book lovers, too. To get a glimpse of what they’re reading, check out their Staff Reads articles.

5. Booklist

booklist

Booklist is a print magazine that also offers an online portal. Trusted experts from the American Library Association write all the book reviews.

You can see snippets of reviews for different books. However, to read them in full, you will need to subscribe. An annual plan for this book review site costs $184.95 per year.

6. Fantasy Book Review

fantasy book review website

Fantasy Book Review should be high on the list for anyone who is a fan of fantasy works. The book review site publishes reviews for both children's books and adults' books.

It has a section on the top fantasy books of all time and a continually updated list of must-read books for each year. You can also search through the recommended books by sub-genres such as Sword and Sorcery, Parallel Worlds, and Epic Fantasy.

7. LoveReading

lovereading

LoveReading is one of the most popular book review sites in the UK, but American audiences will find it to be equally useful.

The site is divided into fiction and non-fiction works. In each area, it publishes weekly staff picks, books of the month, debuts of the month, ebooks of the month, audiobooks of the month, and the nationwide bestsellers. Each book on every list has a full review that you can read for free.

Make sure you also check out their Highlights tab to get book reviews for selected titles of the month. In Collections , you'll also find themed reading lists such as World War One Literature and Green Reads .

kirkus

Kirkus has been involved in producing book reviews since the 1930s. This book review site looks at the week's bestselling books, and provides lengthy critiques for each one.

As you'd expect, you'll also find dozens of "best of" lists and individual book reviews across many categories and genres.

And while you're on the site, make sure you click on the Kirkus Prize section. You can look at all the past winners and finalists, complete with the accompanying reviews of their books.

reddit books

Although Reddit is a social media site, you can use it to get book reviews of famous books, or almost any other book for that matter! Reddit has a Subreddit, r/books, that is dedicated to book reviews and reading lists.

The subreddit has weekly scheduled threads about a particular topic or genre. Anyone can then chip in with their opinions about which books are recommendable. Several new threads are published every day, with people discussing their latest discovery with an accompanying book rating or review.

You'll also discover a weekly recommendation thread. Recent threads have included subjects such as Favorite Books About Climate Science , Literature of Indigenous Peoples , and Books Set in the Desert . There’s also a weekly What are you Reading? discussion and frequent AMAs.

For more social media-like platforms, check out these must-have apps for book lovers .

10. YouTube

YouTube is not the type of place that immediately springs to mind when you think of the best book review sites online.

Nonetheless, there are several engaging YouTube channels that frequently offer opinions on books they've read. You’ll easily find book reviews of famous books here.

Some of the most notable book review YouTube channels include Better Than Food: Book Reviews , Little Book Owl , PolandBananasBooks , and Rincey Reads .

man in the music book on amazon

Amazon is probably one of your go-to site when you want to buy something. If you don’t mind used copies, it’s also one of the best websites to buy second-hand books .

Now, to get book reviews, just search and click on a title, then scroll down to see the ratings and what others who have bought the book are saying. It’s a quick way to have an overview of the book’s rating. If you spot the words Look Inside above the book cover, it means you get to preview the first few pages of the book, too!

Regardless of the praises or criticisms you have heard from other book review sites, reading a sample is the most direct way to help you gauge the content’s potential and see whether the author’s writing style suits your tastes.

12. StoryGraph

storygraph

StoryGraph is another good book review site that's worth checking out. The book rating is determined by the site's large community of readers. Key in the title of a book you're interested in and click on it in StoryGraph's search results to have an overall view of its rating.

Each book review provides information on the moods and pacing of the story. It also indicates whether the tale is plot or character-driven, what readers feel about the extent of character development, how lovable the characters generally are, and the diversity of the cast.

13. London Review of Books

london review of books

The London Review of Books is a magazine that covers a range of subjects such as culture, literature, and philosophy. Part of its content includes amazingly detailed book reviews. If you feel that most modern book reviews are too brief for your liking, the London Review of Books should suit you best.

You'll gain insight into the flow and themes of the story, as well as a more thorough picture of the events taking place in the book.

Read Book Reviews Before You Buy

The book review sites we've discussed will appeal to different types of readers. Some people will be more comfortable with the easy-to-interpret book rating systems; others will prefer extensive reviews written by experienced professionals.

Although it’s easy to be tempted by a gorgeous book cover, it’s always best to have a quick look at the book reviews before actually buying a copy. This way, you can save your money and spend it on the books that you’ll be proud to display on your shelves for a long time. And check out recommendations, as well, to help you find what's worth reading.

How to Write a Book Review in 3 Steps

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How to write a book review in 3 steps.

How to Write a Book Review in 3 Steps

If the idea of reading for free — or even getting paid to read — sounds like a dream come true, remember that it isn’t a pipe dream. There are many places aspiring book reviewers can read books for free, such as Reedsy Discovery — a new platform for reviewing indie books. Of course, if you’re giving serious thought to becoming a book reviewer, your first step should be learning how to write a book review. To that end, this post covers all the basics of literary criticism. Let’s get started!

The three main steps of writing a book review are simple:

  • Provide a summary: What is story about? Who are the main characters and what is the main conflict? 
  • Present your evaluation: What did you think of the book? What elements worked well, and which ones didn’t? 
  • Give your recommendation: Would you recommend this book to others? If so, what kinds of readers will enjoy it?

You can also download our free book review templates and use it as a guide! Otherwise, let’s take a closer look at each element.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

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How to write a review of a book

Step 1. provide a summary.

Have you ever watched a movie only to realize that all the good bits were already in the trailer? Well, you don’t want the review to do that. What you do want the summary to do is reveal the genre, theme, main conflict, and main characters in the story — without giving away spoilers or revealing how the story ends.

A good rule of thumb is not to mention anything that happens beyond the midpoint. Set the stage and give readers a sense of the book without explaining how the central issue is resolved.

Emily W. Thompson's review of The Crossing :

In [Michael] Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.
An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl. Read more...

Here are a few more reviews with well-written summaries for you to check out. The summary tend to be the longest part of the book review, so we won’t turn this post into a novel itself by pasting them all here: Le Cirque Navire reviewed by Anna Brill, The Heart of Stone reviewed by Kevin R. Dickinson, Fitting Out: The Friendship Experiment reviewed by Lianna Albrizio.

Non-fiction summary tip: The primary goal of a non-fiction summary is to provide context: what problems or issues has the book spotted, and how does it go about addressing them? Be sure to mention the authors of the title and what experience or expertise they bring to the title. Check Stefan Kløvning’s review of Creativity Cycling for an example of a summary that establishes the framework of the book within the context of its field.

Step 2. Present your evaluation

While you should absolutely weave your own personal take of a book into the review, your evaluation shouldn’t only be based on your subjective opinion. Along with presenting how you reacted to the story and how it affected you, you should also try to objectively critique the stronger and weaker elements of the story, and provide examples from the text to back up your points.

To help you write your evaluation, you should record your reactions and thoughts as you work your way through a novel you’re planning on reviewing. Here are some aspects of the book to keep in mind as you do.

Your evaluation might focus heartily on the book’s prose:

Donald Barker's review of Mercenary : 

Such are the bones of the story. But, of course, it is the manner in which Mr Gaughran puts the bones back together and fills them with life that makes “Mercenary” such a great read. The author’s style seems plain; it seems straightforward and even simple. But an attempt at imitation or emulation quickly proves that simple it is not. He employs short, punchy sentences that generate excellent dialogue dripping with irony, deadpan humour and wit. This, mixed with good descriptive prose, draws the characters – and what characters they are – along with the tumultuous events in which they participated amidst the stinking, steaming heat of the South American jungle, out from the past to the present; alive, scheming, drinking, womanising and fighting, onto the written page.

You can give readers a sense of the book by drawing comparisons to other well-known titles or authors:

Laura Hartman's review of The Mystery of Ruby's Mistletoe :

Reading Ms. Donovan’s book is reminiscent to one of my favorite authors, Dame Agatha Christie. Setting up the suspects in a snowbound house, asking them to meet in the drawing room and the cleverly satisfying conclusion was extremely gratifying. I can picture Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot nodding at Ms. Donovan saying “Well done!”

Not everyone’s tastes are the same, and you can always acknowledge this by calling out specific story elements in your evaluation: 

Kevin R. Dickinson's review of The Heart of Stone :

Whether you enjoy Galley’s worldbuilding will depend heavily on preference. Galley delivers information piecemeal, letting the characters, not the author, navigate the reader through Hartlund. A notable example is the magic system, an enigmatic force that lacks the ridge structures of, say, a Brandon Sanderson novel. While the world’s magical workings are explained, you only learn what the characters know and many mysteries remain by the end. Similar choices throughout make the world feel expansive and authentic.

Non-fiction evaluation tip: A book’s topic is only as compelling as its supporting arguments. Your evaluation of a nonfiction book should address that: how clearly and effectively are the points communicated? Turn back to Stefan’s critique for an example of a non-fiction critique that covers key takeaways and readability, without giving away any “big reveals.”

