Blog â Posted on Friday, Mar 29
17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review
Itâs an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet â forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?
As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites, in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever â which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!
In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review. If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, letâs first check out what makes up a good review.
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What must a book review contain?
Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which youâre writing, as weâll see later.)
In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates. These include:
- A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book.
- A book review will offer an evaluation of the work.
- A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience.
If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, itâs the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not theyâd like to read the book themselves.
Keeping that in mind, letâs proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.
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Book review examples for fiction books
Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably wonât come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told.
That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, youâll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.
Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, weâve indicated by including a [âŠ] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.
Examples of literary fiction book reviews
Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellisonâs The Invisible Man:
An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.
His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.
This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.
Lyndsey reviews George Orwellâs 1984 on Goodreads:
YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.
This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.
I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. [âŠ]
The New York Times reviews Lisa Hallidayâs Asymmetry:
Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Hallidayâs debut novel, âAsymmetry,â a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someoneâs mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Husseinâs capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesnât indirectly abet violence and questioning why heâd rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to âspin out.â He canât go home. âYou observe what people do with their freedom â what they donât do â and itâs impossible not to judge them for it,â he says.
The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in âAsymmetry,â as literary criticism. Hallidayâs novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes âAsymmetryâ for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom â and, like Alistair, judging them for it.
Despite its title, âAsymmetryâ comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Hallidayâs prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. Itâs a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. [âŠ]
Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery:
In Doaneâs 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 heâs a small-town boy who hasnât 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.
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. Doaneâs a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narratorâs personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.
The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. âThereâs not a place thatâs like any other,â [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes heâs right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.
As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narratorâs eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narratorâs sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.
This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. Heâs a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet heâs also a grifter with a âlove âem and leave âemâ attitude that harms those around him. Itâs fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Dukeâs behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.
Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesnât erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and heâs prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie sheâs been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.
Despite his flaws, itâs 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.
The Book Smugglers review Anissa Grayâs The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls:
I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesnât. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.
Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years â with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim. To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. [âŠ]
Examples of childrenâs and YA fiction book reviews
The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomasâ The Hate U Give:
â„ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I canât imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a âcontroversialâ label, but if youâve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POCâs shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.
In Angie Thomasâs debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.
â„ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didnât love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. [âŠ]
The New York Times reviews Melissa Albertâs The Hazel Wood:
Alice Crewe (a last name sheâs chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called âTales From the Hinterland.â The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, sheâs learned a little about her through internet research. She hasnât read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.
Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the âbad luckâ that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate whoâs an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.
âThe Hazel Woodâ starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as youâd hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. Itâs a captivating debut. [âŠ]
James reviews Margaret Wise Brownâs Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!
This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.
The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.
Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lillyâs Geraldine:
This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: âIâm moving.â Theyâre spoken by the title character while she swoons across her familyâs ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it wonât take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes âThat Giraffe Girl,â and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. âEven my voice tries to hide,â she says, in the bookâs most poignant moment. âItâs gotten quiet and whispery.â Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (âIâm that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her foodâ), and things begin to look up.
Lillyâs watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.
Examples of genre fiction book reviews
Karlyn P reviews Nora Robertsâ Dark Witch, a paranormal romance novel, on Goodreads:
4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.
I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.
The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.
I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.
I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.
Emily May reviews R.F. Kuangâs The Poppy Wars, an epic fantasy novel, on Goodreads:
âBut I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.â
Holy hell, what did I just read??
✠A fantasy military school
✠A rich world based on modern Chinese history
✠Shamans and gods
✠Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters
✠Adorable, opium-smoking mentors
That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.
Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).
Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.
Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barryâs Freefall, a crime novel:
In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others itâs a more subtle process, and thatâs OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?
In truth, itâs not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.
Like the heroine in Sharon Boltonâs Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancĂ©, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer â first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers â before fleeing the scene. If youâre hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. Thereâs much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.
Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Clineâs Ready Player One, a science-fiction novel:
Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Clineâs first novel is old wine in new bottles.
The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and itâs free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.
Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzivalâs great strength is that he has absorbed all Hallidayâs obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Clineâs narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wadeâs trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more â80s games and movies to gain the other keys; itâs clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate âepic throwdownâ fail to stir the blood.
Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.
Book review examples for non-fiction books
Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication. In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the authorâs source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.
Again, weâve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!
The Washington Post reviews David Grannâs Killers of the Flower Moon:
The arc of David Grannâs career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host â certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, âThe Lost City of Z,â is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, âKillers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,â the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the âbiggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.â
Grann deserves the attention. Heâs canny about the stories he chases, heâs willing to go anywhere to chase them, and heâs a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.
All of these strengths are on display in âKillers of the Flower Moon.â Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as âheadrights,â which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe â and, supposedly, no one else â a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich â diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich â following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age Americaâs most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes â and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future â were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. [âŠ]
Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwellâs Outliers:
Iâve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwellâs writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasnât disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success â how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.
The thesis â that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth â isnât exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I donât think Iâm lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.
Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I canât really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means theyâre already better at the game (because theyâre bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, theyâre much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kidsâ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults â and itâs nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, itâs Gladwell. [âŠ]
Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashawâs Soar, Adam, Soar:
Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the bookâs billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans personâs life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed ârealisticâ and âaffectingâ by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.
In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves â and by trans men in particular â have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases â Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy â provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.
To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isnât just a story about a trans man. Itâs also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving fatherâs eyes. Adam, Prashawâs trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashawâs narrative are excerpts from Adamâs social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young manâs interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. [âŠ]
Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbertâs Eat, Pray, Love:
WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5
SUBJECT: 4/5
CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5
RELEVANCE: 3.5/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5
âEat Pray Loveâ is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I donât remember what I expected it to be â maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things â Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the bookâs name â EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is â ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.
Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for â MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasnât happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didnât know where to go and what to do â all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure â she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. [âŠ]
Emily May reviews Michelle Obamaâs Becoming on Goodreads:
Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.
This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.
I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.
And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.
She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.
I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.
What next?
Hopefully, this post has given you a better idea of how to write a book review. You might be wondering how to put all of this knowledge into action now! Many book reviewers start out by setting up a book blog. If you donât have time to research the intricacies of HTML, check out Reedsy Discovery â where you can read indie books for free and review them without going through the hassle of creating a blog. To register as a book reviewer, go here.
And if youâd like to see even more book review examples, simply go to this directory of book review blogs and click on any one of them to see a wealth of good book reviews. Beyond that, it's up to you to pick up a book and pen â and start reviewing!