Importance of Credibility in a Book Review

By: Tina Boullianne         

  In a book review, there are many factors that may make it more persuasive than others. First off, the way the critic introduces himself or herself is crucial.  If there was little to no introduction or rapport, and there is no way of understanding the critic’s credibility, it leaves the reader feeling uneasy.  They are unsure if the critic’s opinion is just or if they are simply rambling on because they did not enjoy the piece.

            The next key factor in developing a critic’s credibility is the confidence they present in their writing.  The critic must propose defiant opinions and also back it up with good examples.  If the critic simply bashes an author’s novel without using specific facts as to why their opinion is the way it is, the criticism is much less convincing to the reader.

            Like someone mentioned in class today, the best criticisms offer more than one opinion and viewpoint of the novel.  Although it is understood that their opinion will be biased one way or the other, it is still important for the critic to offer more than one critique on the novel.  I did not like how the review we read in class only offered one viewpoint.  By doing this, the critic seemed extremely arrogant and somewhat unintelligent because he was being extremely one-sided.

            In the book review we looked at in class, the critic did not really reference specific points from the book itself.  In my opinion, describing the plot of the book and getting to know the characters simply from reading the review is very helpful.  I found an example of a very good book review offering a better and clearer opinion than the one we read in class.  It’s a review of Watergate by Thomas Mallon and begins by introducing the plot, which offers a better overall impression of the novel.

            When readers have not read the novel that a critic is reviewing, it is very important for them to be able to get an idea of the overall theme and summary of the novel.  The review I found des this very well, giving the critic a lot more credibility and the reader assurance.