Step 3. Give your recommendation 

At the end of the day, your critique needs to answer this question: is this a book you would (or wouldn’t) recommend to other readers? You might wrap up by comparing it to other books in the same genre, or authors with similar styles, such as: “Fans of so-and-so will enjoy this book.” 

Let’s take a look at a few more tips:

You don’t need to write, “I recommend this book” — you can make it clear by highlighting your favorable opinion:

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.
Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

Add more punch to your rating by mentioning what kind of audience will or won’t enjoy the book:

Charleigh Aleyna Reid's review of The King of FU :

I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up in the 90’s and would like to reminisce about the time, someone who is interested to see what it was like to be a 90’s kid, or perhaps anyone who is looking for a unique, funny story about someone’s life.

Unless you found the title absolutely abhorrent, a good way to balance out a less favorable book review it to share what you did like about the book — before ultimately stating why you wouldn’t recommend the novel:

Nicola O's review of Secrets of the Sea Lord :

Overall, there are plenty of enjoyable elements in this story and fans of Atlantis and mer mythology should give it a try. Despite this, it does not rise above a three-star rating, and while I had some difficulty pinning down why this is, I concluded that it comes from a surprisingly unsophisticated vocabulary. There are a couple of graphic sex scenes, which is absolutely fine in a paranormal romance, but if they were removed, I could easily imagine this as an appealing story for middle-schoolers.

Non-fiction recommendation tip: As with fiction book reviews, share why you did or didn’t enjoy the title. However, in one of the starkest divergences from fiction book reviews it’s more important than ever that you mention your expectations coming into the non-fiction book. For instance, if you’re a cow farmer who’s reading a book on the benefits of becoming a vegetarian, you’re coming in with a large and inherent bias that the book will struggle to alter. So your recommendation should cover your thoughts about the book, while clearly taking account your perspective before you started reading. Let’s look once more at Stefan’s review for an example of a rating that includes an explanation of the reviewer’s own bias.

Bonus tips for writing a book review

Let’s wrap up with a few final tips for writing a compelling review.

  • Remember, this isn’t a book report. If someone wants the summary of a book, they can read the synopsis. People turn to book reviews for a fellow reader’s take on the book. And for that reason...
  • Have an opinion. Even if your opinion is totally middle-of-the-line — you didn’t hate the book but you didn’t love it either — state that clearly, and explain why.
  • Make your stance clear from the outset. Don’t save your opinion just for the evaluation/recommendation. Weave your thoughts about the book into your summary as well, so that readers have an idea of your opinion from the outset.
  • Back up your points. Instead of just saying, “the prose was evocative” — show readers by providing an actual passage that displays this. Same goes for negative points — don’t simply tell readers you found a character unbelievable, reference a certain (non-spoiler) scene that backs this up.
  • Provide the details. Don’t forget to weave the book’s information into the review: is this a debut author? Is this one installment of a series? What types of books has the author written before? What is their background? How many pages does the book have? Who published the book? What is the book’s price?
  • Follow guidelines. Is the review you’re writing for Goodreads? For The New York Times ? The content and tone of your review will vary a good deal from publication to publication.
  • Learn from others. One of the best ways to learn how to write a great review is to read other reviews! To help you out with that, we’ve published a post all about book review examples .

Writing book reviews can be a rewarding experience! As a book-lover yourself, it’s a great opportunity to help guide readers to their next favorite title. If you’re just getting started as a reviewer and could use a couple more tips and nudges in the right direction, check out our comprehensive blog post on how to become a book reviewer . And if you want to find out which review community is the right fit for you, we recommend taking this quick quiz:

Which review community should you join?

Find out which review community is best for your style. Takes 30 seconds!

Finally, if you feel you've nailed the basics of how to write a book review, we recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can review books for free and are guaranteed people will read them. To register as a book reviewer, simply go here !

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Have you ever stumbled upon a book review that just blew your mind? A review that made you itch to grab that book and flip through its pages? If you have, you know the power of a well-written book review. A good book review not only piques the interest of the reader but also provides valuable insights into the story and the author’s intentions. By learning how to write a book review, you can help fellow readers make informed decisions while exploring your passion for literature. With the right tools, you can craft a compelling review that might just inspire someone else to pick up that book and experience the magic themselves.

What is a Book Review?

People rely on book reviews to help them decide which books to invest their time and money in. Reviews provide potential readers with a glimpse into the content, style, and themes of a book, helping them make informed decisions. Moreover, book reviews are essential for authors, as they serve as a form of feedback, allowing them to grow and improve in their craft. They also play a crucial role in increasing the visibility of new books and supporting the literary ecosystem.

How to Write a Book Review Like a Pro (Ideal Book Review Format)

Ready to pen out a banger book review? Here’s a step-by-step guide on  how to write a good book  review:

Start with a Banging Hook

A powerful hook is essential to grab the reader’s attention and compel them to read on. A great way to start your review is by sharing a thought-provoking quote, a bold statement, or an intriguing question related to the book. This sets the tone for your review and entices the reader to learn more about the book.

Provide the Basic Book Information

While writing a book review should primarily focus on your thoughts and opinions, it’s important to include essential information about the book. Be sure to mention the title, author,  publisher , publication date, and genre. This helps your reader understand the context of your review and evaluate whether the book aligns with their interests.

Keep It Brief & Concise

A concise plot summary is an important part of a book review. It provides readers with a general understanding of the story without giving away any spoilers. Aim to give an overview of the main characters, setting, and central conflict, while keeping the summary brief and intriguing.

Discuss What You Liked About the Book

Now it’s time to dive into the heart of your review. Share what you loved about the book, whether it’s the author’s writing style, the character development, the pacing, or the themes. Be specific and provide examples from the text to illustrate your points. This helps your reader understand why you enjoyed the book and why they might enjoy it too.

Read More : How To Start a Book Blog

Mention Anything You Disliked About the Book

It’s important to maintain a balanced perspective in your review. If there were aspects of the book that didn’t resonate with you, share them. However, be constructive in your criticism and explain why you felt that way. This offers the reader a more rounded view of the book and allows them to evaluate whether the issues you raised might be deal-breakers for them.

Wrap Up Your Review in Style

As you approach the end of your review, summarize your thoughts and impressions of the book. Recap your main points and consider any lingering questions or thoughts you might have. This gives your review a sense of closure and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Read More : Should You Publish Your Book Through Amazon KDP? Pros And Cons

Seal the Deal with Your Recommendation

Your recommendation is a crucial part of the review, as it directly informs the reader whether the book is worth their time. Be clear and honest about your opinion, stating if you would recommend the book and to whom. Consider the target audience and suggest the type of reader who would most appreciate the book.

Give a Personal Book Rating

Including a personal rating is a great way to wrap up your review. Ratings can be numerical (e.g., out of 5 stars) or qualitative (e.g., “must-read” or “average”). This provides a quick summary of your thoughts and helps readers gauge your overall impression of the book.

Review Writing Tips: Learn from the Pros (with Examples)

Be honest, but respectful:.

Offer your genuine opinion, but avoid using harsh language or making personal attacks on the author. For example, instead of saying “The author has no talent for storytelling,” you could say, “The story felt disjointed and lacked a clear narrative flow.”

Use specific examples:

Support your opinions with quotes or examples from the book to make your points more convincing. For instance, “The dialogue between the characters felt natural and engaging, like when John and Jane discussed their childhood memories.”

Read More : Publishing Your Book Through Amazon For Free In 10 Easy Steps

Compare and contrast:

If you have read other books by the same author or in the same genre, draw comparisons to provide context. For example, “While this book shared some themes with the author’s previous work, it explored them in a more nuanced and thought-provoking manner.”

Be mindful of spoilers:

Avoid giving away key plot points or twists that could ruin the reading experience for others. Instead, use vague language or focus on your feelings and reactions to those moments.

Provide context for your opinions:

Explain why you felt a certain way, considering your personal experiences and preferences. For example, “As someone who loves historical fiction, I appreciated the author’s attention to detail and extensive research on the period.”

Read More: How Many Pages Should You Write for a Book?

Edit and proofread:

A well-written review demonstrates your credibility as a reviewer. Take the time to revise your work, checking for grammatical errors, typos, and unclear sentences.

Conclusion: A Well-Written Book Review

In summary, learning how to write a good book review involves mastering the format, providing essential information, sharing your likes and dislikes, and offering a recommendation. By following these guidelines and incorporating the tips provided, you can craft an engaging and insightful review that not only informs your fellow readers but also supports the literary community.

FAQs About Book Review Writing

How long should a book review be.

The length of a book review can vary depending on your audience and the platform on which it’s published. Typically, reviews can range from 300 to 1000 words. However, it’s essential to prioritize clarity and conciseness over word count.

Can I write a book review if I haven’t finished the book?

Ideally, you should finish the book before writing a review to provide a comprehensive and well-informed perspective. However, if you feel strongly about sharing your thoughts on an unfinished book, make sure to disclose this in your review.

Read More : How Much Does It Cost To Publish A Book?

Should I include spoilers in my book review?

It’s best to avoid spoilers in your book review, as they can ruin the reading experience for others. Instead, focus on sharing your thoughts and opinions without revealing key plot points or twists.

