I almost pity old Vernon, considering the life he was sort of compelled to lead afterwards, no matter what he said, and I believe he must have been an unhappy person deep down despite his apparent success. At least, he had some memories to fall back. I can well imagine him returning in his later years ... alone.

This was very interesting and your way of looking at Vernon's past. I never thought of him actually living an adverture, travelling and everything. But you have written in such a manner that I believe it happening. The relationship with his parents is very plausible, but you showed that he was still arrogant, still Vernon. You showed him as a detached person, I enjoyed this. Good job! :)

Oh, I really like this! There are not many fics about Vernon out there, and this actually inspires me to write one about him now! Also, I think that it's great to see Vernon in his earlier years - the last line was great, because on more than one occasion Harry had said, "he looked like he was going to explode," or something along those lines.
[Some would say that he led a fairly boring life after that, but Vernon would disagree. He led a normal life, and that suited him just fine.] I really like this line, because it defines him very well. He had always wanted to be normal.
Anyway, nice work. By the way, I really like the title. It's very unique. :D

I loved this! The way that you made his 'happy place' an actual, tangible place was really powerful. It was distinctly un-Vernon-like, which really made it stand out for me. I like the thought that underneath his nasty exterior is at least some small measure of peace; and the way you exposed that peace was lovely in that it wasn't some hackneyed chink in the armor. It was something simple that could be overlooked. Great job!

Well, I have to admit that it was interesting to read your Vernon story especially with all that background development of him, it felt very fresh to me.

Note: I think you should also include an "In Memory of Richard Griffiths." ;)

Nice idea! :)
I felt that choosing Vernon as the main character was very interesting and I liked the way your incorporated Reykjavik, Iceland into this.
However, I don't find this to be my style, as it's not really related to HP that much, other than the ending part.
But I feel like Vernon is portrayed perfectly here, with a secret side to him that no one knows.
Anyways, good job.

I really liked the background about Vernon not being close with his parents - it kind of explains a bit of his personality, in my opinion, and it does fit with his character, especially since his parents are never mentioned in canon. This was a really original look at Vernon - I've never read anything remotely like this, that portrayed him in a slightly more positive light and explained things from his perspective, but I really enjoyed it even though I don't like him in canon. The idea of this fic definitely seems challenging, but I think you pulled it off well, and I like how Vernon thinks of his time in Iceland whenever things start to get crazy - it's like his happy place. Makes sense that he wouldn't' really talk about it to anyone, too - he doesn't seem to be the reminiscing type. This was a wonderfully refreshing story.

I must admit, I am shocked that I actually liked a story centered on Vernon Dursley so much. He is clearly not a good person in canon, but here his view on life just makes so much more sense. I really, really like this story. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. Wow.

This was an interesting look at Vernon, and I like the details you gave about him, such as the fact that he didn't have the best relationship with his parents and wasn't one to talk much. And the fact that the memory of Iceland was "the only thing that kept him from exploding completely" was quite plausible.
Nice work!

I never thought I would like a story with Vernon Dursley as the main character. *blinks* You just proved me wrong. XD What an interesting insight into his character. I never thought about how it was for him growing up, and this was really interesting. I can see him traveling the world like that (and not having any interest in the Louvre or anything like that, that was definitely spot-on).

Also think it's awesome that the one place he feels most at home is a city in Iceland, of all places. You wouldn't think that Vernon would ever be content there, but he was-and I love how that's what he returns to in his mind throughout the rest of his life, throughout his job and marriage and dealing with Dudley and Harry. It doesn't really make any of his canon actions better, but it certainly sheds an interesting light on them and himself. I like it.

So, any story with an AN that says "adventurous!Vernon" has got to be good, right? I actually really liked this, Ashy! It was interesting to read his backstory. His detached family maybe even helps to explain a bit why he was so overzealous about gifts for his own son. He had to overcompensate for what he was not given as a child. The ending was perfect. Even if he was never going to return to Iceland again, it was still a part of him and helped shape who he was. Very unique perspective. I liked. :)

Really nice one, and I like the fact that you've stuck to his character. I'd love to see some more one shots like this.

This is a very good story. I like how you manage to show another side to Vernon without it seeming at odds with his canon self.