The Martian: a book review

The Martian: a book review

Read a review of the book 'The Martian' to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Read the review of the book The Martian below.

Then do the exercises.

Review: The Martian

The Martian tells the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut on the Ares 3 mission to Mars. After a terrible storm almost destroys the ship and the base, the crew of his ship believe he is dead. 1) _____. Alone on the red planet, he has to survive until the next mission to Mars arrives.

While this novel is fiction, in some ways it feels like non-fiction. It is very scientific and packed with details about survival on Mars. Watney is a botanist and engineer, and he begins to grow food and produce water in his artificial camp. How does he do this? 2) _____.

The author is Andy Weir, and this is his first published book. In it he has created a realistic character. There is a lot of humour in the story, and the reader can identify with the emotions (although no one can really imagine what it's like to be on Mars). Watney admits at the beginning that he is in deep trouble, but he never gives up. 3) _____. Instead, what The Martian gives us is a realistic look at an intelligent person alone on a planet and trying to survive.

The majority of the plot takes place on Mars and is written in the form of Watney's journal entries. 4) _____. Unfortunately, the other characters in the book (his fellow crew members, the scientists at NASA on Earth) do not get much development and so they often feel one-dimensional.

I should also mention that the book is thrilling to read. You will be on the edge of your seat until the very end. 5) _____. It's good not only for space travel fans and scientists but for anyone who is looking for a unique and exciting story. The Martian was so popular that it was made into a film starring Matt Damon in 2015, but I recommend reading the book first.

Discussion

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Language level

Average: 4.3 (23 votes)
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Submitted by Otniel225 on Sat, 23/03/2024 - 20:29

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I can recommend "Rodin Crusoë". It is the same kind of story. This one talks about a who is person lost in a desertic island.

Hello Otniel225,

The name of the book in English is 'Robinson Crusoe' and it was written by Daniel Defoe. It's a great book and there have been some good film adaptations as well, including one with Tom Hanks.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by bumi20 on Wed, 13/03/2024 - 15:05

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What book would you recommend?

I would recommend Project Hail Mary by the same author, Andy Weir. It's a fascinating story that takes place in the space as well and explores topics such as friendship, survival, and resilience. I rated this book with five stars.    

Submitted by ddddsky on Fri, 08/03/2024 - 08:09

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"What book would you recommend?"
I would recommend a novel called Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It gives me an interesting perspective about the past, future, and time itself. The storytelling is good and heartwarming. The type of book that is written not to make you cry, but you might cry when you can relate to the characters. 

Submitted by DzhusAngela on Tue, 06/02/2024 - 19:25

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I want to recommend Osho books,because is very deep and interesting book,After reading them I think my life became another.I want read them again.

Submitted by mariaumbarila on Tue, 30/01/2024 - 01:32

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Hi everyone! I recommend 'The war of the worlds'. It's a good sci-fi book.

Submitted by Raho on Tue, 07/11/2023 - 07:51

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mmmmm i can't recommend a book cause am not a reading fan but i will try to start

Submitted by betelf on Mon, 23/10/2023 - 09:21

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It's important to know the reader's choice of book genre for a recommendation. I would recommend 'Fahrenheit 451' as a good way to start developing a reading habit.

Submitted by TataRyt on Fri, 20/10/2023 - 22:52

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The book 'Kafka on the Shore' by Haruki Murakami extremely impressed me. It is worth reading. I love the elements of science fiction and mystery, so my mind was pleasantly surprised by the plot and characters. I would recommend it to everyone who wants to read something out of the ordinary and interesting. Give it a chance to surprise you.

Submitted by AlexandraMT on Sat, 17/06/2023 - 15:47

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I recommend From Animals to Gods. It deals with the history of the human being, its evolution and how we have arrived to our days.