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Critique of Book: The Major Points to Be Taken into Account
Very often critique of book is confused with its summary, and this is one of the most dangerous pitfalls or traps awaiting a student. In this task one does not need to make a gist of the plot or reiterate the author’s ideas. What you need to do in the critique of book is to agree or disagree with the writer and, most importantly, substantiate your decision. There are several steps that you should make in order to write a critique of book:
- Read the entire book!!! Do not presume that the teacher will not see that you have written the essay on the basis of other reviews. This has nothing to do with critique of book.
- Try to identify the key message that the author wanted to convey.
- The critique of book must contain textual evidence, in other words, if you say something you must prove it by the examples from a book.
- Evaluate the impression which this book produces on you.
Critique of book is a beneficial task because it develops student’s ability to assess the views of others and uphold one’s opinion. Under some circumstances you may need use other sources, for instance, if you do not share the author’s ideas and want to pose counter-arguments. If we are speaking about literary work, critique of book should include the following points: plot, the development of the characters, and major themes.
While writing a critique of book students tend to praise the author only due to the reason that he/she is very popular. But one should not be afraid to air ones own views as this is one of the major goals that critique of book seeks to achieve.