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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Average: 4.2 (26 votes)
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Submitted by DW on Tue, 05/05/2020 - 09:38

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Recently I am reading a serial novel, “Harry Potter”. I have just finished the first book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and watched the film as well. It is a sweet childhood memory for me!

Submitted by manemusayelyan on Sat, 02/05/2020 - 11:20

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Hi everyone I you're fond of adventure, I would like to recommend any book of Agatha Christie. For instead, The murder of Roger Ackroyd. I assure you that you will be on the edge of your seat until the very end.
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Submitted by OlaIELTS on Wed, 22/04/2020 - 15:23

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I would recommend 'The Martian'.

Submitted by Helen Mg Mg on Mon, 20/04/2020 - 08:07

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I am hardly reading books.But now I am trying to read.So,I borrow the books from BC library.They are great.

Submitted by Julija05 on Wed, 08/04/2020 - 18:59

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Can someone explain me how JOURNAL ENTRIES is things we write in diaries? Is it something in common with newspaper or magazines? Thanks!

Hello Julija05

Both 'journal' and 'diary' have several meanings. Both can refer to a book in which you write down your thoughts or feelings and things you have been doing.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

JOURNAL ENTRIES are individual pieces of writing that forms your personal journal, where you can freely express each of the entry with thoughts, rants, reflections, and pour out feelings.while, a DIARY is a place where you record events, experiences and other personal things that interest you. You can write about whatever you like.
Journal entries are most used in the field of accounting.It means accountants write each transaction into journals,in other words "they keep track of everything".And in this example also,main character kept track of evertying in his diary everyday.

Submitted by Daria19 on Thu, 26/03/2020 - 18:07

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I really liked the book "The Martian".A very interesting plot fascinates. Everything is written correctly and beautifully.I would recommend this book to all science fiction lovers.

Submitted by jazmin marquez on Thu, 26/03/2020 - 16:07

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I don't like science fiction novels, I prefer realistic literature. So, I would recommend One Hundred Years of Solitude or Cien Años de Soledad, in Spanish. This book was written by Gabriel García Márquez and it is interesting because in it Márquez tells the story of many generations of the Buendía family. This book combines things from the Colombian reality and fiction, so it is representative of the literary genre called: magical realism.