REVIEW WRITING: WRITING A REVIEW FOR THE AUDIENCE
The most successful reviewers put the interests of their readers first and last throughout the review. In the opening statement, they capture the reader's attention. After introducing the work (by author, producer), the reviewer needs to specify the type of work (for example, fiction, nonfiction, biography, autobiography) to help the readers participate in the review. To inform the reader, the review must answer who, what, when, where, and how questions:
Who questions
1. Who wrote it, directed it, or acted in it? What else have they done?
2. Who are the main characters?
3. Who is the intended audience?
What questions
1. What is it about?
2. What is the plot?
3. What is the theme?
4. What is the author /director’s purpose?
5. What genre or classification does it fit?
When and Where questions
1. When was this done or when does the action take place?
2. Where was this done or where does the action take place?
How questions
1. How does it convey its main point, mood, or theme?
2. How did the audience react to it?
3. How well does it fulfill its purpose?
For a work of fiction, the reviewer briefly summarizes the story line for readers, by providing an overview, including paraphrases and quotations, of the work’s primary points being careful not to give anything away. In some cases, the reviewer needs to include background information for readers to place the work into a specific context. For example, the reviewer might want to identify the author’s earlier work or similar works by others.
Next, the reviewer needs to provide his or her reaction by detailing why and how the subject was interesting, memorable, entertaining, and/or instructive. The reviewer can also explore issues the work raises if they are topical and relevant to the here and now. More importantly, the reviewer needs to declare what they specifically liked and/or disliked and why. If the reviewer thought the author/actors/director did or did not create a superior work, then they must explain why by detailing how the work could be improved and how those particular changes would help. In closing, the reviewer ties together the issues raised in the review.
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