The purpose of the assignment is to explain the book as you, the reviewer understands it:

Start first with the author. Who is he? What’s his background? Is he qualified to speak as an authority on this subject? What is his attitude toward the subject? For example, if his is a biography of Louis XVI, is he empathetic to and understanding of the challenges he faced or is he essentially dismissive of the monarch? From there the reader of the review has a sense of perspective as he begins.

From here the reviewer identifies what he sees as the thesis. What is it? Does the author provide sufficient evidence to support that main point? Where does he succeed and/or fail? You the reviewer must explain your understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s arguments. References may be made to characters or key moments in the life of the characters in terms of what you see to be the main point of the book. If, for example, the author claims that the French Revolution was the result of mismanagement and timidity on the part of King Louis XVI, then what evidence does he supply to support such a judgment? Does he explain the evidence convincingly? The author may discuss certain events or characters but does he do so in a way that supports his theme/thesis. How does he deal with counter arguments made in books on the same subject before he wrote his? Finally, the reviewer will want to take into consideration the book’s historical setting or its relevance to today, the early 21st century.