Book Reviews
Introduction
A book review is usually reviewed in the year that it was published or the next year. To find book reviews, you will need the following information.
- Author
- Title of the book
- The year in which the book was first published.
Once you have this information, you will need to search the most appropriate database or print index. Allow about 2-3 years after the book was published, and then choose an index (or database) which covers this period.
Book reviews can be found in popular publications (daily newspapers and general magazines). These reviews usually appear soon after the book has been published. Book reviews can also be found in academic publications. Because these are more detailed and evaluative in nature, they may appear months or years later.
After selecting the appropriate index, find citations to your review. Each citation will list the name of the publication (journal, newspaper, or magazine), volume number, date and page. Search the publication title in the library catalogue (QCAT) to determine if we subscribe to the desired publication and to find all the formats we have for that publication.
Multidisciplinary Indexes
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Canadian Indexes
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Humanities Indexes
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Social Sciences Indexes
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Science Indexes
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Websites
AcqWeb's Directory of Book
Reviews on the Web
- A metasite that is an index to large list of online, English-language book review sites
- Provides links to book reviews in a variety of newspapers and Journals
Yahoo
Arts Humanities Literature Reviews
- A directory page to book review sites
How to Write Book Reviews
A book review is both a description and an evaluation of a book. It should focus on the book's purpose, contents, and authority.
Scan the Book's Preliminaries
Before beginning to read, consider the following:
- Title - What does it suggest?
- Preface - Provides important information on the author's purpose in writing the book and will help you to determine the success of the work.
- Table of Contents - Tells you how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they are developed - chronologically, topically, etc.
Read the Text
Record impressions as you read and note effective passages for quoting. Keep these questions in mind:
- What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it? (Use outside sources to familiarize yourself with the field, if necessary.)
- From what point of view is the work written?
- What is the author's style? Is it formal or informal? Does it suit the intended audience? If a work of fiction, what literary devices does the author use?
- Are concepts clearly defined? How well are the author's ideas developed? What areas are covered/not covered? Why? This helps to establish the book's authority.
- If a work of fiction, make notes on such elements as character, plot, and setting, and how they relate to the theme of the book. How does the author delineate his characters? How do they develop? What is the plot structure?
- How accurate is the information in the book? Check outside sources if necessary.
- If relevant, make note of the book's format - layout, binding, typography, etc. Are there maps, illustrations? Do they aid understanding?
- Check the back matter. Is the index accurate? What sources did the author use - primary or secondary? How does he make use of them? Make note of important omissions.
- Finally, what has the book accomplished? Is further work needed? Compare the book to others by this author or by others. (Use the listing in the bibliography.)
Consult Additional Sources
- Try to find further information about the author - his/her reputation, qualifications, influences, etc. - any information that is relevant to the book being reviewed and that would help to establish the author's authority. Knowledge of the literary period and of critical theories can also be helpful to your review. Your professor and/or reference librarian will be able to suggest sources to use.
Prepare an Outline
- Carefully review your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe the purpose or thesis of your review. Then, outline the arguments that support your thesis. Your arguments should develop the thesis in a logical manner.
Write the Draft
Skim your notes again; then, using the outline as a guide and referring to notes when necessary, begin writing. Your book review should include the following:
- Preliminary Information - the complete bibliographic citation for the work ie. title in full, author, place, publisher, date of publication, edition statement, pages, special features (maps, colour plates, etc.), price and ISBN.
Example:Rory Maclean
Under the Dragon
Travels in a betrayed land
London: Harper Collins, 1998
224pp. $37.50
0 00 257013 0 - Introduction - Try to capture the reader's attention with your opening sentence. The introduction should state your central thesis, and set the tone of the review.
- Development - Develop your thesis using supporting arguments as set out in your outline. Use description, evaluation, and if possible explanation of why the author wrote as he/she did. Use quotations to illustrate important points or peculiarities.
- Conclusion - If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally. It can include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not introduce new material at this point.
Revise the Draft
- Allow some time to elapse before going over your review, to gain perspective.
- Carefully read through the text, looking for clarity and coherence.
- Correct grammar and spelling.
- Verify quotes for proper foot-noting.
To Write a Historical Book Review
Consult Writing a Historical Book Review
For Further Writing Assistance
Consult Writing Critical Book Reviews, published by The Writing Centre at Queen's. To learn more about book reviews, look at examples of ones in The New York Times Book Review, the New York Review of Books, and the Times Literary Supplement to see how professional writers review books.
For Further Reading
-
Barzun, Jacques and Henry F. Graff. The Modern Researcher. 4th ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1985.
D13.B334 1985Drewry, John. Writing Book Reviews.Westport: Greenwood Press, 1974.
PN98.B7D7 1974Literary Reviewing. Charlottesville, University Press of Virginia, 1987.
PN441.L487 1987Reviews and Reviewing: a Guide. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1986.
PN98.B7R5 1986
Also check the following websites, which discuss the elements essential to a good review.