Sunday, January 31, 2010
McCreesh, Erin Review 1
Nicholas Sparks. Does any more need to be said in order to decipher what this may be about? The Last Song is Sparks’ newest romance novel to be released and focuses around a teenage girl who is sent, along with her younger brother, to stay with her father in North Carolina for the summer. The main character, Ronnie, is originally from New York City and is being encouraged to spend time and bond with her father. Meeting a new boy, learning about her father’s past, and realizing new interests she may have all contribute to her having a life changing summer. The book is about young love, strengthening relationships that were thought to have been lost, and being forced to mature. Not only do Sparks’ novels give false hope about young loves and their futures, but he continues to touch on issues that are extremely pressing in today’s world. The book does have a bit of a surprise ending to it that may catch readers off guard. It is an enjoyable book to read; however, if you are not one for predictable endings and storylines that might make you feel a little nauseous, you may want to steer clear of this one. The Last Song has been made into a film and the main character is to be played by Miley Cyrus—it will be in theaters in April.
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Just like in the review on “Leap Year,” I liked that this review was solid and caught your attention, right from the opening lines. It was also direct and honest, and I was impressed that you could stay in the same voice (assuming you’re writing these both for the same publication) during both reviews.
ReplyDeleteBut this review also left me wondering what it was that made this book contrastingly “enjoyable” for some and made others feel “nauseous.” I couldn’t decide at first whether it was a positive review or not, particularly because of the line “Not only do Sparks’ novels give false hope about young loves and their futures, but he continues to touch on issues that are extremely pressing in today’s world”—it seemed like the first negative thought would be followed by a worse one because of the “not only,” but then turned into a good one.
It was good, though, that you presented both good and bad aspects of the book, because it gave readers a sense that you had put some thought into what would and wouldn’t appeal to them.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your introduction. This review definitely had a certain feel, I could tell you were focusing on plot summary which you definitely handled well. You also warn that this is not a book for everyone, but it seems like you are generally positive about it. The review seems generally fair and unbiased.
I agree with Emma's comment about the use of "not only" in that particular sentence. It is confusing because it seems like the second clause will back up the first with another negative comment, but the second clause ends up being a positive one. If you just get rid of the first three words of that sentence ("not only do"), things will flow a lot better. I also like how you tie in the film adaptation of the book in the last sentence, making the reader interested in the book and film.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteThis review was very concise and I liked that you managed to hit all of your major points in such a direct manner. You did a good job of presenting both the positive and negative aspects of the book and letting the reader know that it might not appeal to them.
Some of your sentences were a bit lengthy and could be a little bit confusing at times. Just try to watch out for too many sentences in a row that list things. Maybe you could elaborate on one of the ideas from each of these sentences to break that up.
Overall it moved very quickly and kept the reader engaged. You did a great job of hitting on all of the major things you want in a book review in a clear and concise way.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteErin,
ReplyDeleteI assume I might be a part of the target audience that you are trying to reach because the inferences that you drew about the "typical" Nick Sparks books were dead on. If it is targeted at adolescent females, a solid number of us understand the sappy, over-the-top romance in his books (and now movies).
You followed the layout of the review that we learned about in Writing Today very nicely here--beginning with a small summary, likes, dislikes, and some small teasers (but not spoilers). Nice job.
It would be great to see, however, a little more detail about why you disliked the book. I understand why the book probably was a tad nauseating, but for those who don't, you could possibly explain why.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteThis review is well organized and to the point. You have done a good job at summarizing directly at the beginning and leaving the reader wondering what you thought.
Some of your sentence structure causes your point to be lost or the sentence to be a little confusing. By incorporating the positive and negative aspects of the book, you have given readers a good idea of what to expect.
Overall a good review, it transitioned quickly and was to the point.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteI like your approach to this review: your intro is "magnetic" in a way, because you appeal to the demographic reading the book or anticipating the book, and then you give a nice summary/explanation for those who previously may have known nothing about the book/author.
One of my only "dislikes", (as I will have marked for you on the hard copy), is that you have two consecutive sentences that begin with the same two words-- "The book". Since this is a shorter review, you may want to avoid redundancy in your sentence structure. Other than that, your review was very straight forward and clear.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteI thought your review did a good job giving us a sense of the novel--its plot and themes--without giving too much away. On the other hand, in some ways the objective tone might have been so well-crafted as to become a flaw, however: I can't tell whether you liked the book or not. That said, the mass of information you managed to impart in a short time is incredible.
The only other thing that puzzled me was the section toward the end where you say that the book has a "surprise ending" then go on to say that if you're not one for predictable endings, you should steer clear. Those seems somewhat contradictory.
