Both of the answres above pretty much sum it up perfectly. Compact digital cameras are fine for small prints, but anything larger & they struggle. You can have all the pixels in the world, but if it's a tiny sensor then it's all for nothing.
Also, amazon reviews, if negative, tend to be knee-jerk & reactionary. It's usually someone who is ruffled around the boa with it breaking, as chuck says, it's just one review.
Check the excellent link that chuck posted, and base your decision from there.
personally, i prefer the much better image quality of a 35mm film camera, they are still better quality than most slr's due to the 35mm frame size, they are equivolnet to about 20m pixels. i use a contax t2 which is just perfect. See if you can spring to that much.
Finally, canon are an established brand. They make a very solid camera, they are quite sound. If it's looks plasticy, it's academic. iut's the quality of the photos that count.