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The purpose of a Book Review is to inform, and stimulate the interest and the spirit of enquiry in the reader.
A Review should perform two specific functions:
1. To inform, and
2. To comment.
No. 1 should contain the following four points about the book:
Form, Relevance, Content (or theme), and Style (or tone).
To elaborate:
Form: Title, Author, Publishers, Year of publication, No.of
Pages, and Price
Relevance: To what kind of reader - or to what period of time is it
addressed?
Contents: What is the subject or theme of the book? Recapitulate
the main points of the story; if it’s a mystery novel,
do not break the suspense
Style: Does it run along the question-and-answer format? Or does
it contain mostly excerpts from other books? Is it a
Research book? etc., Is it written in the first person
or third person? etc.
Under Relevance – Mention if the book is a sequel to a previous book - or is it one of a series of inter-related books? If the title touches upon several fields of interest, mention which of these fields is the main strength (or weakness, in some cases!) of the book. Your reader will remember you gratefully for the timely tip-off - especially if it is not his cup of tea. If the book relates to history, mention the time period and locales. We then have a clear picture of the book.
Curiously, if you skim off the leading letters of the four points listed above - and take them in sequence - what we have is …FRCS…. A fitting title-mnemonic indeed!... Considering the amount of study that you should have put-in on the book before writing the review.
No. 2: About the second function – Comment:
This is the most vital section of the Review. For convenience - and to highlight the full range of this section - it can be split up into three sub-headings, viz. -
Criticism, Comparison and Comments
The comments are in the class of the first written words that reach out to the reader- one of his / her first instinctive habits is to glance at the comments on the back cover. For mnemonics, again, skimming off the leading letters here - we have the “3 Cs”.
Broadly understood, this is your studied reaction to the book. What is good about the book? – are there any inconsistencies in the author’s narration? - or the thesis? - or plot - of the book? In short, your reader should feel confident that you have read it thoroughly, and reflected on the contents of the book. Write only those of your views about which you are convinced – for, if challenged, you must have the courage of conviction to defend your views. Make it clear as to how you are assessing the book’s contents – like, do you follow any schism or school of thought? Compare the views of the author with those given by recognized authorities on the topic. Comment on the author’s skill or otherwise in carrying the plot forward – or in the marshalling of his characters at a crucial point of the plot or story. End this section by giving your overall assessment of the book. Or, following in the words of Francis Bacon – in which of these categories do you place the book?
“This book is to be tasted” or,
“This book is to be swallowed” or better still
“This book is to be chewed and digested”.
This completes the main course of the Review. However, by way of garnishing, you may add a few sidelights touching on the author’s biography, his style etc. These are optional and left to your discretion. Only, don’t overdo it!
Here are some pointers that may help you.
Know from the magazine or publication which you have in view – about the typical length of article, the style and tone that are acceptable to them. If it is an academic or technical periodical – you will have to use a formal tone - and note that their descriptions and terminology are more economical and less wordy.
I need not mention that language is one of the bugbears that puts off an otherwise astute story-teller from attempting writing. So, brush up on your language, and take help wherever needed. I would not advise you to consult professional writers, for they are busy people. And moreover, they are skeptical of anything new (including books?). Not without reason, for before they know it, your chubby hands may be found throwing the spanner in their works tomorrow!
You will probably find it expedient to start with the review of a short story or a meaty novel. Split your work apart into sections, and bring them up to satisfactory levels of write-up. Then, link these sections smoothly. Then, revise until the whole article reads cogently. With this, your review is ready to be sent-in for publication. From now on, you are at the doors of the
“3 R’s”. What is this “doors of the 3 R’s”? It is like this:
First door: ‘Write and Risk Rejection,’ and
Second door: ‘Write and Reap Rewards!’
If you are lucky, the second door opens and you are shown in; if not, the first door opens and you are shown out! ( Never mind, then you should attempt again and enter.)
I have written below, a brief book review especially for you. I hope it will illustrate how a review turns out to be when it is actually written. As the article is short in length, I have had to leave out some of the things that I would have liked to say, but I hope it is still enjoyable to you.
Book Review :
”Goodbye Mr. Chips”
Author: James Hilton
Publishers: BI Publications Pvt. Ltd., 150, Mount Road, Madras-600 002.
Year of Publication : 1994; 210 pages; Price: Rs.12/=.
“This off-beat story revolves around a retired schoolmaster Mr. Chipping, who settles down to live singly in the vicinity of his beloved school Brookfield.
Chips, loved by one-and-all, leads a charmed existence. Among his long line of students, he commands instinctive respect and obedience. His lovable, mild eccentricities and off-hand witticisms are by-words in the boys’ annals of Brookfeldian tradition. For his part, Chips never misses an opportunity to chat up the new-comers over tea every year… And he has an unfailing memory for old names and faces. Being alone, and with his almost half-a-century old association, this veteran cannot help reminiscing fondly. On many an autumn evening, we find him daydreaming, living out cherished anecdotes - big and small, from the past – all centered on Brookfield. And the author faithfully presents the succession of images shining through the eyes of Chips. However, with the passage of the years, the author perceives him as at once elevated and reduced to being a one-man repository of Brookfield lore. When the author pauses next, the central character is already touching his eighties, and the story is in its last phases. This much-acclaimed novel indeed has no plot. Finding no fitting channel for his memories, he is increasingly torn by his sense of duty to tradition. And the author, seeing no further use for Chips, and unable to round-off a worthy life, calls a tame end to the story, leaving the reader high-and-dry. James Hilton, himself the son of an English schoolmaster, brings across the mood of pathos, and the master’s anguish soon rubs off on us. But, as we near the end, it disappoints us to see the ripe character of Chips literally frittered away at the hands of the author who happens to only have a one-dimensional view of him! What is the bottom line of the book? To put it succinctly, “…to keep a sense of proportion, that is the main thing. So much of the world was losing it…” as Chips himself would say in his later years at Brookfield. His able picturing of the meeting with young and vivacious Katherine Bridges – “Kathie” – to Chips, and his short life of wedded bliss with her, will remain in our hearts as a streak of the most vivid purple we have seen in a long time. Being a school text-book,- even for the students who are not used to the usages of the time and place, the annotations at the end of the book succeed admirably in bringing out the poesy hidden in the prose of the author. Oh!...I almost wish that I were back in school today!”
Now that you have read the review, gentle reader,… doesn’t the character of Mr. Chips appear faintly familiar to you from real life? If so, well…, that is the measure of the good author -: to make his characters live through you. Wouldn’t you like to get to know the minds of other authors too?... And spread your joy to your readers also…?
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Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...
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—About our writer:
An electronics and communications engineer by profession, Nagamani has a flair for education. Teaching at the college and institutional levels has broadened her outlook over the years. The visual medium impresses, but the written word transforms, she opines. Web research is her favoured avocation. She is passionate about yoga.
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