An Opportune Occasion to Offer an Opinion
You have many ways to write a review, but every way has this in common: you give your opinion about something, and you also support or explain your opinion. Whether you're reviewing a scholarly book, a recent movie, or your tour of the Outer Hebrides, making a statement like “It was cool” without giving your readers any information as to why it was cool sure doesn't give them any reason to read further. Because you're writing a critical evaluation, you have to cite the noteworthy and the flawed aspects of your subject, and you also have to explain what made them receive high or low marks.
In writing a review — as in writing of any kind — keep your audience in mind. If you're reviewing a new restaurant, for instance, would your audience be familiar with the type of food the restaurant specialized in? You'd probably need to give more explanation to a general newspaper audience than you would to readers of, say,
To get more ideas of how to write your review, consult magazines, journals, or scholarly papers that focus on your topic. As you read, note the various features the writer addressed and think about incorporating those features in your work.
Your instructor, your company, or the publication you're writing for may mandate specific issues to address in your review. Above all else, be sure you address those issues.
If a rating system is allowed, create one that's both clever and applicable to your subject matter (for example, a calendar to show how long readers should wait — or not wait — to read a particular book).
