I love reviews of my books. The good reviews are affirming. They tell me I’ve done something right and that a reader has enjoyed my books. Positive feedback is the ultimate prize for a writer.

I deeply appreciate every reader who takes the time to write a review.

But I also appreciate the not-so-good reviews because these can teach me. As a writer, I am always eager to learn. (Every real writer is!) So when an astute reader can give me a critique that helps improve my writing, I am grateful for it. Writing is a lifelong occupation, a craft to be constantly honed, and a passion to be enjoyed. Every fair and thoughtful criticism helps me become a better writer.

There are, however, occasional reviews that are maddening because they have no redeeming value and no relationship to the value of my book or my writing. They are written purely for the sake of being critical — and they pull down my average.

Here’s one such review:

The one-star reviewer wrote: “My review has nothing to do with the story line, but the fact that the paperback was assembled incorrectly. It had Chapter 21 at the beginning and ran through Chapter 40 and then had Chapter 1-7 and then another mix up. The machine assembling these books messed up like anything I have ever seen.”

What’s frustrating about this one-star review is that it has nothing to do with my work. It is all about a nameless, faceless printer who made a mistake. If this reviewer had had one bit of sense or thoughtfulness, she (who will remain nameless here) would have understood that Amazon eagerly and quickly replaces products that are not right, even books—and that a one-star review was just wrong.

But, I guess, some people just like to complain.