Carrie's War

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Carrie's War is a 1973 novel by Nina Bawden about the experiences of a girl named Carrie and her brother Nick, who are evacuated from London to Wales during World War II.

"Carrie had often dreamed about coming back. And in Carrie's dream she was always running, running away from the house, and away from the fingers that reached out for her, plucking at her hair and skirt as she ran..."

1 Plot
2 Major themes
3 Awards and nominations
4 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
5 External links

[edit] Plot

Carrie and her brother Nick are evacuated to Wales during the Second World War. They stay with the bullying Mr Evans, a grocer, and his gentle but weak sister, whom they call "Auntie Lou". The children make friends with another young evacuee, Albert Sandwich, who is staying with Mr Evans's other sister, the dying Mrs. Gotobed. They also befriend Gotobed's son Johnny who has down syndrome, and her housekeeper, Hepzibah. The housekeeper tells the children about a curse on the family which concerns a skull kept in the library. According to the tale, the curse would activate if the skull is removed from the house.

[edit] Major themes

Bawden based the book on her own childhood experiences. She was originally evacuated to South Wales herself with her mother and brothers. In the novel Carrie is sent away with her brother, Nick, to stay with Mr. Evans, a strict and legalistic man.

[edit] Awards and nominations

In 1993, Carrie's War won the Phoenix Award, which is awarded annually to a book originally published twenty years previously without having received a major award at that time (in this case, 1973).

[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Carrie's War has been adapted twice for television by the BBC, first in 1974, and then again in 2004. The original 1974 version starred Juliet Waley as Carrie and Rosalie Crutchley as Hepzibah, and was repeated on UK Gold around 1993/94. The more recent 2004 BBC version (broadcast in America on PBS - Masterpiece Theatre in 2006) starred Keeley Fawcett as Carrie, Alun Armstrong as Mr. Evans, Geraldine McEwan as Mrs. Gotobed, Eddie Cooper as Albert Sandwich and Pauline Quirke as Hepzibah. A stage adaptation by Novel Theatre ran at Sadler's Wells, 2006 - 2007.