A Critic!

For people who have read this previously, there's an update on the bottom.

April 11, 2012. Just received a really bad--I mean Bad!—review on one of my novels at Amazon: Winter in July, the second novel I wrote. He/she called my main character, Kirby Yates, the protagonist ‘pathetic’ (so 'pathetic' that he/she found it hard to keep reading) and later called him a 'cry baby.' He/she called my character laughable. He/she said he/she would deplete his/her own library and every public library for a radius of 200 miles before he/she would read this novel again. But it does sound like he/she would read it again.
Well, folks, that hurt.
Sure, at one point in the novel Kirby did cry, but also, he had just seen his girlfriend get blinded by the flash from a nuclear bomb blast, and that huge sliding three-feet-thick door had just closed, leaving her outside, and then there was a series of nuclear blasts that—in Kirby’s mind—must have destroyed the whole countryside. So, yes, he cried. Wouldn’t you have? And then later, Kirby breaks out of the bomb shelter. He finds his girlfriend blinded but still alive. In the distance he sees dozens of mushroom clouds rising and blotting out the sun, so, yes, he's scared. The future for himself and his girlfriend does not look good.
So, who is this Amazon reader who did me such a service? Well, like many people writing online, he/she goes by a profile name that is gender neutral. And, in respect for his/her privacy, I
won’t name the name. I mean, this person talks-the-talk, but, by not identifying himself/herself, he/she is not really walking-the-walk.
Also, his/her profile picture is just the outline of a head, which could be either male or female. I don’t take much stock in people like that, who give not a clue to their identity. He/she could even be someone I know.
The thing is, yes, I can take criticism; each of us can learn from a good critique, but this one just cut me deeply. He/she gave me a scathingly-bad review. It even hurt my feelings. I even feel that if he/she were to see this very first post on my blog that he/she would be happy to have hurt my feelings.
Enough, it could go either way. The bad review could make even more people want to read my novel, just to see if they agree. Or, I might find out that many, many, more, people think Kirby Yates is 'pathetic.'
There is a spot next to this harsh review where someone else can respond to that particular review. Here is my author page where one can go there instantly: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004GW465S

Good or bad, I hope somebody does. Thanks for reading, folks!

CONTACT

nelsonjim1@live.com
http://morningshinestories.com
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004GW465S
https://www.facebook.com/#!/james.w.nelson2

Since I first posted this about six weeks ago I've received three more really bad reviews on my novel, Winter in July, and, BTW, I listed it only as nuclear war drama; I never called it a thriller, which seems to be the main complaint. So, if you take the time to read the bad reviews, please also read the three 5-star reviews. Also, all three 5-star-reviewers gave their full name.
Please especially read the review from Kurt Stallings of Fort Worth, Texas. He saw in my book just exactly what I was trying to portray.

Again, folks, thanks for reading!