How can I improve my book review writing skills?

Practice makes perfect! Reading and analyzing other book reviews, experimenting with different writing styles, and seeking feedback from friends or writing groups can help you refine your skills and develop your unique voice as a review

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How to Write a Book Review: A Comprehensive Tutorial With Examples

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You don’t need to be a literary expert to craft captivating book reviews. With one in every three readers selecting books based on insightful reviews, your opinions can guide fellow bibliophiles toward their next literary adventure.

Learning how to write a book review will not only help you excel at your assigned tasks, but you’ll also contribute valuable insights to the book-loving community and turn your passion into a professional pursuit.

In this comprehensive guide,  PaperPerk  will walk you through a few simple steps to master the art of writing book reviews so you can confidently embark on this rewarding journey.

What is a Book Review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book, offering insights into its content, quality, and impact. It helps readers make informed decisions about whether to read the book.

Writing a book review as an assignment benefits students in multiple ways. Firstly, it teaches them how to write a book review by developing their analytical skills as they evaluate the content, themes, and writing style .

Secondly, it enhances their ability to express opinions and provide constructive criticism. Additionally, book review assignments expose students to various publications and genres, broadening their knowledge.

Furthermore, these tasks foster essential skills for academic success, like critical thinking and the ability to synthesize information. By now, we’re sure you want to learn how to write a book review, so let’s look at the book review template first.

Table of Contents

Book Review Template

How to write a book review- a step by step guide.

Check out these 5 straightforward steps for composing the best book review.

Step 1: Planning Your Book Review – The Art of Getting Started

You’ve decided to take the plunge and share your thoughts on a book that has captivated (or perhaps disappointed) you. Before you start book reviewing, let’s take a step back and plan your approach. Since knowing how to write a book review that’s both informative and engaging is an art in itself.

Choosing Your Literature

First things first, pick the book you want to review. This might seem like a no-brainer, but selecting a book that genuinely interests you will make the review process more enjoyable and your insights more authentic.

Crafting the Master Plan

Next, create an  outline  that covers all the essential points you want to discuss in your review. This will serve as the roadmap for your writing journey.

The Devil is in the Details

As you read, note any information that stands out, whether it overwhelms, underwhelms, or simply intrigues you. Pay attention to:

  • The characters and their development
  • The plot and its intricacies
  • Any themes, symbols, or motifs you find noteworthy

Remember to reserve a body paragraph for each point you want to discuss.

The Key Questions to Ponder

When planning your book review, consider the following questions:

  • What’s the plot (if any)? Understanding the driving force behind the book will help you craft a more effective review.
  • Is the plot interesting? Did the book hold your attention and keep you turning the pages?
  • Are the writing techniques effective? Does the author’s style captivate you, making you want to read (or reread) the text?
  • Are the characters or the information believable? Do the characters/plot/information feel real, and can you relate to them?
  • Would you recommend the book to anyone? Consider if the book is worthy of being recommended, whether to impress someone or to support a point in a literature class.
  • What could improve? Always keep an eye out for areas that could be improved. Providing constructive criticism can enhance the quality of literature.

Step 2 – Crafting the Perfect Introduction to Write a Book Review

In this second step of “how to write a book review,” we’re focusing on the art of creating a powerful opening that will hook your audience and set the stage for your analysis.

Identify Your Book and Author

Begin by mentioning the book you’ve chosen, including its  title  and the author’s name. This informs your readers and establishes the subject of your review.

Ponder the Title

Next, discuss the mental images or emotions the book’s title evokes in your mind . This helps your readers understand your initial feelings and expectations before diving into the book.

Judge the Book by Its Cover (Just a Little)

Take a moment to talk about the book’s cover. Did it intrigue you? Did it hint at what to expect from the story or the author’s writing style? Sharing your thoughts on the cover can offer a unique perspective on how the book presents itself to potential readers.

Present Your Thesis

Now it’s time to introduce your thesis. This statement should be a concise and insightful summary of your opinion of the book. For example:

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney is a captivating portrayal of the complexities of human relationships, exploring themes of love, class, and self-discovery with exceptional depth and authenticity.

Ensure that your thesis is relevant to the points or quotes you plan to discuss throughout your review.

Incorporating these elements into your introduction will create a strong foundation for your book review. Your readers will be eager to learn more about your thoughts and insights on the book, setting the stage for a compelling and thought-provoking analysis.

How to Write a Book Review: Step 3 – Building Brilliant Body Paragraphs

You’ve planned your review and written an attention-grabbing introduction. Now it’s time for the main event: crafting the body paragraphs of your book review. In this step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of constructing engaging and insightful body paragraphs that will keep your readers hooked.

Summarize Without Spoilers

Begin by summarizing a specific section of the book, not revealing any major plot twists or spoilers. Your goal is to give your readers a taste of the story without ruining surprises.

Support Your Viewpoint with Quotes

Next, choose three quotes from the book that support your viewpoint or opinion. These quotes should be relevant to the section you’re summarizing and help illustrate your thoughts on the book.

Analyze the Quotes

Write a summary of each quote in your own words, explaining how it made you feel or what it led you to think about the book or the author’s writing. This analysis should provide insight into your perspective and demonstrate your understanding of the text.

Structure Your Body Paragraphs

Dedicate one body paragraph to each quote, ensuring your writing is well-connected, coherent, and easy to understand.

For example:

  • In  Jane Eyre , Charlotte Brontë writes, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.” This powerful statement highlights Jane’s fierce independence and refusal to be trapped by societal expectations.
  • In  Normal People , Sally Rooney explores the complexities of love and friendship when she writes, “It was culture as class performance, literature fetishized for its ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys.” This quote reveals the author’s astute observations on the role of culture and class in shaping personal relationships.
  • In  Wuthering Heights , Emily Brontë captures the tumultuous nature of love with the quote, “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” This poignant line emphasizes the deep, unbreakable bond between the story’s central characters.

By following these guidelines, you’ll create body paragraphs that are both captivating and insightful, enhancing your book review and providing your readers with a deeper understanding of the literary work. 

How to Write a Book Review: Step 4 – Crafting a Captivating Conclusion

You’ve navigated through planning, introductions, and body paragraphs with finesse. Now it’s time to wrap up your book review with a  conclusion that leaves a lasting impression . In this final step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of writing a memorable and persuasive conclusion.

Summarize Your Analysis

Begin by summarizing the key points you’ve presented in the body paragraphs. This helps to remind your readers of the insights and arguments you’ve shared throughout your review.

Offer Your Final Conclusion

Next, provide a conclusion that reflects your overall feelings about the book. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression and persuade your readers to consider your perspective.

Address the Book’s Appeal

Now, answer the question: Is this book worth reading? Be clear about who would enjoy the book and who might not. Discuss the taste preferences and circumstances that make the book more appealing to some readers than others.

For example:  The Alchemist is a book that can enchant a young teen, but those who are already well-versed in classic literature might find it less engaging.

Be Subtle and Balanced

Avoid simply stating whether you “liked” or “disliked” the book. Instead, use nuanced language to convey your message. Highlight the pros and cons of reading the type of literature you’ve reviewed, offering a balanced perspective.

Bringing It All Together

By following these guidelines, you’ll craft a conclusion that leaves your readers with a clear understanding of your thoughts and opinions on the book. Your review will be a valuable resource for those considering whether to pick up the book, and your witty and insightful analysis will make your review a pleasure to read. So conquer the world of book reviews, one captivating conclusion at a time!

How to Write a Book Review: Step 5 – Rating the Book (Optional)

You’ve masterfully crafted your book review, from the introduction to the conclusion. But wait, there’s one more step you might consider before calling it a day: rating the book. In this optional step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the benefits and methods of assigning a rating to the book you’ve reviewed.

Why Rate the Book?

Sometimes, when writing a professional book review, it may not be appropriate to state whether you liked or disliked the book. In such cases, assigning a rating can be an effective way to get your message across without explicitly sharing your personal opinion.

How to Rate the Book

There are various rating systems you can use to evaluate the book, such as:

  • A star rating (e.g., 1 to 5 stars)
  • A numerical score (e.g., 1 to 10)
  • A letter grade (e.g., A+ to F)

Choose a rating system that best suits your style and the format of your review. Be consistent in your rating criteria, considering writing quality, character development, plot, and overall enjoyment.

Tips for Rating the Book

Here are some tips for rating the book effectively:

  • Be honest: Your rating should reflect your true feelings about the book. Don’t inflate or deflate your rating based on external factors, such as the book’s popularity or the author’s reputation.
  • Be fair:Consider the book’s merits and shortcomings when rating. Even if you didn’t enjoy the book, recognize its strengths and acknowledge them in your rating.
  • Be clear: Explain the rationale behind your rating so your readers understand the factors that influenced your evaluation.

Wrapping Up

By including a rating in your book review, you provide your readers with an additional insight into your thoughts on the book. While this step is optional, it can be a valuable tool for conveying your message subtly yet effectively. So, rate those books confidently, adding a touch of wit and wisdom to your book reviews.

