One of her blog posts from
Dec. struck me as especially helpful for readers as well as authors. It was a
practical “How To” on writing book reviews for readers who don’t usually write
reviews and may have trouble getting started.
Van Kirk began with listing FIVE things for the reader to consider:
PLOT: I
looked up “plot” on the web and found it described as “The main events of a
play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an
interrelated sequence.” Using that definition the reader should think about:
the pace of the plot, did it sag anywhere, did it confuse, and was it engaging
enough to finish the book?
CONFLICT: Discord
between characters is a natural and essential component of all stories, short
or novel length. Conflict starts the action and keeps it going. Subplots can
show up with their own set of conflicts and tie into the main plot. The reader
can ask if the conflicts presented where resolved in a satisfactory fashion.
Keep in mind that books may
keep some plot points up in the air as enticements for the next book of a
series.
POINT OF VIEW:
POV refers to who is telling the
story. The reader can ask: was the right person chosen, if the POV come from
more than one person was it confusing or not, and did the choice of viewpoint
work out.
Viewpoint here would be the
author’s choice of how the story is
told. Such as: in first person, the “I”; or in third person, the “he, she, it,
or they”. Second person, the “you”, is difficult to write and relatively rare.
CHARACTERS:
The reader probably formed an opinion about the characters as far as liking
them or not, feeling sorry for them or not, maybe taking their side and wanting
them to grow and succeed. Did the reader find the characters well rounded and
believable? Did backstory information slow down the plot?
SETTING: Did
the reader find the setting, real or imaginary, worked well with the story? Did
the descriptions bring the setting alive to all the senses? Was there too much
description at times?
Van Kirk ends her blog post
with these words:
“Just pick a question or two that makes sense with the
book you read. The important thing is that you consider writing a review,
however brief. Even going to a site and giving a book stars is helpful if you
don’t want to write your thoughts. …The writer you save with your review may be
the one you like the best.”
Use this link to connect with
Van Kirk’s blog post:
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