|
I have a friend who wrote a book she is very proud of. She gave it to several people to read and asked me to read it and give her honest feedback. I'll start off saying it's a romance novel which is not one of my favorite genres.
I told her right after I started it that I liked it. The beginning of the story does draw the reader in. I also mentioned I'd noticed a typing problem - all possessives lack the "s" after the apostrophe. I made the comment gently, saying maybe it was a glitch in the software she used. She was not happy to hear it.
Okay, here's my dilemma. My friend does not take negative feedback well. She takes even constructive criticism as a personal attack. I am about 70 pages into the 200 single spaced pages of the book. I am bored out of my head. The story no longer interests me. The plot seems improbable. Her writing needs some major revisions and editing. A single sentence can drag on for an entire paragraph.
So I'm stuck on how to handle this. Finishing reading this thing is going to be torture. But can I not finish after telling her I would read it, especially since I told her I really liked the beginning? Can I get away with telling her that it's really not my kind of book and not finish it? If I do finish it, how do I give her feedback? She said she wants my honest opinion, but I'm afraid to be honest and hurt her.
Anyone have any suggestions?
|