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: 4.1 (28 votes)
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Submitted by Paukzen on Fri, 22/11/2024 - 10:10

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Now I'm reading The Deluge by Stephen Markley, which is his second book.

The theme of the book is climate change and most of the story takes place in the near future. 

There are around 1400 pages and therefore there are many characters: scientists, politicians, eco-terrorists and so on...

I really like it and I think it's very current so I definitely recommend it

Submitted by Yan_ Luo on Mon, 18/11/2024 - 10:36

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I have completed reading a book: Perfume - the story of a murderer which I would recommend to others.

This book is a captivating novel by German author Patrick Süskind. It tells the tale of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an 18th-century French orphan who has an exceptional sense of smell murdered some young women to distill the essence from them. The reason why I recommend is this book is not only a thriller but also a profound examination of the darker aspects of human nature and the corrupting influence of power. 

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Submitted by zino on Mon, 11/11/2024 - 18:51

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  • The book that I would recommend is 'Where There Is No Psychiatrist.' It's a book about mental health.
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Submitted by KiraSafo on Sun, 08/09/2024 - 17:09

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I would recommend reading the book Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw. In this wonderful play it is about how the mastery of literary language transformed a girl from the lower strata of society to the level of a well-mannered lady. All of Shaw's works are imbued with sharp satirical humour and reflections on human nature

Submitted by s.arah21 on Mon, 26/08/2024 - 22:28

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I would recommend a recent novel I read called “Better than the Movies” which is a young adult book with the rom-com genre, by Lynn Painter. The story itself is not that deep but the way the author described the main characters and built their emotions in a way I found truly reflected myself was admiring. So yeah definitely I recommended it.

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Submitted by Askariteg on Thu, 04/07/2024 - 08:30

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What book would you recommend?

I would recommend my favorite classic book.It is Martin Iden.Author of book is Jeck London.Book says about a just boy which wanna get a knowleghe to get heart Ruth.Its so amazing book.There have a  spoiler.

Submitted by ubaid332 on Thu, 27/06/2024 - 11:52

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What book would you recommend?

I did not read any fictional book so I cannot recommend a book. If a book I recommend in the IT field for beginners then I will support Introduction to Computers by Peter Norton.

Submitted by Toan3002 on Wed, 12/06/2024 - 09:53

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If you are a Catholic, I would highly recommend you read "Tweeting with GOD" by priest Michel Remery. This book contains a variety of knowledge about Catholic doctrine as well as the history of Christianity. Moreover, you can find 200 interesting questions from many young people about God, faith, and morality. 

Submitted by Safe_Mode on Sat, 11/05/2024 - 09:37

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I didn't read the fiction books for a long time so I don't remember which ones I liked best but if you learn programming you, probably, read Steve McConnell - Code complete.

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Submitted by tomatoes_and_lettuce on Sun, 21/04/2024 - 14:49

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I would recommend the Harry Potter series by JK. Rowling. It acccompanied me through most of my childhood. I really enjoyed the magic, creativity and humor in the books. It was like we were in the books ourselves. It valued bravery, selflessness, loyalty and wit. It really changed my view on some of the details of life. No spoilers, read it.