How to Write a Summary of a Book in a Concise and Effective Way

A book summary is a brief description of a book that touches on its key themes, plot, and characters. It gives readers a look into the story without giving away too many details. When you create a book summary, focus on keeping it short, clear, and concise. A good overview reflects the main ideas of the book and makes viewers want to learn more.

Writing a book summary offers several advantages:

• Summarizing important details and getting them fresh in your mind for longer.
• It helps you link ideas and gain a deeper understanding of the major plot points.
• It allows you to apply the book’s key ideas in your writing effectively.

Easy steps to write a summary of a book

Step 1. Write an introduction (consisting of Title, Writer, and Context)

To write a good summary, include the title of the book, the novelist, and some context.

For example, your book summary might look like this:

‘The novel X by N is set in America during the Great Depression. The novel tells the story of a young girl from the countryside who moves to Chicago in search of a better life. At first, she lives in poverty, but gradually climbs the social ladder thanks to her romantic relationship with influential men and her career as an actress. Although the heroine achieves success and fame, she remains emotionally lonely and unhappy.‘

This Introduction identifies the title, author, and provides a brief context (America during the Great Depression) to give readers a starting point before diving into the book.

Step 2. Identify the main characters and the setting

After you have briefly described the context of the book, identify the characters and the setting. This step will provide background on the story and the main themes the author has focused on. Identify the protagonist and antagonist, the supporting characters that highlight the character development or are a separate storyline.

Step 3. Highlight the main idea of the novel or short story

Once you’ve identified the characters and setting, it’s time to move on to discussing the main plot of the story. As you know, nothing in a book happens for nothing, and everything has to drive the plot. In this step, viewers need to identify the key event, the line that drives the plot, and the main idea of the story.

Step 4. Summarize the book’s theme

We have already identified the main figures, narrative and context.  Now it’s time to take a broader look at the story and explore the idea of the book in more depth. What message did the storyteller want to convey in this book? Is it clear enough for you after your first reading?

If we go back to our example from step one, the book summary example might sound like this (you’ve probably already guessed that we’re talking about Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie):

‘Throughout the novel, the heroine is faced with circumstances that reveal her character more and more against the backdrop of a certain historical time. The novelist tries to reveal the existence of the great American dream, and with it, the desire for wealth, the search for self, female emancipation and ethical standards.’

Step 5. Highlight supporting information in the writing

It’s time for supporting details!  Tie your supporting points back to your overall assessment of the book. How do these moments influence your interpretation of the work? Are they effective in conveying the author’s message? By linking specific examples to your conclusions, you create a cohesive review that flows logically from start to finish.

In summary, condensing supporting details in a book summary involves focusing on key themes, selecting impactful examples, using concise language, incorporating personal reflections, and linking these elements back to your overall evaluation. This approach enhances the clarity of your overview and engages your readers.

Step 6. Summarize your book review

This is the last step, but it is just as important as the previous ones! Briefly emphasize the main points you have already described above. Then add your own words, insights, and reflections of the book topic. Did you enjoy it? Was it sufficiently covered? What aspects were most convincing to you? of the whole piece.. 

Use this step-by-step guide to write a book summarization consistently and get a high grade from your instructor. If you need help preparing such an assignment, order a book summary from our best book review writing service. Read customer reviews about our writers to ensure we consistently deliver assignments on time and with outstanding quality.

Main points about book summaries

The purpose and benefits of a book summary:

Influencing book choice: а book summary helps others decide whether a book is worth reading. This way you can influence readership.

Understanding the content of the text: after reading the summary, you will understand what the book is about (and the main ideas of the book) without having to read the whole book.

Discussion: a summary makes conversations about a book, even if you haven’t read more than a few chapters.

Difference from a Book Review

A book summary and a book review are different. A summary tells us what the novel is about. It gives the main ideas or story without adding any personal thoughts. The summary’s purpose is to help people understand the book’s crucial points. It answers the question, ‘What happens in the story?’ without sharing personal opinions.

A book review, on the other hand, gives our opinion about the book. The review discusses our likes and dislikes and how well the book was written. We can also compare the book to others and say who might enjoy reading it. So, a review not only explains the book but also shares personal thoughts and feelings about it. Summaries use facts, while reviews use personal opinions.

Book Summary VS. Synopsis

A summary is a brief explanation of the main insights that the author has put into the book and its characters. In this format, you have to capture the main point very concisely without small details and your interpretation of events. Annotations should help the audience to get a basic understanding of the book’s content. 