Additional Tips on How to Write a Book Review: A Guide

In this segment, we’ll explore additional tips on how to write a book review. Get ready to captivate your readers and make your review a memorable one!

Hook ’em with an Intriguing Introduction

Keep your introduction precise and to the point. Readers have the attention span of a goldfish these days, so don’t let them swim away in boredom. Start with a bang and keep them hooked!

Embrace the World of Fiction

When learning how to write a book review, remember that reviewing fiction is often more engaging and effective. If your professor hasn’t assigned you a specific book, dive into the realm of fiction and select a novel that piques your interest.

Opinionated with Gusto

Don’t shy away from adding your own opinion to your review. A good book review always features the writer’s viewpoint and constructive criticism. After all, your readers want to know what  you  think!

Express Your Love (or Lack Thereof)

If you adored the book, let your readers know! Use phrases like “I’ll definitely return to this book again” to convey your enthusiasm. Conversely, be honest but respectful even if the book wasn’t your cup of tea.

Templates and Examples and Expert Help: Your Trusty Sidekicks

Feeling lost? You can always get help from formats, book review examples or online  college paper writing service  platforms. These trusty sidekicks will help you navigate the world of book reviews with ease. 

Be a Champion for New Writers and Literature

Remember to uplift new writers and pieces of literature. If you want to suggest improvements, do so kindly and constructively. There’s no need to be mean about anyone’s books – we’re all in this literary adventure together!

Criticize with Clarity, Not Cruelty

When adding criticism to your review, be clear but not mean. Remember, there’s a fine line between constructive criticism and cruelty. Tread lightly and keep your reader’s feelings in mind.

Avoid the Comparison Trap

Resist the urge to compare one writer’s book with another. Every book holds its worth, and comparing them will only confuse your reader. Stick to discussing the book at hand, and let it shine in its own light.

Top 7 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Writing a book review can be a delightful and rewarding experience, especially when you balance analysis, wit, and personal insights. However, some common mistakes can kill the brilliance of your review. 

In this section of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the top 7 blunders writers commit and how to steer clear of them, with a dash of  modernist literature  examples and tips for students writing book reviews as assignments.

Succumbing to the Lure of Plot Summaries

Mistake: Diving headfirst into a plot summary instead of dissecting the book’s themes, characters, and writing style.

Example: “The Bell Jar chronicles the life of a young woman who experiences a mental breakdown.”

How to Avoid: Delve into the book’s deeper aspects, such as its portrayal of mental health, societal expectations, and the author’s distinctive narrative voice. Offer thoughtful insights and reflections, making your review a treasure trove of analysis.

Unleashing the Spoiler Kraken

Mistake: Spilling major plot twists or the ending without providing a spoiler warning, effectively ruining the reading experience for potential readers.

Example: “In Metamorphosis, the protagonist’s transformation into a monstrous insect leads to…”

How to Avoid: Tread carefully when discussing significant plot developments, and consider using spoiler warnings. Focus on the impact of these plot points on the overall narrative, character growth, or thematic resonance.

Riding the Personal Bias Express

Mistake: Allowing personal bias to hijack the review without providing sufficient evidence or reasoning to support opinions.

Example: “I detest books about existential crises, so The Sun Also Rises was a snoozefest.”

How to Avoid: While personal opinions are valid, it’s crucial to back them up with specific examples from the book. Discuss aspects like writing style, character development, or pacing to support your evaluation and provide a more balanced perspective.

Wielding the Vague Language Saber

Mistake: Resorting to generic, vague language that fails to capture the nuances of the book and can come across as clichéd.

Example: “This book was mind-blowing. It’s a must-read for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Use precise and descriptive language to express your thoughts. Employ specific examples and quotations to highlight memorable scenes, the author’s unique writing style, or the impact of the book’s themes on readers.

Ignoring the Contextualization Compass

Mistake: Neglecting to provide context about the author, genre, or cultural relevance of the book, leaving readers without a proper frame of reference.

Example: “This book is dull and unoriginal.”

How to Avoid: Offer readers a broader understanding by discussing the author’s background, the genre conventions the book adheres to or subverts, and any societal or historical contexts that inform the narrative. This helps readers appreciate the book’s uniqueness and relevance.

Overindulging in Personal Preferences

Mistake: Letting personal preferences overshadow an objective assessment of the book’s merits.

Example: “I don’t like stream-of-consciousness writing, so this book is automatically bad.”

How to Avoid: Acknowledge personal preferences but strive to evaluate the book objectively. Focus on the book’s strengths and weaknesses, considering how well it achieves its goals within its genre or intended audience.

Forgetting the Target Audience Telescope

Mistake: Failing to mention the book’s target audience or who might enjoy it, leading to confusion for potential readers.

Example: “This book is great for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Contemplate the book’s intended audience, genre, and themes. Mention who might particularly enjoy the book based on these factors, whether it’s fans of a specific genre, readers interested in character-driven stories, or those seeking thought-provoking narratives.

By dodging these common pitfalls, writers can craft insightful, balanced, and engaging book reviews that help readers make informed decisions about their reading choices.

These tips are particularly beneficial for students writing book reviews as assignments, as they ensure a well-rounded and thoughtful analysis.!

Many students requested us to cover how to write a book review. This thorough guide is sure to help you. At Paperperk, professionals are dedicated to helping students find their balance. We understand the importance of good grades, so we offer the finest writing service , ensuring students stay ahead of the curve. So seek expert help because only Paperperk is your perfect solution!

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How to Write a Book Review: Awesome Guide

good book to review

A book review allows students to illustrate the author's intentions of writing the piece, as well as create a criticism of the book — as a whole. In other words, form an opinion of the author's presented ideas. Check out this guide from EssayPro — book review writing service to learn how to write a book review successfully.

What Is a Book Review?

You may prosper, “what is a book review?”. Book reviews are commonly assigned students to allow them to show a clear understanding of the novel. And to check if the students have actually read the book. The essay format is highly important for your consideration, take a look at the book review format below.

Book reviews are assigned to allow students to present their own opinion regarding the author’s ideas included in the book or passage. They are a form of literary criticism that analyzes the author’s ideas, writing techniques, and quality. A book analysis is entirely opinion-based, in relevance to the book. They are good practice for those who wish to become editors, due to the fact, editing requires a lot of criticism.

Book Review Template

The book review format includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.

  • Introduction
  • Describe the book cover and title.
  • Include any subtitles at this stage.
  • Include the Author’s Name.
  • Write a brief description of the novel.
  • Briefly introduce the main points of the body in your book review.
  • Avoid mentioning any opinions at this time.
  • Use about 3 quotations from the author’s novel.
  • Summarize the quotations in your own words.
  • Mention your own point-of-view of the quotation.
  • Remember to keep every point included in its own paragraph.
  • In brief, summarize the quotations.
  • In brief, summarize the explanations.
  • Finish with a concluding sentence.
  • This can include your final opinion of the book.
  • Star-Rating (Optional).

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How to Write a Book Review: Step-By-Step

Writing a book review is something that can be done with every novel. Book reviews can apply to all novels, no matter the genre. Some genres may be harder than others. On the other hand, the book review format remains the same. Take a look at these step-by-step instructions from our professional writers to learn how to write a book review in-depth.

how to write a book review

Step 1: Planning

Create an essay outline which includes all of the main points you wish to summarise in your book analysis. Include information about the characters, details of the plot, and some other important parts of your chosen novel. Reserve a body paragraph for each point you wish to talk about.

Consider these points before writing:

  • What is the plot of the book? Understanding the plot enables you to write an effective review.
  • Is the plot gripping? Does the plot make you want to continue reading the novel? Did you enjoy the plot? Does it manage to grab a reader’s attention?
  • Are the writing techniques used by the author effective? Does the writer imply factors in-between the lines? What are they?
  • Are the characters believable? Are the characters logical? Does the book make the characters are real while reading?
  • Would you recommend the book to anyone? The most important thing: would you tell others to read this book? Is it good enough? Is it bad?
  • What could be better? Keep in mind the quotes that could have been presented better. Criticize the writer.

Step 2: Introduction

Presumably, you have chosen your book. To begin, mention the book title and author’s name. Talk about the cover of the book. Write a thesis statement regarding the fictitious story or non-fictional novel. Which briefly describes the quoted material in the book review.

Step 3: Body

Choose a specific chapter or scenario to summarise. Include about 3 quotes in the body. Create summaries of each quote in your own words. It is also encouraged to include your own point-of-view and the way you interpret the quote. It is highly important to have one quote per paragraph.

Step 4: Conclusion

Write a summary of the summarised quotations and explanations, included in the body paragraphs. After doing so, finish book analysis with a concluding sentence to show the bigger picture of the book. Think to yourself, “Is it worth reading?”, and answer the question in black and white. However, write in-between the lines. Avoid stating “I like/dislike this book.”

Step 5: Rate the Book (Optional)

After writing a book review, you may want to include a rating. Including a star-rating provides further insight into the quality of the book, to your readers. Book reviews with star-ratings can be more effective, compared to those which don’t. Though, this is entirely optional.

