AA Komvux Borås GUIDELINES ON HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW 1. Place the novel in a context – by using a comparison or placing it in a tradition of other books. For example, if you write about About a Boy you could place it in the context of Nick Hornby´s other books. You will have to find out a few facts about the writer. 2. Retell the plot (story) in a few lines, covering NO MORE THAN 25% of the length of your entire review, to put your readers in the picture. 3. State the main idea in the book according to you – the “message”. What does the author want to say with this novel? 4. Support and illustrate your main idea by choosing specific examples from the book – lines of dialogue, particular sequences of events, descriptions of characters and so on. 5. Choose at least one quotation from the novel – state where in the story this fits in, what has happened before, and what implications the quotation has on the rest of the plot. 6. Comment on technique and composition – how the author has put together his/her novel. Is there a lot of dialogue, is there a main character who tells us the story, are there interruptions where the author explains things to the reader? In About a Boy for instance, every other chapter is from Will’s point of view, and the rest from Marcus’ point of view. 7. The ending – was it expected or unpredictable? Would you have liked another ending? Give a short account of the ending and comment on it. 8. A review must contain your own views of the book. It should be supported by examples and arguments, in the same way as in 4 above for the main idea. 9. The conclusion can emphasize your main idea, or simply connect to your introduction. 10. Use the present tense (=nutid). The book continues to exist now and in the future! So instead of writing “At the end the hero died”, you should write “At the end the hero dies”. 11. Mark titles by underlining them or using italics: About a Boy or About a Boy. Whenever you mention the author of the book, give his of her full name. If you use only one name, use the last name, NEVER the first name! Remember to choose a novel written by an English-speaking writer. No translations are accepted! There will be oral reports in week 21 – the group will be divided into subgroups. Written reports should be handed in by Monday w21. Remember that the assignment is compulsory and no latecomers will be accepted as the grades are to be handed in by me the following week. Enjoy your reading! / Annelie