• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chandler's Ford Today

  • Home
  • About
    • About Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research
  • Blog
    • Blogging Tips
  • Event
    • Upcoming Events
  • Community
    • Groups
    • Churches
    • Schools
    • GP Surgeries
    • Leisure
    • Library
    • Charities
      • Eastleigh Basics Bank
      • Cat & Kitten Rescue in Chandler’s Ford
    • Fair Trade
      • Traidcraft stalls in Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford Parish Council
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Site Policies
  • Site Archive
    • Site Archive 2018
    • Site Archive 2017
    • Site Archive 2016
    • Site Archive 2015
You are here: Home / Community / How To Write Book Reviews?

How To Write Book Reviews?

June 9, 2014 By Janet Williams 3 Comments

I wrote my first book review on Amazon recently – my review of the first novel written by our very Chandler’s Ford writer Brenda Sedgwick. Her novel is called Marriage A Journey And A Dog.

I pondered for a few days before publishing my review. I was cautious because I didn’t actually understand the Amazon community. I wondered who might read my review. I didn’t fully understand the value of Amazon reviews.

Novel by Chandler's Ford writer Brenda Sedgwick is now on Amazon Kindle.
Novel by Chandler’s Ford writer Brenda Sedgwick is now on Amazon Kindle.

My husband is the kind of person who doesn’t trust Amazon reviews. (He doesn’t trust religions – especially established religions, Microsoft Word, and anything that Confucius had ever said either.) My husband would go to his favourite forums in science fiction, computer and gaming. He trusts his own online communities, where he finds reviews more relevant.

After my review on Amazon was published, I entered into a state of ‘panic’. Why did I write such a long review, like an essay?

What exactly should a reviewer write?

As a book reviewer, should you do text analysis, or should you just reveal how much you like or dislike the story or the writing? Should you explain the plots?

Should you elaborate on your own interpretation?

PencilWhat if your interpretation is different from that of the writer? However, should a reviewer have worried? The French philosopher Roland Barthes argued in 1967 that writing and creator are unrelated in his Death of the Author essay.

How critical should you be when you write an Amazon review?

Review without fear

As soon as my book review was published, I was surprised to find 6 other reviews under my name. I didn’t write them, but who did? It transpired that 6 reviews were all written by my son. He somehow got into my Amazon account one day last year and wrote 6 reviews of the toys and books I had bought him.

I read his reviews – and surprisingly I quite liked the ways he wrote. You could feel his honesty, and his fearlessness, shown by the use of some exclamation marks and capital letters. He wrote succinctly. He also gave out 3 stars, 4 stars and 5 stars to show his judgement.

Let’s see how a 12-year-old child wrote his reviews on Amazon:

Flashwing Skylander
Flashwing Skylander

On Flashwing Skylander: (5 stars) Flashwing is an extremely powerful teammate for any game. She has lightning fast laser attacks and has super fast speed when spinning, making her a deadly opponent.

On Sprocket Skylander: (4 stars) Sprocket, the Tech Skylander for Skylanders: Giants, is weak and hard to use at first. As you upgrade her she becomes a worthy opponent for enemy Skylanders in Battle Mode with her turrets and tanks.

On Doctor Who Storybook 2007: (5 stars) A good start to the book series, this book has 8 brilliant stories and great pictures to match. A great read.

Doctor Who book
Doctor Who book

On Doctor Who Storybook 2008: (5 stars) This is a brilliant Doctor Who book with great stories and pictures. I recommend it for anyone who likes Doctor Who.

On Doctor Who Storybook 2009: (3 stars) The first three stories are very well written and pictured. Then, after the comic strip, the stories start failing, with the exception of Hold Your Horses.

On Doctor Who Storybook 2010: (4 stars) A fitting end to this book series, this storybook has brilliant stories like The Shape On The Chair, Bennelong Point, End Of The Rainbow and The Haldenmour Fugue. The only let down is the comic strip and Knock Knock, a story about, no joke, TALKING DOORS!!!

If I were to write so succinctly, like a fearless 12-year-old, I think I should revise my review on Brenda Sedgwick’s novel as below:

Marriage A Journey And A Dog eBook: (5 stars) A good start to romance and dreams, this book is brilliant with crazy characters. It takes you to amazing places through Europe. A great read.