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Dive into literary analysis with EssayPro . Our experts can help you craft insightful book reviews that delve deep into the themes, characters, and narratives of your chosen books. Enhance your understanding and appreciation of literature with us.

book review order

Writing Tips

Here is the list of tips for the book review:

tips for book review

  • A long introduction can certainly lower one’s grade: keep the beginning short. Readers don’t like to read the long introduction for any essay style.
  • It is advisable to write book reviews about fiction: it is not a must. Though, reviewing fiction can be far more effective than writing about a piece of nonfiction
  • Avoid Comparing: avoid comparing your chosen novel with other books you have previously read. Doing so can be confusing for the reader.
  • Opinion Matters: including your own point-of-view is something that is often encouraged when writing book reviews.
  • Refer to Templates: a book review template can help a student get a clearer understanding of the required writing style.
  • Don’t be Afraid to Criticize: usually, your own opinion isn’t required for academic papers below Ph.D. level. On the other hand, for book reviews, there’s an exception.
  • Use Positivity: include a fair amount of positive comments and criticism.
  • Review The Chosen Novel: avoid making things up. Review only what is presented in the chosen book.
  • Enjoyed the book? If you loved reading the book, state it. Doing so makes your book analysis more personalized.

Writing a book review is something worth thinking about. Professors commonly assign this form of an assignment to students to enable them to express a grasp of a novel. Following the book review format is highly useful for beginners, as well as reading step-by-step instructions. Writing tips is also useful for people who are new to this essay type. If you need a book review or essay, ask our book report writing services ' write paper for me ' and we'll give you a hand asap!

We also recommend that everyone read the article about essay topics . It will help broaden your horizons in writing a book review as well as other papers.

Book Review Examples

Referring to a book review example is highly useful to those who wish to get a clearer understanding of how to review a book. Take a look at our examples written by our professional writers. Click on the button to open the book review examples and feel free to use them as a reference.

Book review

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’

Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’ is a novel aimed at youngsters. The plot, itself, is not American humor, but that of Great Britain. In terms of sarcasm, and British-related jokes. The novel illustrates a fair mix of the relationships between the human-like animals, and wildlife. The narrative acts as an important milestone in post-Victorian children’s literature.

Book Review

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’

Dr. John’s ‘Pollution’ consists of 3 major parts. The first part is all about the polluted ocean. The second being about the pollution of the sky. The third part is an in-depth study of how humans can resolve these issues. The book is a piece of non-fiction that focuses on modern-day pollution ordeals faced by both animals and humans on Planet Earth. It also focuses on climate change, being the result of the global pollution ordeal.

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How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

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WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

how to write a book review | what is a Book review | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Traditionally, book reviews are written evaluations of a recently published book in any genre. Usually, around the 500 to 700-word mark, they offer a brief description of a text’s main elements while appraising the work’s strengths and weaknesses. Published book reviews can appear in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. They provide the reader with an overview of the book itself and indicate whether or not the reviewer would recommend the book to the reader.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

There was a time when book reviews were a regular appearance in every quality newspaper and many periodicals. They were essential elements in whether or not a book would sell well. A review from a heavyweight critic could often be the deciding factor in whether a book became a bestseller or a damp squib. In the last few decades, however, the book review’s influence has waned considerably, with many potential book buyers preferring to consult customer reviews on Amazon, or sites like Goodreads, before buying. As a result, book review’s appearance in newspapers, journals, and digital media has become less frequent.

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

Even in the heyday of the book review’s influence, few students who learned the craft of writing a book review became literary critics! The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to:

●     Engage critically with a text

●     Critically evaluate a text

●     Respond personally to a range of different writing genres

●     Improve their own reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Not to Be Confused with a Book Report!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

book_reviews_vs_book_reports.jpg

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are clear differences in both the purpose and the format of the two genres. Generally speaking, book reports aim to give a more detailed outline of what occurs in a book. A book report on a work of fiction will tend to give a comprehensive account of the characters, major plot lines, and themes in the book. Book reports are usually written around the K-12 age range, while book reviews tend not to be undertaken by those at the younger end of this age range due to the need for the higher-level critical skills required in writing them. At their highest expression, book reviews are written at the college level and by professional critics.

Learn how to write a book review step by step with our complete guide for students and teachers by familiarizing yourself with the structure and features.

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

ANALYZE Evaluate the book with a critical mind.

THOROUGHNESS The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Review the book as a WHOLE.

COMPARE Where appropriate compare to similar texts and genres.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN? You are going to have to inevitably recommend or reject this book to potential readers.

BE CONSISTENT Take a stance and stick with it throughout your review.

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

PAST TENSE You are writing about a book you have already read.

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Whatever your stance or opinion be passionate about it. Your audience will thank you for it.

VOICE Both active and passive voice are used in recounts.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

how to write a book review | movie response unit | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

⭐ Make  MOVIES A MEANINGFUL PART OF YOUR CURRICULUM  with this engaging collection of tasks and tools your students will love. ⭐ All the hard work is done for you with  NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

This collection of  21 INDEPENDENT TASKS  and  GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS  takes students beyond the hype, special effects and trailers to look at visual literacy from several perspectives offering DEEP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES by watching a  SERIES, DOCUMENTARY, FILM, and even  VIDEO GAMES.

ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

As with any of the writing genres we teach our students, a book review can be helpfully explained in terms of criteria. While there is much to the ‘art’ of writing, there is also, thankfully, a lot of the nuts and bolts that can be listed too. Have students consider the following elements before writing:

●     Title: Often, the title of the book review will correspond to the title of the text itself, but there may also be some examination of the title’s relevance. How does it fit into the purpose of the work as a whole? Does it convey a message or reveal larger themes explored within the work?

●     Author: Within the book review, there may be some discussion of who the author is and what they have written before, especially if it relates to the current work being reviewed. There may be some mention of the author’s style and what they are best known for. If the author has received any awards or prizes, this may also be mentioned within the body of the review.

●     Genre: A book review will identify the genre that the book belongs to, whether fiction or nonfiction, poetry, romance, science-fiction, history etc. The genre will likely tie in, too with who the intended audience for the book is and what the overall purpose of the work is.

●     Book Jacket / Cover: Often, a book’s cover will contain artwork that is worthy of comment. It may contain interesting details related to the text that contribute to, or detract from, the work as a whole.

●     Structure: The book’s structure will often be heavily informed by its genre. Have students examine how the book is organized before writing their review. Does it contain a preface from a guest editor, for example? Is it written in sections or chapters? Does it have a table of contents, index, glossary etc.? While all these details may not make it into the review itself, looking at how the book is structured may reveal some interesting aspects.

●     Publisher and Price: A book review will usually contain details of who publishes the book and its cost. A review will often provide details of where the book is available too.

how to write a book review | writing a book review | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

As students read and engage with the work they will review, they will develop a sense of the shape their review will take. This will begin with the summary. Encourage students to take notes during the reading of the work that will help them in writing the summary that will form an essential part of their review. Aspects of the book they may wish to take notes on in a work of fiction may include:

●     Characters: Who are the main characters? What are their motivations? Are they convincingly drawn? Or are they empathetic characters?

●     Themes: What are the main themes of the work? Are there recurring motifs in the work? Is the exploration of the themes deep or surface only?

●     Style: What are the key aspects of the writer’s style? How does it fit into the wider literary world?

●     Plot: What is the story’s main catalyst? What happens in the rising action? What are the story’s subplots? 

A book review will generally begin with a short summary of the work itself. However, it is important not to give too much away, remind students – no spoilers, please! For nonfiction works, this may be a summary of the main arguments of the work, again, without giving too much detail away. In a work of fiction, a book review will often summarise up to the rising action of the piece without going beyond to reveal too much!

how to write a book review | 9 text response | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

The summary should also provide some orientation for the reader. Given the nature of the purpose of a review, it is important that students’ consider their intended audience in the writing of their review. Readers will most likely not have read the book in question and will require some orientation. This is often achieved through introductions to the main characters, themes, primary arguments etc. This will help the reader to gauge whether or not the book is of interest to them.

Once your student has summarized the work, it is time to ‘review’ in earnest. At this point, the student should begin to detail their own opinion of the book. To do this well they should:

i. Make It Personal

Often when teaching essay writing we will talk to our students about the importance of climbing up and down the ladder of abstraction. Just as it is helpful to explore large, more abstract concepts in an essay by bringing it down to Earth, in a book review, it is important that students can relate the characters, themes, ideas etc to their own lives.

Book reviews are meant to be subjective. They are opinion pieces, and opinions grow out of our experiences of life. Encourage students to link the work they are writing about to their own personal life within the body of the review. By making this personal connection to the work, students contextualize their opinions for the readers and help them to understand whether the book will be of interest to them or not in the process.

ii. Make It Universal

Just as it is important to climb down the ladder of abstraction to show how the work relates to individual life, it is important to climb upwards on the ladder too. Students should endeavor to show how the ideas explored in the book relate to the wider world. The may be in the form of the universality of the underlying themes in a work of fiction or, for example, the international implications for arguments expressed in a work of nonfiction.

iii. Support Opinions with Evidence

A book review is a subjective piece of writing by its very nature. However, just because it is subjective does not mean that opinions do not need to be justified. Make sure students understand how to back up their opinions with various forms of evidence, for example, quotations, statistics, and the use of primary and secondary sources.

