How to Review/Analyze a Book

Many people often read books without caring to analyze their contents. They just read leisurely as the printed words in the pages quickly glide away in their eyes. Students of literature however, don’t have such luxury. They are required to go through every phrase and sentence with the finest toothcomb possible all in a bid to grasp the deeper meaning in the story. So how do you analyze/review a book?

1.      Frontispiece. This is the cover of a book. A student should keenly analyze any graphics on the cover and ponder on the book title. There is always a hidden meaning in the cover hence the old adage don’t judge a book by the cover.

2.      Plot. This is the general flow of the story in a book from the first page till the last one. A good student of literature should be able to briefly narrate the story in a book. This is the backbone of excellent literature grades since characterization, themes and style all spring from a student’s grasp and understanding of the plot. 

3.      Characterization. This refers to how the characters are portrayed in a book. A student can easily excel at characterization by keenly looking at how the characters talk, act and develop.

4.      Themes. This is basically the topics addressed in a book. At most instances, characters give rise to themes through their speech and actions. Examples of themes are greed, poverty et cetera.

5.      Literary styles. This is how a book has been written. For instance, the entire story in a book might be a recollection of someone’s memory about an incident that transpired many years ago. This style is called flashback.

Essentially, above are the basic issues to consider when analyzing/reviewing any book. Next, I will post an example of a book review.