What about you?

Do you write reviews? Do you write reviews, especially book reviews, on Amazon? What do you base your review on? Is the length of a review important to you? Do you trust Amazon reviews? I would love to hear your opinions. Please leave your comments to add to the discussion. Thank you.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Email

Related posts:

Jane Austen appreciation by Allison Symes.Jane Austen: An Appreciation by Allison Symes What Are You Reading? Marriage and Journey and a Dog coverMy Debut Novel: Marriage, a Journey, and a Dog Support Chandler’s Ford Authors: Books Available from Fryern Arcade WH Smith teenager epicduda enjoys reading graphic novels. Winchester Library has a good collection of comics and Graphic Novels.Hampshire Libraries and My Love for Graphic Novels
Tags: books, Chandler's Ford, community, education, reading, review, writing

About Janet Williams

I created Chandler's Ford Today. I use this website to share our passions and inspiring stories, to build a connected community. We inform, educate and enlighten. We share resources.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike Sedgwick says

    June 10, 2014 at 8:38 am

    Gee! This is getting intellectually heavy. Have you really read that essay by Barthes and, be honest, did you understand what he was trying to say? If you are trying to interpret a story like that then you probably cannot enjoy the story. I am a cynic and think these critics are an incestuous bunch who like to argue among themselves. Preferable at a critics conference held somewhere nice like Los Angeles or Cannes.

    Reply
    • Janet Williams says

      June 10, 2014 at 4:19 pm

      I only touched upon Barthes at university through literature courses a long time ago – not at a deep level. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought this into the post (or published post late at night).

      I can still enjoy reading stories while doing analysis. I don’t think they are contradictory. Story, use of language and style are all important elements for me to enjoy a book.

      I often feel it can be daunting to leave comments on a blog, or review on a website if you feel you don’t know the community well enough – the readership and what is expected, and the depth required.

      What prompted people to leave their views, and what deterred them, on product review sites, and on this website? I’m interested in this topic of review/comment as I want to gain more understanding and encourage interaction on this website. I also need to create openness and try to break the barriers that some people may feel.

      There’ll be more discussions in new posts about this topic.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My Debut Novel: Marriage A Journey And A Dog - Chandler's Ford Today says:
    June 9, 2014 at 10:53 pm

    […] want to touch up their work and never agree it’s finished, but one day recently I pressed the publish button. The heroine in my novel lives in Eastleigh and travels to France and Spain, an easy thing to do […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Chandler's Ford Today blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Top Posts & Pages

999, 111, 101, 112? Emergency Numbers You Must Know
101 Things to Put into Room 101
Home
101 Things to Put into Room 101 - Part 7 - The Final Leg
Photography on the Isle of Wight
Cat & Kitten Rescue in Chandler's Ford
Peculiar British House Numbering System
My Favourite Short Walk - Itchen Navigation from Bishopstoke to Allbrook
David Beckham's Chinese Tattoo
Hutments

Categories

Tags

arts and crafts books Chandler's Ford Chandler's Ford Today Chandler’s Ford community charity Christianity Christmas church community creative writing culture Eastleigh Eastleigh Borough Council education entertainment event family fundraising gardening gardening tips good neighbours Hiltingbury Hiltingbury Road history hobby how-to interview Joan Adamson Joan Adelaide Goater local businesses local interest memory Methodist Church music nature news reading review social storytelling theatre travel Winchester Road writing

Recent Comments

  • John Roberts on Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear and Other Mondegreens
  • Allison Symes on Zest In Fiction
  • Mike Sedgwick on Zest In Fiction
  • Allison Symes on Zest In Fiction
  • Lynn Clement on Zest In Fiction
  • Bram van Reemst on Peculiar British House Numbering System

Regular Writers and Contributors

Janet Williams Allison Symes Mike Sedgwick Rick Goater Doug Clews chippy minton Martin Napier Roger White Andy Vining Gopi Chandroth Nicola Slade Wellie Roger Clark Ray Fishman Hazel Bateman SO53 News

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

Reviews of local performances and places

Reviews of local performances and places

Copyright © 2022 Chandler's Ford Today. WordPress. Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.