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

how to write a book review | 9 1 proof read Book review | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

As with any writing genre, encourage students to polish things up with review and revision at the end. Encourage them to proofread and check for accurate spelling throughout, with particular attention to the author’s name, character names, publisher etc. 

It is good practice too for students to double-check their use of evidence. Are statements supported? Are the statistics used correctly? Are the quotations from the text accurate? Mistakes such as these uncorrected can do great damage to the value of a book review as they can undermine the reader’s confidence in the writer’s judgement.

The discipline of writing book reviews offers students opportunities to develop their writing skills and exercise their critical faculties. Book reviews can be valuable standalone activities or serve as a part of a series of activities engaging with a central text. They can also serve as an effective springboard into later discussion work based on the ideas and issues explored in a particular book. Though the book review does not hold the sway it once did in the mind’s of the reading public, it still serves as an effective teaching tool in our classrooms today.

how to write a book review | LITERACY IDEAS FRONT PAGE 1 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

how to write a book review | book review graphic organizer | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

101 DIGITAL & PRINT GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS FOR ALL CURRICULUM AREAS

how to write a book review | digital graphic organizers 1 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Introduce your students to 21st-century learning with this GROWING BUNDLE OF 101 EDITABLE & PRINTABLE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS. ✌ NO PREP REQUIRED!!! ✌ Go paperless, and let your students express their knowledge and creativity through the power of technology and collaboration inside and outside the classroom with ease.

Whilst you don’t have to have a 1:1 or BYOD classroom to benefit from this bundle, it has been purpose-built to deliver through platforms such as ✔ GOOGLE CLASSROOM, ✔ OFFICE 365, ✔ or any CLOUD-BASED LEARNING PLATFORM.

Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of book reviews.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to both read the movie or book review in detail but also the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the key elements of writing a text review

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of book review writing.

We would recommend reading the example either a year above and below, as well as the grade you are currently working with to gain a broader appreciation of this text type .

how to write a book review | book review year 3 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

how to write a book review | 2 book review tutorial28129 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BOOK REVIEWS

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Transactional Writing

how to write a book review | text response | How to write a text response | literacyideas.com

How to write a text response

how to write a book review | compare and contrast essay 1 | How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay | literacyideas.com

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

how to write a book review | expository essay writing guide | How to Write Excellent Expository Essays | literacyideas.com

How to Write Excellent Expository Essays

The content for this page has been written by Shane Mac Donnchaidh.  A former principal of an international school and English university lecturer with 15 years of teaching and administration experience. Shane’s latest Book, The Complete Guide to Nonfiction Writing , can be found here.  Editing and support for this article have been provided by the literacyideas team.

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Let’s Av it! … Gordon Cormier as Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Avatar: The Last Airbender review – a sparkling return for one of the greatest fantasy series of all time

After two decades of waiting, we’re back in the Airbender universe with a live-action blue-eyed boy … who traps himself in an iceberg for a century so he can save the shattered world. What a thrilling ride

I n case you’re new to the Airbender universe – Netflix’s adventure drama Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action remake of the popular Nickelodeon animated series of the same name, which debuted in 2005. It is linked to the 2010 M Night Shyamalan film The Last Airbender – that was also a live-action version of the cartoon – but none of the Airbender properties is anything to do with the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar, whose copyright lawyers nabbed the simple one-word title everyone wanted. Being forced to add a colon and a clunky subheading to its name did not stop Avatar: The Last Airbender from becoming one of the most acclaimed animated series of all time. Almost two decades on, the fanbase is still there, ready to follow the story anew.

The narrative fits the template of countless fantasy series, with a world split into kingdoms that are perpetually at war or on the brink of it, where young people wield an uncommon influence and where magical powers exist to be used or abused. Here, there are regions defined by fire, earth, water and air, with each population containing “benders” – people with the ability to bend their local element to their will and use it as a weapon. At any one time there is a single person, the Avatar, who has the potential to learn how to bend all four elements and become an omnipotent, celestial peacekeeper whose eyes turn blue when they’re about to sort a bad guy out.

Episode one introduces 12-year-old Aang (Gordon Cormier), a prodigious airbender who has just received shocking news from his elders: he is the next Avatar. Then the nefarious fire people, taking advantage of a comet that increases their powers, invade and kill all the airbenders except Aang, who suspends himself inside an iceberg for a century before emerging, teaming up with 14-year-old waterbender Katara (Kiawentiio) and her warrior older brother Sokka (Ian Ousley), and setting off on a quest to complete his training and rebuild a shattered world.

Kiawentiio as Katara, Gordon Cormier as Aang, Ian Ousley as Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

That we are not sure how people knew Aang was the Avatar, or how the thing with the comet worked, or how Aang knew he should trap himself inside an icy pod thing, is not meant to detain us. This is a familiar tale of a kid with a big future. Aang, who helpfully comes from a tribe with face markings in the form of a big arrow pointing down towards the face – so everyone can see this is the main guy, right here – would rather reject his destiny and goof off like a normal kid. “I never asked to be special!” is one of several on-the-nose lines of dialogue reinforcing the idea that this garlanded child will have to sacrifice his youth to perform his sacred duties.

Before long, however, Aang has his first run-in with Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), a prince of the warmongering Fire Nation – who we know is a self-hating baddie because he has a facial disfigurement (such is the slightly troubling visual grammar of the fantasy genre). The burn mark across his eye says he is an exile, rejected by the king and with a nasty combination of violent urges and unresolved daddy issues. When Zuko shows that he is willing to pursue Aang across continents in the hope of capturing the new Avatar and proving himself to the folks back home, incinerating any civilians who get in his way, Aang’s eyes go blue and the arrow on his head begins glowing, as he accepts his calling and says yes: let’s Av it.

And so Aang and his companions are chased from one location to another – Katara and Sokka’s homeland looks a lot like Alaska, while the island kingdom the heroic trio visit next is unmistakably styled to resemble feudal Japan. Everywhere they go, life lessons are learned and hand-to-hand combat engaged in, with the strongly choreographed fight sequences adding an exciting rock/paper/scissors-esque twist to what would otherwise be regular martial arts battles, as benders of different elements face-off. Will fire evaporate water? Can water turn earth to mud? And will air put fire out, or will it have a sort of bellows effect that just makes everything worse?

The landscapes sparkle, there is a giant six-legged flying bison that carries everyone spectacularly from place to place through the clouds and the young cast are up to the task. Ousley and Kiawentiio strike up a nicely spiky sibling relationship as Sokka and Katara, while Cormier gives Aang the right mix of boyish cheek and inherent authority, as the three of them uphold the impression that a child and two teenagers can defeat genocidal authoritarians with wholesome pluck, gentle sarcasm and the ability to summon a hurricane. The Airbender franchise has confidently revived itself; this won’t be the last we see of it.

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First Impressions: Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360

We go hands-on with Samsung's latest laptop

good book to review

First Impressions

The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 is set to be more iteration than innovation, but if you’re looking for a luxurious and thin laptop that comes with a big screen and a stylus, it could be worth the high price it demands.

Key Features

  • Intel Core Ultra New Intel CPUs introduce dedicated NPU for AI workloads.
  • Anti-glare coating 3K 16:10 Adaptive 120Hz display now comes with a matte coating to combat reflections.
  • Samsung ecosystem Works in tandem with Samsung Galaxy phones and earbuds.

Introduction

Another year, another upgrade to Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Book set of devices. The range has been updated and is now on sale, with the Galaxy Book4 Ultra seeing the most changes. I’ve had time to go hands-on with the new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360.

Since Samsung’s laptop strategy became more focused, with the Galaxy Book Ion and Flex dalliances going the way of the dodo, it’s come so close to ruling the realm. The hardware is often impeccable on the outside but, like with my experience with the Galaxy Book3 Pro , they fall slightly short on fan noise and performance compared with competitors.

In 2024, the fourth iteration of this era of Samsung laptops is here, with the full suite of devices getting an upgrade. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 might be the model with the fewest changes, but a boost up to an Intel Core Ultra chip could have a big impact.

  • Same look and dimensions as last year
  • New anti-reflective coating
  • New colour options

If you take a look or two at the new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 in its “new” Moonstone Grey hue then you’ll find it near indistinguishable from the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 in its Graphite colour, but they are indeed different laptops.

However, the weight and dimensions remain the same, at 1.66kg and 355.4 x 252.2 x 12.8 mm as well as the trackpad and keyboard layout, meaning a fingerprint reader remains as well.

The first indication you’ll get of an upgrade is when you see the display, with all of Samsung’s new Galaxy Book4 Pro and Ultra options adopting a new Anti-reflective cover glass. This is a welcome change as Samsung’s laptop displays have been extremely glossy in the past.

