Learn2Write

Review of an Experience

Following through on the Review Series (Part 1 and Part 2), we will now learn about writing reviews on an experience. The experience could be visiting a restaurant or staying at a hotel. In the following example, we look at reviewing a restaurant.

Cavanaugh Cafe for your Cuppa!

Located at the corner of the High Street and Mains at Sandringham is a quaint little cafe called Cavanaugh Heights. The cafe opens its doors at 07:00 a.m. and is known for the best latte in the neighbourhood. At a stone's throw away is the Sandringham train station, and the cafe buzzes like bees between the hours of 07-09:00 a.m. In fact, every other person that hops onto the train from Sandringham station carries a cuppa that reads, 'Come to Cavanaugh to find your cuppa!’ Quite a catchy one at that, don’t you think? The cafe runs through Tuesday to Sunday from 07:00 a.m.-04:00 p.m.

As soon as you turn the corner of Main Street, a waft of waffles, scones and latte invites you to the white-walled cafe with French windows. A lovely woman at the coffee counter sweeps in and registers your order on the computer in the blink of an eye. You are then directed to stand in the waiting bay for about three and a half (3.5) minutes precisely, before handing out your order. The cafe owner is quite charming. Every time you visit, he entertains you with his short, riveting stories. It really gets you going for the day.

Cavanaugh Heights is famous for its butter croissants and sourdough bread. Last weekend, I tried their 'Big Boy Brekky,’ and indeed, it was a big boy! Served with creamy mashed potatoes, burnt tomato, stir-fried mushrooms and baked beans are sourdough breads that are so soft that they melt in your mouth like chocolate. The best part, you can choose how you like your eggs (sunny side up, poached, boiled, etc). They even club it (poached or fried with a sunny side up), if you are in the mood to have more than two eggs. With a secret dash of herbs added to sausages and salamis, they cook the meat to the perfect temperature. Interestingly, it gets your palette craving for more.

There are about six tables in total: three inside and three outside on the pavement where you can hear the waves splashing against the rocks in the ocean, soak in the midday sun, hear the whistling of the trains and enjoy your leisurely day. One downside to the cafe is that during weekends, the place is packed to the brim. Sometimes it's difficult to enjoy your breakfast that way. However, the snow-white interior with wooden bookshelves on the sides, cosy couches at each table, smiling servers, and of course the ever-charming owner who knows almost everyone by name, is something no other cafe can beat. It's the charm, warm nature and the special care that each customer receives that makes one go over and over to the cafe.

My overall experience in the cafe is awesome and I make sure I visit the cafe at least twice a month to try the various items on the menu (sandwiches, burgers, pastries, etc.). The cafe even goes creative during the weekends by introducing some specials such as exotic smoothies (Kiwi is my personal favourite), carrot and walnut pastries, spinach and corn sandwiches, etc. Besides the lively charm of the cafe, the pricing too is nominal. An average price for two would be £30.00. I would rate the cafe as 4.5/5. Next time you are in the Sandringham neighbourhood, step in for a taste of butter croissant and latte—it’d make your day!

The example covers an overall opinion of the restaurant/cafe, in addition to presenting the mood of the cafe. The review also covers the best as well as the downside. Key elements to notice in the example are location, timings, price, service and a summary of overall feelings.  If you are planning to visit a restaurant this weekend, keep a note of the mentioned elements. You could possibly write a review about it later. 

In the last blog about review writing, we talked about writing movie reviews (https://learn2write.co.uk/Blog/post/a-review-on-your-mind-today). What movies have you watched lately? For the second part of the series, let us look into writing book reviews. 

Part 2: Review of a book

For a book review, we start by mentioning the name of the book and the author. In addition, we mention the genre of the book (adventure, mystery, fantasy, historical, etc). While reviewing the book, we might also want to mention if the book is an individual one or a part of book series. Consider the following example:

Wearing the Sorting Hat!

‘Alohomora!’ folks—open your mind and heart to dive into the world of magic (Alohomora—means unlock in magic world). Originally published in 2007, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone tops the charts of favourite books (between the age group of nine- to twelve-year-olds) even today. It has undergone many revised editions (to include an attractive book cover). Interestingly, the book was adapted into a movie too, and it gained so much popularity that all the books were adapted as movies. When the book was first released, author J.K Rowling became nothing less of a movie star. ‘Choo, choo’—there comes the Hogwarts train to take you into the whimsical land of adventure, fun and magic, where everything seems possible: facing demons, three headed monsters, drinking magic potions, flying on brooms, encountering ‘friendly’ ghosts (and some not so friendly), mystery mirrors and much more. 

Note that the review begins with a mystery word to attract readers’ attention. It also informs readers about the name of the book, genre and name of author. For the body paragraphs, take the readers through the plot (not revealing key details), some characters and the parts of the book that you liked as well as disliked.

The protagonist of the book is a ten-year-old boy named Harry Potter and his so-called mundane, frustrating life with the humans (referred to as Muggles—rather has a catchy ring to it, doesn’t it?). Harry thinks his life at Privet Drive is all he could ask for; however, one day, out of the blue, a surprise awaits his eleventh birthday. The brilliant unravelling of the character's background to the magical world is somewhat emotional, yet uplifting. The book carries on to reveal Harry's friendship with Ron and Hermione (other characters from the book), who later turn out to be more like family (that Harry never had). 