A book synopsis is a short detailing of the plot, characters and key events of the book, which can be used both at the stage of submitting the book to the publisher and as a marketing tool to attract a larger audience.

Length Guide of a Summary Book

When students ask How to write a summary of a book, a logical question arises – what is the length of the paper?

The summary of books can usually reach up to 250 words. In some cases, you can write a brief summary, up to 8 sentences, but it depends on the book’s complexity. Sometimes, a non-fiction book doesn’t require a lengthy overview; however, this also depends on the subject matter. The main thing is to cover the points that we have already written above. And your conclusion about the book will be brilliant!

Do you feel that you are not ready to write such a book summary assignment? Leave a request to the best essay writing service and get a perfect sample for your future from our experts. 

The benefits of writing a book summary

Have you also had those moments when you read a book and weeks later you couldn’t even remember the main characters or favorite chapter? What about important details from the plot? That’s what the annotation is for! And also so that before reading the book, you can decide whether it might interest you. 

Discover Do’s and Don’ts for Writing the Summary of a Book 

Let’s look at some of the specifics that will help you avoid common mistakes and prepare a truly high-quality book summary.

Do’s:

• Read the whole book carefully. Take notes throughout the reading. You need to understand its content and context. You can use your notes for summary writing so you don’t miss an episode in the story. After reviewing the notes, you can find useful tips to help you choose a captivating title for your book summary.
• Identify the key themes of the book. It is better to focus on the table of contents and the book summary’s main topic or the author’s arguments.  
• Use clear and understandable language. Even if the author writes in a complicated way, you should convey your arguments in concise language and your own words.  Do not overload your book summary with unnecessary details.
• Formulate the author’s goal and what insights he or she is trying to convey to his or her readers. 
• Briefly describe the main heroes if you are reviewing fiction and indicate which key points drive the action.  
• Remain objective. A book summary is not a fictional description or an analysis of your blog on Facebook. Do not add your assessment of events, characters, or other personal opinions. 
• Be sure to indicate the genre of the book and who might be interested in it (for example, fans of detective stories or those who prefer biographies).
• Draft your story’s outline. Use tips about summary writing to create a strong and more satisfying ending for the readers.
• Stick to the agreed length of a summary and don’t overload the reader with unnecessary language devices. 
• Once you’ve finished writing your paper, check it over and make sure you’ve accurately described the book’s message and haven’t forgotten any details that are important to the plot. 

Don’ts:

• Don’t add too many details to your book summary to avoid losing the main storyline or characters. 
• Don’t leave any spoilers in the text, especially when writing about fiction. Your annotation is needed to encourage readers to discover the book individually.
• Do not try to distort the meaning of the work or the context, do not add your interpretation of any events in the book.
• Do not use too vague phrases, remain specific and clear. This will help the reader understand what the book is really about. 
• You do not need to rewrite the book or its individual chapter, your text should be a concise overview and only summarize what you have read.  
• Don’t use complicated words, even if you want to follow the author’s style.  Otherwise, you risk that your paper will not be understood by a wide audience. 
• Don’t ignore the resolution, even though you need to describe it without spoilers. This point is especially crucial for nonfiction books in which the outcome has a great deal of meaning. 
• Don’t write with a bias, even if you don’t like the book. Let the audience evaluate the novel for themselves. Stay neutral in this format, and express your thoughts and main takeaways in a friendly conversation. 
• Don’t forget to mention who the writer is and the exact title of the book. It is better to start the paper with these parameters. 

Follow these recommendations, and you will create a clear and accurate book summary that will effectively reflect its main point and will be able to interest the audience. 

Challenges of writing a book summary 

Writing a book summary can be a daunting task if you’re doing it for the first time for several reasons:

• Condensing information to about 200 words. Reading a book can take several days, and to summarize what you’ve read in a few dozen sentences? That’s hard! But if you try it a few times, you’ll get better results every time. 
• Identify the main points. You may like a certain thought of the creator or even a character, but it doesn’t mean that it is the main insight of the novel. Identifying the main ideas of a work requires critical thinking, and it can also be practiced over and over again. 
• Maintain objectivity. Of course, you shouldn’t share personal thoughts about a chapter or novel, which is also challenging. Just try to be neutral about what you learned from reading. 
• Write interestingly. Your audience should be hooked by your summary and want to spend their time reading the book. 

We hope our tips have helped you understand how to write a book review. If you’re interested in how to write a movie review, check out another blog article on our website.