Of course, while the new Moonstone Grey and the older Graphite colours do look similar, you’ll certainly know the difference between the debuting Platinum Silver and older Beige picks.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 keyboard and trackpad

If you were hoping for a switch-up on looks, then you aren’t going to get it. That may be a disappointment for some, but welcome for others. I’m a big fan of the sleek, thin and understated design of these laptops so keeping things the same is fine by me, even though some may find the look a tad dull.

The ports largely remain the same too, with two Thunderbolt 4 , one USB-A 3.2, a MicroSD card reader and a headphone jack. The only change is to the HDMI port, with it not being an HDMI 2.1 option rather than HDMI 1.4. In terms of wireless connectivity, it sticks with Wi-Fi 6E but drops the options for 5G that were available last year.

Specs and Performance

  • A slight price increase
  • New Intel Core Ultra chips

Despite a boost up to Intel’s latest and greatest Core Ultra chips, there hasn’t been a huge price bump laid at consumers’ doors. In fact, the opposite is true.

The base configuration of the new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 (in the UK) comes with 16GB RAM LPDDR5X RAM , a 512GB SSD and an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip. That starts at £1799 and gets bumped up to £1,999 if you opt for a 1TB SSD. That’s actually £50 less compared with the same specs, but with an Intel Core i7 1360P chip, on the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, though you can now pick up this model at third-party retailers for under £1,700.

We don’t have US pricing quite yet, but will update this hands-on with those details when we receive them from Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 rear view

With the new model, you can’t get the price down by opting for a lower SSD, RAM size or CPU, with the 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and Core i5 options available last year now gone.

Like last year, there’s only one size now available on the 360 model, a 16-inch that comes with Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X display tech with a 2880×1800 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Being a 360 device, it, of course, comes with a rotating hinge and touch display, while Samsung’s typically excellent S Pen is included to take full advantage.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 S Pen

It’s 2024 and this laptop has an Intel Core Ultra chip that features a dedicated NPU for AI workloads so you know that’s going to be a touted feature. The chip enables Windows Studio Effects, letting you natively blur your background, add auto-eye contact and auto-framing on video calls. That’s all there to work alongside Samsung’s included 1080p Hi-Res Wide-Angle camera.

Samsung is keen to tout its ecosystem-related features too, with your other Samsung devices able to work alongside this laptop. A new feature is the ability to use your Samsung Galaxy phone camera as a webcam, just as you now can with an iPhone and a MacBook.

The laptop also features what Samsung calls your “AI photo editing ally”, named Photo Remaster. It’s a tool to help enhance blurry photos and let you tweak other visual settings. One new feature reserved for Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro users is the ability to Auto Switch between your Galaxy phone and tablet to the new Galaxy Book4 range.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360

You’ll have to wait for my full review where I can put the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 through its paces. I’ll be seeing if it’s up to serious productivity tasking, what it can do graphically, if there’s any improvements to fan noise and thermals from the last model and how the speakers perform. The size of the battery is the same too, so I’ll be checking out just how long it lasts on the new model.

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Early verdict.

The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 builds upon the previous model with some simple touches, like an improved HDMI port, new anti-reflective coating and a tweaked set of colour options. Other than that, it’s all about the AI capabilities and Samsung ecosystem offerings that Intel’s latest chips and it being a “Galaxy” device can offer.

You won’t find it for quite as cheap though, with lower priced variants eliminated this time out. But, if you’re interested in the new higher base spec then there’s thankfully only a £50 price bump from the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360.

You’ll have to wait for our full review to fully put this year’s performance, display, audio and battery life through its paces. It’ll also be worth looking out for our coverage of other devices in this range, with the Galaxy Book4 Ultra getting the most upgrades from last year, while there’s a new touchscreen for the standard Galaxy Book4 Pro too. Last year, I was mighty impressed by the cheaper non-Pro models too, like the Galaxy Book3 360 , so seeing how that new model performs will be an intriguing proposition too.

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Adam Speight

Adam is the Computing Editor of Trusted Reviews. He joined as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating from Newcastle University with an MA in Multimedia Journalism. After spending two years at WIRED,…

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Video Game Reviews

'final fantasy 7 rebirth' review: savor the story, skim the open world.

Andy Bickerton

good book to review

Aerith Gainsborough returns in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. James Mastromarino/Square Enix hide caption

Aerith Gainsborough returns in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

On July 4 just over 25 years ago, I rode a float in a parade, stuffed myself at an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, splashed in the local pool, and played in the woods ahead of our town's fireworks extravaganza. That evening, at a friend's sleepover, 11-year-old me took turns playing Final Fantasy 7 with five of my friends.

Mouths agape in the glow of an old-school TV, we cheered as the game's spikey-haired protagonist rode a majestic motorcycle, slashing throngs of pursuing enemies with a gigantic sword.

Like many, many other gamers, Final Fantasy 7 would become one of my favorites of all time. It almost single-handedly popularized its style of roleplaying games outside Japan and set a new standard for cinematic storytelling. It was an event in gaming history.

The best spin-off games, books and more to experience before Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The best spin-off games, books and more to experience before Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

In 2020, Final Fantasy 7 Remake carried forward that pioneering legacy. Most fans assumed it would faithfully retread old ground. But publisher Square Enix flipped the game on its head. Turns out it was not a remake at all; it's a sequel that expanded the original's five-hour opening Midgar section into a 40-hour epic with brand-new combat, fleshed-out characters, and a fully realized, bustling city.

Part two of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, Rebirth — releasing to the public on Feb. 29 — hits incredible highs when it builds on what made Remake so compelling. But the steps it takes to create its own identity feel like remixes of outdated game designs rather than the characteristic innovation I've come to expect from the series. When Rebirth works, it's amazing, and when it drags, it really drags.

good book to review

Exploring the Grasslands with Red XIII, Barrett, Tifa, Aerith, and our Chocobo companion. James Mastromarino/Square Enix hide caption

Exploring the Grasslands with Red XIII, Barrett, Tifa, Aerith, and our Chocobo companion.

Don't spoil your appetite on the Da-chao beans

2020's Remake ended on a cliffhanger that opened the trilogy up to deviate from the original storyline. Rebirth's fresh twists are an absolute delight, but its formulaic open world design hampers its momentum.

That's not to say the open world is bad . It makes narrative sense after the party leaves the claustrophobic confines of Midgar. But it doesn't rise much above the Ubisoft checklist quests that felt stale a decade ago. There are diamonds in that rough (I encourage you to pursue the Protorelic in Junon), but you have to sift through hours of filler to get to the good stuff.

And believe me, there is a lot of good stuff. Rebirth is a maximalist, blow-out reimagining, far more extensive than what I expected. It takes every memorable moment from the original and turns it up to 11. There are 30+ minigames , most of which are good. Queen's Blood — a collectible card game clearly inspired by Gwent from The Witcher 3 — might be the best Final Fantasy minigame since Triple Triad.

good book to review

Queen's Blood has its own game-spanning questline that contributes to the overall worldbuilding. James Mastromarino/Square Enix hide caption

Queen's Blood has its own game-spanning questline that contributes to the overall worldbuilding.

I'm a numbers guy, so let me break it down for you. I did my due diligence for this review by putting in 75 hours to fully complete many regions and questlines. It'd likely take an additional 20 hours to 100% the game. If I cut out most side activities, I'd have finished the story in 45 hours — I know this because that's how long it took my editor. To illustrate, here's a handy visual aid:

If you enjoy open world games, then by all means, go nuts. But try not to fill up on potato chips when the gourmet main story awaits.

The gang's all here

The remake trilogy's greatest strength is how it manages to further develop characters that have been established for over two decades. I didn't think it was possible to appreciate them more, but Rebirth deepened my attachment to the original cast. Yuffie has quickly become a new favorite; Red XIII and Cait Sith are both fantastically reimagined. And Cloud. Sweet, moody Cloud. He's as dreamy and tortured as ever.

Rebirth particularly excels at evolving a believable group dynamic, now that all the party members have joined the fray (although Cid and Vincent aren't playable yet). Gorgeous cutscenes and incidental banter add up to a compelling story of how this fantastically random crew of people (plus a lion-dog and a robot cat) could band together to save the world. It's really quite touching how much everyone grows to care about each other; Aerith and Tifa forge an especially strong connection.

good book to review

A showcase match against an old foe. Square Enix hide caption

A showcase match against an old foe.

Relationships are even built into gameplay mechanics. When you complete character-focused side-quests or pick certain timed dialogue options, Cloud improves his Bonds of Friendship with a party member. This emphasis also extends to the excellent combat, with new, flashy Synergy Abilities that encourage you to try out each character combination. Eventually, your Bonds pay out unique scenes (dates, essentially) that you'll get treated to at a few points in the story, which are a real joy.

No, I'm not crying, it's just my allergies... okay yeah I'm crying

There are many moments when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's music (which is predictably phenomenal), its setting, and its characters combine into an unparalleled experience.

After hours of bland exploration, I walked into the inn at Under Junon and the track "On Our Way" came on. I went from room to room, chatting with my lovable party members, studying their expressions and dialogue with fascination. I smiled. I teared up. I felt like it was 1998 again, and I was discovering my new favorite game.

