Seeking beta exchange or beta feedback for THE SHULAMITE, a 125k work of historical fiction. The below narrative is taken from my current query letter: Imagine a novel that combines the biblical reimagining of THE RED TENT with the immortality and longing of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE. THE SHULAMITE is a 125,000-word historical novel with a speculative premise that imagines the origins of the Song of Songs through a love story spanning eight centuries. Around 930 BCE, Asira is a village girl who meets a young shepherd. As they fall in love, they express their feelings in poetry. Their life together is cut short when he is murdered. Unable to imagine life without him, Asira takes her own life. But that is not the end. God restores Asira to life and condemns her to remain in the world as long as King Solomon lives. Yet when Solomon dies, she does not. For the next eight centuries, she moves through the ancient world searching for the man she loved and the poetry they created together. She refuses to accept that he is gone, but over time is forced to confront the reality of his death—and the possibility that some trace of him might survive in another. In 128 BCE, Asher, a young Jewish shepherd, dreams of a mysterious woman and begins writing poetry he believes is his own. Then he meets Alia, a mysterious woman who saves his life when violence erupts. She tells him the story of Asira, and as her tale unfolds, Asher begins to wonder whether a love story that ended eight centuries before his birth ever truly ended at all. At its heart, THE SHULAMITE is a love story drawn from one of the most enduring texts in human history. Would love someone simply to read it and provide general feedback. Does it keep you turning the page? Do you care about the characters? Is it compelling? If you picked it up off the shelf and thumbed through it, would you be interested? Are the characters believable? These are the kind of general feedback I'm seeking. I am happy to do the same for your novel.   submitted by   /u/Ok_Flan_1374   to   r/BetaReaders [link]   [comments]