Name: Hermoine Jean Granger (Signed) · Date: 12/08/08 7:57 · For: Sub-Chapter

This is one of the best AU fics that I've read, and one which entirely changed my view of Lily/James. The characterisation of James and Lily have been done in a marvellous manner. We don't see the extremely kiddish and bragging James, nor the whining, or extremely angry and commanding Lily. Something that I enjoyed while reading this was the fact that Lily and James were being friendly and teasing each other; they weren't yelling or whining. Many stories that mention James and Lily have them fighting all the time, and I'm glad this story showed another side of their relationship.

The imagery depicted in the story is really good as well. The images were vivid, and some of the lines were really 'brought to life', as I would say. The idea of using snaps to bring the scene alive is a really good one, and I thoroughly enjoyed the bittersweet ending. The ending lines, especially, brought a tear to my eyes.


As she leaves, the slight wind catches her whisper: "For what it's worth, James, I've only ever loved you."

Powerful, and heart-wrenching. Truly superb.

Name: ginnyrulz13 (Signed) · Date: 05/28/08 23:49 · For: Sub-Chapter

thats so sad!! beautifully written, and with such adjectives! i loved it!!

Name: desidero obtineo (Signed) · Date: 02/27/08 15:03 · For: Sub-Chapter

I'll admit, I cried. this was so sweet, it also makes me realize how it was almost good that both James and Lily died that night, they would not have been able to live without each other

Name: Hopeless Romantic (Signed) · Date: 12/21/07 0:11 · For: Sub-Chapter

Beautifully written. I'm not one for crying while reading books or watching movies but this fic had my heart aching and my eyes tearing at the end of it.

Great job :)

Name: beatifically (Signed) · Date: 09/27/07 22:33 · For: Sub-Chapter

This was sad yet beautiful. I usually don't read AU, but I loved this one! It made me sad for a while after I read this even though I know what really happened in canon.
Great job!

Name: Clarita (Signed) · Date: 09/15/07 16:40 · For: Sub-Chapter

i CAN'T STOP CRYING...
that was so SAD!

they loved each other so much! it is quite amazing to know that even if JK never said anything ELSE about them. I mean like, how DID they get together in 7th yr, and how they were. we have always judged them by hints that were given in the books, but they weren't real enough. Like ron or hermione or the other characters.

I don't know. That was the saddest Lily/James fanfic that i have EVER read.

Good work though! well done.

Name: Clarita (Signed) · Date: 09/15/07 16:38 · For: Sub-Chapter

i CAN'T STOP CRYING...
that was so SAD!

they loved each other so much! it is quite amazing to know that even if JK never said anything ELSE about them. I mean like, how DID they get together in 7th yr, and how they were. we have always judged them by hints that were given in the books, but they weren't real enough. Like ron or hermione or the other characters.

I don't know. That was the saddest Lily/James fanfic that i have EVER read.

Good work though! well done.

Name: swordfish0 (Signed) · Date: 06/28/07 19:37 · For: Sub-Chapter

Goodness, do you want me to DIE?! That was... breathetaking, really. I loved it loved it loved it.
"For what it's worth, Lily," he begins, and he can feel the tin can warming between his hands, "You should know that I only ever played for you."
AGH! Amazing.

Name: emLILY EVANS (Signed) · Date: 06/09/07 19:22 · For: Sub-Chapter

OMG IM HERE LIKE CRYING

Name: ginevra715 (Signed) · Date: 04/03/07 16:59 · For: Sub-Chapter

inredible! you have such a gift with words and imagery. the suicidal leaves spiraling into her hair...and i like the way you structured it, in different pivotal time periods all in the same location. i especially loved how i didn't realize until the very end that i read this a while ago, but this time it conjured an equally powerful but different image in my head, which just proves how well-written this is: you can suggest strong images without having to state them outright.

Name: Marauders_Girls (Signed) · Date: 03/26/07 12:44 · For: Sub-Chapter

omg! im crying right now!

Name: Anso (Signed) · Date: 03/10/07 17:48 · For: Sub-Chapter

so damn beautiful... it nearly makes me cry... well done!

Name: hpfreak101 (Signed) · Date: 02/23/07 8:57 · For: Sub-Chapter

I can see why this story won! this was a fantastic, touching story that brought out the best in you! Totally awesome job!

Name: jenny b (Signed) · Date: 02/02/07 5:58 · For: Sub-Chapter

that was beautiful! I loved it!

Name: nataliexkathryne (Signed) · Date: 01/17/07 4:15 · For: Sub-Chapter

way to make me cry..

it's a beautiful story

Name: michieceramic (Signed) · Date: 12/22/06 14:37 · For: Sub-Chapter

AWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Name: greeneyes (Signed) · Date: 12/04/06 20:06 · For: Sub-Chapter

Awwww, this is so sweet! The utterly hopeless romantic within me is crying her eyes out, while even my inner realist is getting a little sniffly. I figured there would be something at the end with "For what it's worth..." something something something, but I didn't think it would be so sweet!

You did a fantastic job, and I hope you write many, many, many more stories. Happy Holidays to you, too! (And if you don't celebrate anything in December, happy snowy days! Or, if you live in the southern hemisphere, happy sunny days! Or, if it's hot where you live all year round...well...I'll just stop.)

For what it's worth, you're a great writer. =]

Name: LovelyxLena (Anonymous) · Date: 11/05/06 20:50 · For: Sub-Chapter

Oh now I get it! Lily is alive and James died. I guess I missed the AU part. This was very well written. Sheesh. *sigh*

Name: LovelyxLena (Anonymous) · Date: 11/05/06 20:49 · For: Sub-Chapter

I'm confused.

Name: HermioneDancr (Signed) · Date: 10/22/06 23:09 · For: Sub-Chapter

Awww! Even though it’s sad, story is very sweet, in a warm and cuddly sort of way. I really like the technique of using snapshots from different points in time to tell the story. It lets you explain things that unfold slowly without resorting to endless streams of telling. You did a very good job picking the scenes as well. They’re poignant, far enough apart for to give the reader a good idea of the history of this universe (without hitting them over the head, which is sometimes a problem in other stories), but they’re also linked by the common theme of Quidditch and the imagery of light coming through the trees (or the lack thereof).

I like how you’ve presented the relationship between Lily and James. You don’t try to make James into the perfect gentleman, for one thing, which is something that irks me to no end in at least half the James/Lily stories I read. It’s a very real, playful relationship.

This is certainly a very bittersweet story, but for some reason it doesn’t make me sad at all. Maybe it’s because I’ve known canon for so long, and it’s so ingrained in me that Lily and James are dead that having even one of them alive for Harry to grow up with seems like a huge victory to me. I also find that death is one thing that I stop really regretting fairly soon after it occurs, because quickly life becomes so different that my mind can no longer bridge the gap. Maybe it says more about me than it does about your story, but while I found it bittersweet, I didn’t find this story particularly sad.


Author's Response: I think you've got my story perfectly! I didn't really intend it to be all that sad, and for exactly the reasons you stated! My true intention, rather, was purely AU: I wanted to see what the HP universe would be like if James had died to save the world, and Lily had raised Harry. And voila! For What It's Worth was born. Thanks again for your lovely review. I really appreciate it!