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Cloud Strife, in all his stoic, troubled glory. Square Enix hide caption

Cloud Strife, in all his stoic, troubled glory.

I just want to say: keep on keeping on, Square Enix. I see how impossible it's been to please everyone. Final Fantasy 13 was too linear, so you opened Final Fantasy 15 up to mixed results. Then you tried to steer the series further towards action with Final Fantasy 16 and it didn't go over well with many fans.

I'm not sure what you're cooking up for the last installment in the remake trilogy, but I'm betting you'll make me weep for joy in between groans of frustration at tedious gameplay. Whatever it looks like, and whatever it's called (I'd suggest "Final Fantasy 7 Refinance"), I'll be playing it.

We ranked the top 10 'Final Fantasy' mainline games

We ranked the top 10 'Final Fantasy' mainline games

The best games of 2023, picked by the NPR staff

The best games of 2023, picked by the NPR staff

James Perkins Mastromarino contributed to this review.

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Feelin' Good - February 2024

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The ‘Sad, Happy Life’ of Carson McCullers

A new biography chronicles this essential American writer’s complicated love life, celebrated career and singular talents.

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A black-and-white photograph of a middle-aged woman with short dark hair. She is wearing a crisp gray top and dress, and holding a cigarette.

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CARSON MCCULLERS: A LIFE , by Mary V. Dearborn

Mary V. Dearborn’s new book, “Carson McCullers: A Life,” is the first major biography of this essential American writer in more than 20 years. It is competent and professional, as if built from solid pine and good plaster. It is dispassionate and well researched. Reading it is brutal because McCullers’s life was brutal to endure.

It is Dearborn’s poor luck that the best-known biography, Virginia Spencer Carr’s “ The Lonely Hunter ” (1975), is a masterpiece of the form, as formidable in its way as Leon Edel’s life of Henry James . Carr’s book is a dense work of literature as well as a biography, and it contains vastly more detail, nuance, savvy, twisted humanity and practical magic.

Contrast, to take the easiest example at hand, these books’ openings. Here are Dearborn’s first two sentences:

Carson McCullers titled one of her first, more directly autobiographical stories “Wunderkind.” She was just such a child — which was, as with so many talented children, both a blessing and a curse.

And here’s Carr, flicking the lights on right away:

“Tell you what, Helen,” said the lanky Georgia girl, “let’s skip the cotton candy and hot dogs and save our dimes for the Rubber Man and all the freak shows this year. The Pin Head, the Cigarette Man, the Lady with the Lizard Skin … I don’t want to miss a single one.”

Multiply these styles across hundreds of pages. Dearborn’s style is clean; we’re in a doctor’s office or a museum, and McCullers’s life is in a lighted display box. Carr’s style was often low-lit and ground level; we’re in a nightclub, or the back seat of a rumbling car. You felt you were with McCullers in real time. Carr allowed you to see more things out of the corner of your eye.

“Carson McCullers: A Life” is a necessary book, though. It builds on Carr’s work and considers newly released material, including letters and journals and, most tantalizingly, transcripts of McCullers’s late-life psychiatric sessions with the female doctor who would become her lover and gatekeeper.

It has been seven years since McCullers (1917-67) had her centennial , when the Library of America released her complete works in two volumes. That was an occasion, which many critics took, to revisit her work, which includes the novels “ The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter ” (1940) and “The Member of the Wedding” (1946), and the story collection “The Ballad of the Sad Café” (1951).

Special notice was paid, and justly so, to McCullers’s gifts for portraying loners and misfits, for addressing taboo topics such as mental illness and alcoholism and same-sex relationships. As Joyce Carol Oates put it in The New York Review of Books , “McCullers seemed to have identified with whatever is trans- in the human psyche, seeing it as the very fuel of desire.” Dearborn elaborates on these themes but essentially tells a straightforward story, vastly more in touch with the life than with the work.

Lula Carson Smith was born in Columbus, Ga. Her father was a jeweler, and her lively and well-educated mother took pride in her precocious daughter, whom the family called “Sister.” Carson — she began using her sexually ambiguous middle name in high school — thought she might become a concert pianist. She skipped college and headed for New York City, where she took writing classes at Columbia University. At 19, she married Reeves McCullers, a charming Alabama-born high school football star and future war hero — and future alcoholic.

The publishing world loves a Cinderella story and will invent one if necessary. McCullers was the real thing. “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” was published when she was just 23, and literary Manhattan fell at her feet. She was photographed for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. Truman Capote called her “a tall, slender wand of a girl” whose voice had a “gentle heat, like a blissful summer afternoon that is slow but not sleepy.” She was gawky and tall and androgynous; she wore crisp men’s clothing, with a special fondness for white dress shirts and spotless white sneakers. Alfred Kazin, whom she got to know at Yaddo, saw her most clearly:

Carson was pure sensibility, pure nerve along which all the suffering of the South and the Smith family passed. She was all feeling , an anvil on which life rained down blows. … Tremulous elfin, self-pitying charm. Always problems of identity . Internality of the American Dostoevskian sort without the slightest political sense of the word. … The southern isolato .

McCullers was an eccentric. She was needy and smothering and given to extravagant language and gestures. In the short run, these things can be enormously attractive. In the long run, they can make everyone hate you. By the end of this biography, when she has fallen apart from drinking and illness, a lot of contumely is dumped on McCullers by enemies and friends alike. Her Southern accent was adorable until people began to mock it behind her back.

The young McCullers moved into a large, Tudoresque apartment building in Brooklyn Heights with a gaggle of other artists, including the poet W.H. Auden, the composer Benjamin Britten and the statuesque burlesque star and writer Gypsy Rose Lee. This largely gay and lesbian commune became famous ; other artists lined up to try gain admission if not residence. There are great scenes, such as the time McCullers and Lee chased a fire truck down the street because they both loved a good conflagration. The pair may have had, briefly, a physical relationship.

Dearborn, who has also written biographies of Ernest Hemingway , Peggy Guggenheim and Henry Miller , among others, pauses to ask: Where was Reeves, McCullers’s husband, during this time? He slides in and out of this book. He was a frustrated man who never settled into a career. He sometimes forged her checks. They divorced and remarried. Both had same-sex affairs. There are hints of impulsive polycules. Their need for each other was a near constant, until Reeves died by suicide in a Paris hotel room in 1953.

McCullers’s romantic life outside her marriage was tangled and filled with unrequited feelings. She had a type, in terms of the women she fell for: older, elegant, distant and mostly unavailable, a predilection further examined in Jenn Shapland’s 2020 memoir “ My Autobiography of Carson McCullers .” She had many gay male friends, and she relished their attention. Though there is a canned quality to many of this book’s set pieces, it functions as a rich history of queer culture during the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.

McCullers had two major strokes by the time she was 30, brought on in part by strep infections in her youth. The second left her partially paralyzed on her left side. Some would accuse her of faking her paralysis because it seemed to come and go. But there can be no doubt that McCullers was deeply unlucky as regards her health. The second half of this book is a litany of ills, including a radical mastectomy and blood clot in her lung, that are hard to even read about. The lists of pills fill entire paragraphs. She must have rattled when she walked.

Her drinking did not help. She came from a family of alcoholics and she lived with enabler after enabler. On a typical day, she would have four and a half ounces of liquor (about two large drinks) three times a day: before lunch, dinner and bedtime, in addition to wine with meals. Each drink, taken to brace her lapsing morale, was a single act in the day’s drama. She would become stupefied, her mind velveted. Her friend Tennessee Williams commented, “A fish couldn’t drink so much without sinking.”

By the end, McCullers was no longer the viewer but the thing viewed. In addition to her health problems, her drinking and her romantic distress, McCullers was increasingly viewed as an irritant — a diva in the form of a waif. Her approach would arouse the fugitive instincts in others. She was a slice of cake that eventually attracted flies.

Eudora Welty and Katherine Anne Porter bonded over their dislike of her. Welty called her “that little wretch.” To Jean Stafford, she was “most irritating.” The actress Julie Harris, who starred in a 1950 Broadway version of “The Member of the Wedding,” remarked that “everyone was her slave.” The New Yorker writer Janet Flanner called her a “pitiful spectacle.” An editor at her publishing house said that being with her was like “being impaled in the second act of a Tennessee Williams play.”

These drive-by shootings are vivid material, but none of us are reducible to what others say about us. It’s to Dearborn’s credit that she also suggests McCullers’s deep humanity, her subversive talents as a writer and lonely observer, and a strong sense of what McCullers herself called “her sad, happy life.”

CARSON McCULLERS : A Life | By Mary V. Dearborn | Knopf | 484 pp. | $40

Dwight Garner has been a book critic for The Times since 2008, and before that was an editor at the Book Review for a decade. More about Dwight Garner

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In her new memoir, “Splinters,” the essayist Leslie Jamison  recounts the birth of her child  and the end of her marriage.

The Oscar-nominated film “Poor Things” is based on a 1992 book by Alasdair Gray. Beloved by writers, it was never widely read  but is now ripe for reconsideration.

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