Describe a storybook or a novel that was particularly interesting to you.
You should say:
- what the storybook/novel was
- what it was about
- why you read it
and explain why you think it was so interesting.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Sample Answer
I never really got a book as a gift on any of my birthdays, but when I got “To kill a Mockingbird”, a classic novel, on my 16th birthday instead of some unique gifts, I asked myself why I never thought of a book as a perfect gift for a birthday before!
I didn’t open the book until after 3 months then, and as I got a long vacation from college afterwards, I planned to read it. It is a super classic novel, written by Harper Lee in 1960, that talks about the past American society in the 30s of 20th century in an authentic way when racism was prevailing in every corner and every activity of the said society, even though everybody talked about how racism was wrong. This classic book also describes how one man’s good intention is just not enough to make a difference in a town that is full of racism and that sometimes it takes another generation (generation of character “Scout”) to break away from the cruel and somewhat limited way of thinking of the previous generation.
This book was a fascinating read primarily because even though it talks about serious issues like rape and racial inequality, it has done so by perfectly blending warmth and humour.
I also liked reading this tremendous classic because it tried to advocate a female “protagonist” character without defending her actions or inactions because of her gender. Besides, the pragmatic and easy-flowing conversation among different characters falls in the “realm of truthfulness, and no pretence” and is simply outstanding. Another thing I found really interesting about this book is that even though this is a classic novel, it doesn’t shy away from portraying the different phases of child growth extraordinarily.
Finally, I found this book fascinating because even though it was written a long time ago, it is still very relevant because racism, cruelty, prejudices and discrimination still shockingly exist today in many societies in the same ugly magnitude or perhaps in a more severe form.