Title: Redefining Summer
Author: Loralee1
Rating: T
Genre: General
DLP Category: General
Pairing: None so far
Chapters: 9
Words: 57,465
Updated: February 9, 2007
Published: January 30, 2007
Status: Complete
Summary: AU, Post OotP, No HBP, Summer at the Dursleys has always meant Harry is overworked, under fed, and lonely, all Harry wants is a normal summer, what he gets is anything but normal. NaNoWriMo 06 project

Link:http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3369112/1/


Sequel:

Title: Redefining Hogwarts
Rating: T
Genre: Humor
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,783
Published: September 2, 2008
Status: Abandoned
Summary: Sequel to Redefining Summer, Post OotP, no HBP or DH, independent Harry, no pairing, Harry returns to Hogwarts for his 6th year.
Link: www.fanfiction.net/s/4515000/1/



Checked by Minion, March 30, 2013
Added the sequel.

 

Lora is a prolific, proficient author. This particular work is typical for her: it collects a host of new and reused ideas (e.g. Harry finds a trustworthy magic adult in Little Whinging) into a terse, well written piece of prose.

My only reservation about this story is a trait it shares with some of Lora's other works: she sacrifices depth for brevity. She writes good stuff, updates quickly, finishes her work, and explores lots of different, interesting ideas, but at the cost of depth that a 40+ chapter work would give. I can hardly criticize someone that updates often and finishes their work, though.

4.5/5

 

Too much Dursleys. Unless they're being kicked around or made fun of, having the Dursleys involved alot usually ruins perfectly decent fics. 4/5 so far, but will go down to a 2 if there is even a hint of any redeemed!Dursleys or abuse, or Harry taking more shit from them.

 

Its not bad, I'm not a fan of redeemed!Dursleys but I can endure it if its written well. Seems like a good fic so far, we've got the startings of intrigue, a slight hint of mystery and a good start to a possibly indy!Harry storyline.

Gonna wait for a few chapters before rating it though.

Aekiel

 

Just keep in mind that this was/is a nanowrimo entry. it's not complete but she did reach the 50K word mark

 

Err... actually, I think it was complete. She's just re-editing it and posting on fanfiction.net now. But on her yahoogroup (and maybe livejournal?) the unedited chapters were posted as written during NaNoWriMo.

It's only a summer fic though. Pretty typical and nothing terribly groundbreaking, and like most everything Loralee1 writes, it's very readable and pleasant. She rarely disappoints and is always good for an enjoyable read in my opinion. But she's far from the typical DLP appreciated type story. Often Snape gets 'redeemed' but stays a snarky asshat. And Dumbledore is usually manipulative, sometimes cruelly so, sometimes just misguided. Good reads especially if you're not expecting greatness.

I haven't read this one since she was writing it in November, but I remember this being the one NaNo entry I kept looking for updates on.

Just checked and the #30 she posted had this author's note at the end:

So it is complete, but it's just a summer before 6th year fic.

 

I read this during the NaNo on her livejournal. I liked it quite a bit, except for some of the later chapters. I think that when they get posted, the reception here will be somewhat colder. Although there is some DD bashing so maybe not. For me it was a 4/5. Some further detail is always nice.

 

I like Loralee1. I will say that her stories do not enter Dark Lord Potter country,
but I will vote for her as "Queen of the Harry Potter summer beach reading Fic writers". As rehashing ideas, gosh lots of pro writers do it to, eh?
Looking for a newish idea, she has started to work on a story called "Cadet
Potter" A twist on Harry goes to St. Brutus.

 

A great read I must say
4/5 (A bit too many clihes, but they're used in a good way)

Ummm... Excuse my ignorance, but what is "NaNoWriMo"?

 

NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month.

Every November people try to write at least 50,000 words in a month. Ideally you finish the fic in time, and ideally it's a new short story, but it's all just guidelines to get people to put in the effort.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Loralee was successful and you can see her update totals here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/userinfo.php?uid=101435

 

Well, this story is refreshingly... logical. Another proof that, with enough forethought and reason, even the worst cliches can seem fresh. I think I'll be keeping a close eye on this one.
4.5/5

 

I've read the full version (available on her Yahoo group) but it's unbeta'd and there are a few quirks to be ironed out. The version just now hitting FFnet has improved a bit thanks to editing and inserting scene cuts in the right places.

It is reusing a few of the same themes we see over and over, and I'm a bit ticked that Petunia is a "good" guy while Dumbles is "evi" but still it is well written and engaging. The plot (such as it is) manages to move at an incredible pace and before you know it the story is over. I liked Harry's attitude and I think his sneakyness has a solid foundation for once.

Having read the whole thing, I'll call it a solid 4/5

 

Is there a full version of this story that I don't have to chase through hundred separate messages in the history of loralee's Yahoo group? Files section has only one chapter more then the FFN version.

 

If you don't wanna wait for the betaed version, nor mess with a search on the yahoogroup, you can read it on her livejournal. She tagged the entries there with a "nano '06" if you'd prefer:

http://loralee.livejournal.com/tag/nano+'06

 

Well if you're on the Yahell group anyway (I am, Goblin Conspiracy and Time to Live were nice) try this. It hasnt been cleaned up in Beta yet but it's all there, thats the version I read.

 

Thanks nonjon, caitiff. That DOC file is perfect.

 

To quote Blues Traveller, it's like a bad play where the heroes are right/and nobody thinks or expects too much...

There's basically no conflict whatsoever in the fic. Harry just does stuff and occasionally yells at (or about) Dumbledore.

2/5

 

I liked this story. I will say that while not the best story by Loralee1 it is a very good read on a slow day. I like the sequel on he Yahoo groop call "Redefining Hogwarts." I agree that this story does not have alot of depth and could have been so much more. I perfer her other work called "Time to Live" and it's sequel "Time to Learn." I would give this story are 4.5/5 as a good read but for overall quality of the work I would say between 3.5 and 4 out of 5.

 

I'm rereading this fic, and it's just as fun the second time. Light entertainment certainly has its place. I'm noticing some humor and details I missed the first time, like Harry getting a ride down to his vaults with a goblin he didn't recognize. It makes a change from seeing Griphook again. Also, shopping at a second-hand magic shop and NOT finding uber powerful artifacts that only cost as much as lunch at McDonald's. Even Petunia is simply acting more adult, not exactly "nicer."

I'm just hitting the spot where Harry goes down to his vault and finds pictures of the Marauders' female classmates.

It's a nice summer vacation read. I'm not in the mood for angst or abuse.
4/5

 

She posted a nice plot bunny on her live jounal page the other day.