After 2 years reccing weekly, it's time for me to go (though I'll be around as a mod for a while). I've loved sharing favorite stories at ER. Thanks for giving my recs a look. I've saved a good one for last. If you haven't already read it, I hope you enjoy.


Title: The Pure and Simple Truth
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Eventual Harry/Draco; a cast of pretty much everybody who went to school together and lived through the war
Categories: Post-war, conversations, friendships, drama, humor, romance eventually, philosophy,
Length: Epic (65,482)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: lettered

Author's summary: Harry, Draco, and Hermione go to a pub. Harry, Draco, and Pansy go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Pansy, and Hermione go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and Pansy―you guessed it―go to a pub. I could go on. In fact, I did. Harry, Draco, Hermione, Pansy, Ron, Blaise, Luna, Goyle, Neville, and Theodore Nott go to a pub. In various combinations.

OR My Summary: In my initial comment to the author in 2012 I offered my own, fairly biased summary:
Brilliant exploration of the heart of people - individually, in pairs, in groups, in society, in the wake of war and throughout the course of bloody history. When you think you know everything it has to offer, this story unfolds into more: more humor, more revelations, more warmth and understanding. It's larger than its word count, but it sings along. And yes, it may read in some ways as practically gen, but in any way that counts, it's a steam train running toward mutual affection and respect, and that's more than enough romance. Also, it's hysterical.

Review:
In life, the truth is often anything but simple, and that's the beauty of this fic. lettered knows everyone has their own beliefs and experiences, and that celebrating that instead of fighting it makes for a feast of friendships, ideas and debate. And yet for all its philosophical implications, this is an emotional and immediate story. It's warm and funny and sharp.

Harry's in character, never one to over think his plans, but he's not the glue holding this social circle together - not even the center, since it doesn't seem to have one. But it's his point of view we get, so the way he learns and changes is central to us, and through him we see Draco's growth as well. To me, in addition to everything else it has to offer, this is a romance, despite how long it takes them to come around to just the start of that - or actually because of how long it takes. They don't get pressed together or rushed in any way. Their post-war journey of discovering who they are now and who they could be is both required and incredibly good to read.

And I'll never be able to include why everyone else is so fantastic, funny, thoughtful, sometimes hurting, and always individual. I'll just say briefly that I'm a Luna fan, and she shines here. Pansy is so clearly drawn she could walk off the page (if she weren't too busy looking at her nails), and her hysterical deadpan delivery covers hurts you couldn't begin to untangle. Plus her description of Draco's relationship with his father is dead on. Blaise, of all people, works as the lynchpin; I'm not sure the story would get to the heart of things without him. ...And there are so many more terrific characterizations.

The Pure and Simple Truth has a lot to offer the heart and the head. It sticks with you long after you're done reading.

The Pure and Simple Truth (AO3)
On LJ: Part One, Part Two, Part Three - and comments to the author go here