Words We Don’t Have - for athousandwinds

[nfe_gremlin]

Title: Words We Don’t Have
Author: venilia
Recipient: athousandwinds
Rating: PG
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: If you’ve read The Magician’s Nephew, you’re good.
Summary: “Digory,” Polly says one day as Digory steadies her on her back in the water, teaching her to float. “I don’t want to marry you. I’m saying this right now so you won’t make any plans.”

Comments

[edenfalling]

I really liked this! I love the way Polly and Digory are always there for each other, and how clearly Polly's relationship with Freddy is something different -- not less, of course; just different -- because seeing a woman with a close male friend AND a lover is something sadly rare in fiction. I liked how close Polly is to all of Digory's family. The way you tied Polly's art first into signs for the suffrage movement, then maps for the war, and then into travel guides was lovely; I love that she has a career and adventures.

Her grief was very effectively drawn, especially the way she doesn't eat enough and doesn't acknowledge to herself a lot of what's going on. I love the way Digory forgives her instantly and compares it to her forgiving him for Jadis; I also like how Polly thinks about Fledge and the toffee fruits at various points. It's wonderful to see them carrying Narnia with them in England and beyond, without losing sight of which world they actually live in and what they want to make of their lives.

Also, thank you for the links to the word lists; they are fascinating!