On the whole though, good work. The informative nature of the piece gives us a good snapshot of the work. Well done.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteI liked this review better than your last. You set up an attitude at the beginning letting me know exactly what I would be reading about in your review as well as the novel. I think you should expound on your sentence, "Does any more need to be said in order to decipher what this may be about?" for people who may not know the anomaly of success that is Nicholas Sparks.
I do have to say, I'm sorry that all these media forms you're intaking, especially in the same genre, continue to not exceed any of your expectations, and perfectly fit your cookie cutter criteria of what they should be. How does that make you feel? I think by adding how you feel about this novel compared to his others, you will connect to your readers more than just an opinion on a book.
Kevin Gillingham
Erin,
ReplyDeleteFor your first review please assume that I am a completely uninformed reader (as I am) and require you to decipher what a Nicholas Sparks is about. Has he wrote any other books that might be a household name? The only opinion I found in this review was merely that it was “a enjoyable book to read,” and I am left unconvinced especially upon learning Miley Cyrus will soon star as its main character. How is the book enjoyable? Give me a taste of its style, tone, anything to build a common expectation.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteBook and movie reviews can be difficult to write because there is a strong tendency to use a lot of plot summary. I think you found a good balance between your opinion of the book and a general summary of what the book is about.
While you did an excellent job of naming the pros and the cons to this book, it did create some contradictions in your sentences. I have to assume this is unintentional, but it's something worth thinking about. I was primarily confused by the "predictable story lines" comment that was preceded by you saying "it has a bit of a surprise ending." It seems like you were trying to get a lot out to the reader at once and some of your sentences became meshed together. If you revise some of these contradictions and eliminate some of your more wordy sentences, I think this review has great potential.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteReviewing a Nicholas sparks novel is a great choice for your audience. However, don't assume that everyone you are writing for has read one of his novels. Make sure you elaborate on why and how this new novel sticks so well to his style.
Be careful not to make this too much of a elementary school book review that is more summary than commentary. The balance of these two elements should be equal. Don't be afraid to use detail, but be sure to have some of your opinion in there.
If more is added to this, I think you may be more successful in a complete review.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteI read your other review first, this one was a world better (sorry!) You did a great job of relating it to a prediction based off the author's trends, as well as giving the reader a good insight as to what they're getting into. Sentence structure could use a little work, primarily with commas, but who am I to talk? Also, I'm curious what you mean by false hope, are you suggesting the author lends false hope by intention or is this an opinion?
All in all, great job giving us a brief, neutral introduction to the book. You maintain a primarily neutral stance throughout the review, and even when being a bit more opinionated you lend enough information for the reader to make a judgment themselves. Nice addition adding the film part at the end; relevent!
-Glenn
Hi Erin,
ReplyDeleteI think you have a good start on your review. However I would suggest that maybe you summarize the plot with a little less detail. I think that in a review the most pointed, direct, point should be the book's summary. You don't want to give too much away, on the other hand you want to spark some interest in your reader so that they will continue reading.
I liked the part at the end where you offered a hint of your opinion in guiding the reader on whether or not to read the book. I think your review could use more analysis similar to that which you offered towards the end.
Like I said...great start and I think once you find the balance between plot summary and your opinion/analysis it will be great!
-Ashleigh
Erin,
ReplyDeleteYour review brings the issue of predictability in Nicholas Sparks' novels to attention from the start-- this is great because readers can get past that. The opening sentence in this review is attention grabbing. Good background information.
I like the extension at the end because it goes to prove the book is good enough to become a movie. One part that confuses me a bit is when you say the ending may catch the reader off guard, but also say the novel will make readers who like predictable endings nauseous. So, is the ending a twist or not?
Erin,
ReplyDeleteI'd agree with many of the above posters on a couple points. Your review offers a short look at the book, but a lot of it could overlap with the book jacket. In terms of style, I'd take a look at sentence variety.
The thing I'd suggest is to consider this book in light of Sparks' other works. I say this because after reading your review I feel like this author's work has a number of elements, both in style and substance, that are similar.
But this book has to be different in ways other than the plot, right? Is the pacing the same? How does Ronnie compare to Sparks' other protagonists? It's this kind of stuff that can really entice or turn off the reader and let them know what kind of a ride they're in for.
You tell a lot about Spark’s background as a romance novel writer, and I think that strengthens your voice to say that it isn’t for people who point out predictable endings. The intro is pretty good, but for those of us unfamiliar with Spark’s novels, you might want to reference some of his earlier works. There is plenty of plot background, but you do not go overboard, and that is something tough to achieve.
ReplyDeleteErin:
ReplyDeleteI think you do a great job of being very deliberate in your writing, especially in this review. Your points are very straightforward, and don't get lost in a huge jumble of words. You do a good job of tying the entire review together by referencing what's next with this book (the upcoming movie).