What's hilarious is when Harry is confronted with countless magical questions, he freezes. Every page in the book contains some intriguing details, a mystery plot and suspense at every turn that makes it difficult to put the book down. The world created by J. K Rowling comes alive and the words start dancing, just like the Hogwarts stairs (and its many mysteries). 

However, my personal favourite (but otherwise understated) is how a boy, named Neville Longbottom (funny name, right. On that note, all the names in the book are quite catchy too), stands up for his beliefs despite hesitations. Rightly, the principal, Albus Dumbledore at the end states that, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends".

A few plotlines, however, seemed dragged. For example, Harry's many night adventures using the invisibility cloak (yes, that’s a real and rare thing in Harry’s world) and every time escaping the starry eyes of Mrs. Norris (the watchman’s cat). Or, how easily Harry realises the key to make a gigantic three-headed monster sleep (key to revealing the mystery). Hermione, being the intelligent one, could be the one that figures the three-headed monster mystery. Anyway, the magical details, intriguing plot, interesting characters and lively dialogues outweigh the negatives.

If you have not read this book yet, you are surely missing the lighter side of life and letting your imagination live in a box. Even if you are not a fan of magic or fantasy, this book is something you'd not want to miss. Not just that, the book carries a serious message: never be afraid to experiment, be bold, and value the importance of relationships. In my opinion, the book deserves a 4.5/5. Grab a copy today; the Sorting Hat awaits. What is a Sorting Hat you ask—you’d have to read the book to find out!

In the body paragraphs, a few details of the plot are revealed, along with the names of characters. To make it more interesting, you could even include some magic words or talk about the world of Quidditch and even include some quotes. Furthermore, note that some points about the parts that the reviewer dislikes are also mentioned, but ultimately the reader is swayed in favour of the book (which is the author’s intention). Thus, the goal of the review is achieved— to inform and persuade. 

Have you read this book called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll? This is another classic and quite a famous one. 

Falling through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world, Alice is unafraid to explore the unknown: be it drinking the potion to shrink enough to explore life in the rabbit garden or eating a slice of cake to grow to an enormous size. The book wonderfully weaves through its words and reflects the message of bravery.

Would you like to give the book a read and try writing a review about it? Go ahead. Try it!

Review writing is a part of the report writing genre. The aim of review writing is to inform and persuade. A review maintains a personal analysis of the positives and the negatives. Ultimately, a reviewer leaves it open ended for the audience to make their own decision(s). You can write reviews of a movie, a book or an experience. First off, we look at reviewing a movie.

Part 1: Movie Review

Let's say you watched a movie today, and you loved it so much that you couldn't wait to share it with your friends. What would you discuss? Most likely, you would talk about the main character, the villain, the plot (without revealing the end) and the parts of the movie that you liked/disliked. Probably, you would recommend your friend(s) to watch the movie (or not) based on your experience.

Consider the following example:

Minion Mania

Minion—the word does have a funny, yet adorable tone, doesn't it? Just like the word, the movie called Despicable Me (2010) features some unusual and interesting tiny yellow characters called Minions. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, this movie takes you through a whirlwind of adventure and comedy. The quality of animation is out of this world: unusual characters, the energy, the background setting and the quality of voice (animated) are top-notch.

The title of the review above is short and attempts to capture the attention of the audience. Introductory paragraph mentions the name of the movie, director(s), release year and the genre. You could even add the name of the actors (if you are aware). The middle paragraphs could include the story plot, snippet of an adventure, the prime characters, etc. Let’s continue with our movie review then.

The movie gained worldwide attention on its release as the round, wobbly yellow bodies and oversized grey glasses (what they refer to as eyes) of the tiny Minions walking the Earth melted our hearts. The movie takes you through a roller coaster of laughter, adventure and thrill.

What's not to love about the movie—searching through the Arctic to the deserts of the world, and a desire to serve an evil person, three minions set out on an adventure. The story comes alive with the use of eye-catchy colours, brilliant animation, impressive voice-overs and a striking Minion language. Believe me, you’ll have a hard time understanding the Minion language, but you'll surely have a stomach cramp with non-stop laughing. 

Moreover, the movie carries a meaning: the protagonist (a character named Gru) is a clever villain who uses three innocent girls as pawns; however, it is incredible to see his change of heart to become a caring person. The movie breaks the stereotype of the word ‘villain’—after all, some situations might convince people to take unreasonable steps, but with the right guidance and goodness in the world, people have the power to change for good. Universal pictures have created a masterpiece with this unique and original portrayal of characters, groovy music, vibrant colour setting and the creative Minion language.

Carry on with the review to talk about some parts that seemed painfully dragging or did not seem convincing— a part (of the movie) that you disliked. You could also give an idea about other characters in the movie. Moreover, note the use of certain persuasive devices such as direct address, rhetorical questions, use of triples and figurative comparisons (alliteration, metaphor and hyperbole).

In the concluding paragraph, mention if you'd recommend the movie to your friends and the rating (according to you). For example:

If you like watching hilarious, animated and light movies, then you can't miss Despicable Me. The movie became so popular that many sequels have followed over the years. I am eagerly waiting to watch the next movie in the series. Overall, I would rate ‘Despicable Me’ as 5/5. What are you waiting for? Go, grab a tub of popcorn and get ready for a bite of Minion adventure! 

The review (in the example) reflects on the opinion of the reviewer, attempts to persuade and leaves it in the hands of the readers’ to decide. To make the review stronger, you could also talk about the movie’s sound effects, lighting, direction, etc. So, next time you watch a movie, remember to write a review about it.