REVIEW (A BOOK REVIEW)

 REVIEW TEXT

Source: Personal Doc.

A. Definition

Review text is an evaluation of a publication, such as a movie, video game, musical composition, book; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theatre show or dance show.

B. Generic Structure

1. Orientation : Background information of the text.
2. Evaluations : Concluding statement : judgement, opinion, or recommendation. It can consist ot more than one.
3. Interpretative Recount : Summary of an art works including character and plot.
4. Evaluative Summation : The last opinion consisting the appraisal or the punch line of the art works being criticized.

C. Social Function

Review text is used to critic the events or art works for the reader or listener, such as movies, shows, book, and others.

D. Language Features

1. Focus on specific participants
2. Present tense
3. Past tense
4. Evaluative words
5. Related technical words
6. Using adjectives
7. Using compound and complex sentences
8. Using metaphor sentence

Review Text Example

CRY ME A SAD RIVER

    

        Cry Me a Sad River is a film with the theme of school bullying. This film  was released on December 21, 2018 which was adapted from the novel entitled Bei Shang Ni Liu Cheng He by Guo Jing Ming. The 105-minute film is directed by Luo Luo and a production from Beijing Enlight Media. it stars Min Ren as Yi Yao, the main character and Zhu Dan Ni as Tang Xiao Mi, the antagonist.

The film begins by showing Yi Yao's poor life. Even to buy a new uniform she could not afford so that her friends often ridiculed her. She lives with her mother who is angry and abusive. Her mother was judged a naughty woman because she worked as a massager whose customers were mostly men. One day, she finds out that she has an infectious disease and hides it from everyone. Tang Xiao Mi, a transfer student who likes Qing Ming, Yi Yao's best friend, thinks Qi Ming likes Yi Yao. She knows her secret and spreads it to her friends that makes them assume negative assumptions. People hated and even bullied Yi Yao verbally and physically. Not only that, she was also accused of being the mastermind behind the tragedy of the murder of a student who was liked by her best friend, Gu Sen Xiang. Gu Sen Xiang was the twin of Gu Sen Xi, a friend who always helped Yi Yao when being bullied. They also distrusted and turned away from Yi Yao. Can she still survive?

  This film is able to shake my emotions. I almost kept crying while watching it. The main character's acting which is deeply immersed in her character makes me feel what she is going through.  Yi Yao was able to show her feelings just through her gaze. Unfortunately, Qing Ming's role as Yi Yao's best friend from childhood was very few. The directing is good. The soundtrack, titled Like A River by Angela Zhang and GoodBye Youth by Ren Su Xi Zai Jian Qing Chun, really depicts the feelings of each character. This film contains a plot twist that is not boring and dialogue that contains moral messages.

        I highly recommend this film, especially for a generation like high school students. This film builds character and provides moral lessons for the audience. From this film we learn that bullying is often used as a joke for fun. So, immediately watch and prepare tissue before watching.

 Reviewed by Dewincia Bara'padang/XII IBB Student of SMAN 5 Tana Toraja

 Exercise: Comprehension Text

BUNHEADS By Sophie Flack Source: https://youngadultbookreviews.com Hannah has been a dancer at an elite Ballet company for many years and was completely fine dedicating so much of her life to it.  After meeting a musician in a restaurant, however, she began to realize how much she has given up for her dancing and she is not even a solo dancer.  Can she accept the fact that she has dedicated herself so strongly to something she may never reach the top at?  Can she bring herself to walk away after so many years of hard work to pursue something else she may not even like? This story allows readers to see what it is like to be a dancer in a ballet company.  There are numerous rehearsals, fittings, physical therapy sessions, nutrition experts, etc. that are constantly ruling how the dancers should live.  They are simply expected to give up any kind of outside life in order to succeed in this difficult field.  Hannah is unusual in that she begins to think about life outside of the studio and is not sure she is up for the challenge of doing what it takes to get promoted.  On the other hand, whenever she sees other girls get promoted over her she feels jealous and hurt.  Is she meant to be a solo ballerina or merely a background dancer?  Readers interested in dancing, the arts, or romance will enjoy this book wholeheartedly. Adopted from: https://youngadultbookreviews.com/2012/03/

 

Answer the questions below based on the text above.

1. What is the text about?

    A. Hannah’s biography.

    B. The isolated life of dancers.

    C. A critique of a book entitled Bunheads.

    D. The good and bad sides of being a dancer.

    E. The synopsis of a book entitled Bunheads.

2. What does Hannah realize after dancing for years?

    A. Dancing is useful for her.

    B. She has not danced seriously.

    C. She doesn’t really like dancing.

    D. She has not reached the top level yet.

    E. She has to sacrifice many things for the dancing.

3. “They are simply expected to give up any kind of outside life ....” (Paragraph 2).         The word “they” here refers to ....

    A. the readers

    B. the dancers

    C. the rehearsals

    D. nutrition experts

    E. physical therapy sessions

4. What does Hannah hesitate to do?

    A. Whether she could break with her boyfriend for her dancing career or not.

    B. Whether she should be a part-time or full-time dancer.

    C. Whether she should be a dancing instructor or not.

    D. Whether she should be a dancer or an employee.

    E. Whether she should quit dancing or try to be promoted.

5. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

    A. The dancers should stop doing any other kinds of jobs and focus on dancing.

    B. There are many things in the book that tell us how dancers should live.

    C. Hannah realizes about her life when she meets a musician.

    D. Hannah can accept it, if other girls are promoted over her.

    E. There is romance in the book.

6. Find the language features of the text:

    a. evaluative words

    b. compound sentence

    c. complex sentence