What a "good" review means to an author - aside from the obvious

Writing books, especially novels, is the lonelinest game in town. Well, painting is up there too except I doubt it rarely takes 2 or 3 years to finish a piece of art. And then you go through the dance of getting published, if you're lucky. By then the poor author is like a poor lost soul staggering around and wondering - CAN ANYONE HEAR ME OUT THERE? So when you get a positive review,which you equate with an intelligent review, the gold ring is that Somebody Gets You. Or part of you. Whatever.

Writing "Gringa" was a huge undertaking for me, because I was compelled to examine all at once the creative process, the seduction of drugs therein, the 60's and 70' rebellion -and the always-mysterious country of Mexico. A couple of readers who posted reviews on Amazon confirmed for me that I had succeeded in this book. Modestly, of course, but I gotta tell you, it was a long time coming.