Reviews of books, poems, and short stories are widespread written assignments in colleges and universities. A story review is a kind of literature review that describes a short novel. Students often get such tasks when their teacher wants to define their ability to evaluate stories and form subjective opinions. There are some significant steps to follow to write a brilliant review of a story. Our complete guide will help you to create an excellent paper.
What is a story review?
Let us proceed with defining a story review. In other words, a review of a story can be explained as a critical analysis and evaluation of facts presented in the text. One of the vital aims of writing a story review is a deeper investigation of the subject, learning more about an event, person, book, etc., attracting a specific audience (for example, if you are writing a blog post), and other goals.
Preparation for writing a story review
Speaking on how to write a review of a story, we will start with the preparation stage that must prevail over the stage of actual writing. The first significant step will be choosing a subject of your review, which must be an interesting story to you as an author of a review. Teachers usually assign students with reviews followed by suggested stories to read and review. You can offer your teacher your subjects and get approval if you have other ideas.
The second step will be reading a story several times. You will require to go through the text at least two times. Start with reading the story from the point of view of an independent reader who represents the typical audience of the story. Then read the story once again as if you were a competent professional critic. It is vital to have a piece of paper and a pen near you to make quick notes writing down core points and ideas.
Before we begin with a step-by-step explanation on how to write a review of a story, here are some ultimate pieces of advice for writing a story review:
- Do not skip the preparation stage – read the story at least two times. Do not use abstractions to form an opinion on the story.
- Skip reading other authors’ or classmates’ reviews to keep your thoughts on the subject original and fresh.
- Try to avoid citations from other story reviews and use phrases written by other reviewers.
- Do not be afraid to expose an opinion that differs from the others.
- If you want to create a simple short story review, try to be laconic and do not add too many negative impressions from your side.
- If you want to make a story review engaging and readable, create a balance between emotions, facts, arguments, and logic.
Steps Of Writing A Review Of A Story
Once you have read the story, you are ready to write a review. Follow the steps below to create a meaningful paper.
Write about your first impression
Use the notes you made while reading the story and include the most vital opinions you preliminary made. Usually, the best thoughts come to your mind first. Try to be subjective and do not overthink. Remember that giving an honest evaluation and your personal impressions are significant. Not that the original opinion will be more precious than any borrowed thoughts of other authors. Write down all pros and cons, mentioning what you felt was missing in the story and what details you found exciting.
Define the genre
It would be best if you analyzed the genre and writing style. What is this story: a comedy, non-fiction, a detective story, or something else? Since any story is built differently depending on a specific writing style, you must consider your story review genre. You must be familiar with the particular qualities of each style to give a correct evaluation of the structure of the story.
Generate the main thesis
Choose one core element of the story to concentrate on it. For example, it could be the main character’s arc, the whole plot of the story, the main idea of the author, etc. Formulate the main thesis in several words. Try to be laconic and explain your thoughts shortly.
Introduce the basic facts of the story
Start writing with an introduction of the story’s name, the author, the year and place of publishing, and the title of the book from which the story was taken. You will need to explain the content of the story briefly. This section of the review story must be at least 1-3 paragraphs long.
Explain your thoughts on the story
Once you have introduced the basics, proceed with explaining your opinions on the author’s message, whether it is straightforward for you, the most significant parts of the story, etc. If you are talking about weak points, you need to explain each point extensively. Describe each considerable element of the plot. Evaluate the character’s development process, describe your impressions, and let your readers know if you find the story satisfying.
Evaluate the author’s goal
Explain your opinion on the author’s purpose, how you understand it, and analyze whether the goal was achieved assuming the genre, the tone of voice, the plot, the character’s arc, etc. For example, explain why the author was supposed to be a comedy even though you did not find anything funny in the story. Note that you must avoid criticizing the author.
Write a conclusion
Add some pieces of advice in the closing section of the short story review. Be constructive and avoid criticizing the author. You must concentrate on the story and its significant elements. If you want to suggest some improvements, add examples to illustrate your thoughts and explain your ideas. Give your final overall opinion on the story and tell whether you would recommend it to other readers.
Some Ideas On Short Stories To Review
Below, you will find a selection of perfect books with many exciting short stories and novels to review. We believe that you will find something for your taste to use in your literature reviews:
- “Alligator And Other Stories” by Dima Alzayat
- “Salt Slow” by Julia Armfield
- “Civilwarland In Bad Decline” by George Saunders
- “Stories Of Your Life And Others” by Ted Chiang
- “Swimmer Among The Stars” by Kanishk Tharoor
- “Men Without Women” by Haruki Murakami
- “Kiss Kiss” by Roald Dahl
- “A Manual For Cleaning Women” by Lucia Berlin
FAQ On What Is A Story Review And How To Write It
What are the three steps to writing a story review?
Consider following these steps:
- Summarize the genre, characters, main idea, plot, author, etc.
- Evaluate and analyze the story from your point of view. Let readers know your honest subjective opinion on the story.
- Conclude on the core points and give your feedback. Explain if you recommend others reading this story and why.
What should a story review include?
The set of essential elements of a story review must include the name of the story and the author, the genre and style of the story, brief details on the publication (the book from which the story was taken, year, and place of publishing), the context of the story, the evaluation of the author’s goal, and recommendations from the reviewer.
What makes a good story review?
The main point you must follow is concentration on the story and its elements, not on the author. For example, if you do not like other books from the author, it does not mean that you can form an opinion on the concrete story depending on your previous reading experience. Focus on the topic, characters, genre, facts, etc. Do not add any thoughts on the author’s life, marital status, age, gender, etc.
What is the story review format?
The overall style and format of any literature review must be arranged in a scholarly way. You can add some terminology of the concrete field. It is vital to be subjective and original. If there are specific requirements on formatting provided in the instruction from the teacher, you need to follow those guidelines.
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