About this book
War Brides: A Play in One Act by Marion Craig Wentworth delivers a searing, compact drama that confronts the human cost of war with stark eloquence. Set in a war-ridden country and first staged in 1915, this one-act play unfolds in a peasant cottage where women, peasants and aristocrats alike, face the anxieties, sacrifices, and moral choices imposed by conflict.
Wentworth’s play—part literature, part stage drama—examines themes of patriotism, duty, maternal grief, and the role of women in wartime, offering a powerful anti-war sentiment that resonated during the First World War and still echoes today. The intimate scene work, tense atmosphere, and sharply drawn characters create emotional immediacy without melodrama; the play’s focus on the homefront and the “war brides” phenomenon reveals how public conflict reshapes private lives.
Listeners will appreciate the play’s historical context and lyrical yet direct dialogue, ideal for students of drama, lovers of classic theatre, and anyone interested in World War I-era literature or feminist perspectives on war. This audiobook is a compelling, thought-provoking listen for those who seek concise, stage-driven storytelling with lasting moral resonance.
