Carrie's War
is a 1973 novel by Nina Bawden about the experiences of a girl called 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"
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CARRIE'S WAR TICKETS
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Plot
Carrie and her
brother Nick are evacuated to Wales during the
Second World War. They stay with the
bullying Mr Evans, and his gentle but weak sister, whom they call "Auntie Lou". The children befriend another young
evacuee, Albert Sandwich, who is staying with Mr Evans' other sister, the dying Mrs. Gotobed. They also befriend Mrs. Gotobed's husband's relative, Mister Johnny who has
Cerebral Palsy, 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.
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).
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. 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. The latter version is available on DVD now, distributed by
Acorn Media UK.
A stage adaptation by Novel Theatre ran at Sadler's Wells, 2006 – 2007 and has been revived for a West End run starring
Prunella Scales June – September 2009.