Kristin Hannah tells the story of Frankie, a Vietnam nurse, with such detail and emotion that it was easy to picture yourself in the evac hospital with her when a mortar attack is taking place. It was easy to picture yourself with her in the upper middle class neighborhoods interacting with people who were pretending the war wasn’t happening.
The story starts with the main character, Frankie, an upper middle class young adult, at her brothers going away party. He is about to deploy to Vietnam with the Navy. Frankie’s family is a military family. They have a hero wall of all the men who have served. All of the women are placed on the wall when they marry. A friend of her brother, Rye, tells Frankie “women can be heros.” This ignited a spark within her and she quickly signed up to be an Army nurse in Vietnam.
Frankie gets dropped off in Vietnam with minimal instruction or support. She has to learn quickly how to save lives and also how to survive herself. Luckily, she gains two friends that take her under their wing. Frankie’s friendship with Ethel and Barb continue throughout the book and is one of my favorite parts of the story.
Frankie’s nursing journey starts off with her knowing literally nothing about saving lives, let alone doing it in a war zone. She gets put on night shift in the neuro ward where most patients are in comas. This is considered a low stakes job for the newbie nurse. She excels here and shows great compassion to her injured comrades.
Frankie gets promoted to a surgical nurse and is thrust into the role. The surgeon she works closely with, needs immediate help. Frankie freezes, never having dealt with the situation at hand. He tells her, “no fear, McGrath” and this quickly becomes a mantra throughout the rest of her time in Vietnam and as she deals with the struggles of being a veteran.
After Frankie’s two tours in Vietnam, she has experienced a lot of loss. Upon her arrival home, she gets spit on by protesters at the airport. She finds out her parents told people she was studying in Florence. Frankie quickly starts to feel shame for her service and doesn’t know how to discuss or hide the internal changes her service has caused. She has nightmares, insomnia, develops a dependence on alcohol and pills. She tries to talk about this but if you’re weren’t there, you don’t understand. She goes to the VA and gets turned away because “there were no women in ‘Nam.” Frankie is exhausted and lost.
As the war ends, the protests and aggression towards vets turns into indifference. She quickly realizes that “we were forgotten; all of us Vietnam vets, but the women most of all.”
While most of the story is a whirlwind of emotions, a roller coaster of ups and downs, the last part is about Frankie making her own path and finding her own way. She takes her trauma and uses it for good.
I have very much enjoyed this book, I didn’t want to put it down. “The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn’t quite yet ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words. We were there.” Thank you Kristin Hannah for shedding some light on this forgotten part of history.

While the premise of this book sounded so promising, I was left feeling just okay about the finished product. In some ways, I felt like this story could have been told about any time period, rather than being specific to the Vietnam War. Even though it is called The Women, it really just focuses on one woman who interacts with many other characters, including a few women. And that one woman is kind of annoying and not all that likable.

For being set in the middle of a war zone, the first part of the book was not that exciting. And then the rest felt too drawn out. I think there was an overall pacing issue with this book.

I did enjoy the female friendships and the family drama. Chances are this book will do very well as the author is well established, but it was a miss for me.

I finished this book with tears in my eyes. Reading it was quite an emotional roller coaster. As someone of the Vietnam era, I am a bit ashamed to have not paid much attention at the time. The first half of the book was gut-wrenching in its detail of a combat nurse attending to soldiers during the horrors of that war. The second half deals with her return home. I have never been a fan of this author's writing, and this book is no exception. However, the story itself propelled me. Recommended.

I was thrilled for a chance to review “The Women,” which is Kristin Hannah’s latest novel.

I love historical fiction and have read novels about nurses who served during the Vietnam War but Hannah and her protagonist, Frankie, present a fresh perspective.

Frankie, a good girl, born and raised in San Diego, assumes she will marry well and raise children because that is what her parents want for her. But what she wants is to be a hero, much like her brother who is headed off to Vietnam. Her brother’s friend, Rye, challenges Frankie to be her own hero, and when her brother is killed, she decides to use her nursing degree to serve in Vietnam, against her parents’ wishes.

Hannah’s does an awesome job portraying not just the horrors of a “turtle” (newbie) caring for young men (boys) shattered by combat but what it is like to return to the United States, not as the hero she thought she was, but as the enemy, all because she helped to support a war so few Americans supported or believed in. Frankie struggles with PTSD, depression and alcoholism as the author takes us through the next decades of Frankie’s life. Frankie is a character who will stay with a reader for a long time after she finishes the final page.

Four and a half stars.

Thank you the Kristin Hannah, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

I read my very first Kristin Hannah book at the start of the year. Being an avid reader, I have no idea how I went so many years without reading a single novel of hers. Everything I’ve read, including this book, has been nothing short of outstanding.

The Women follows the story of Francis “Frankie” McGrath on her journey in Vietnam as an Army Nurse and the years following. Frankie meets and forms a strong bond with two other nurses while serving and they become lifelong friends.

The story focuses on a lot - the war itself, relationship struggles + friendships, loss, veteran issues with a heavy focus on the struggles of PTSD and so much more. There’s a lot going on, but everything brilliantly builds and flows in a way that you truly feel part of the story.

Most of Kristin Hannah’s books have a way of breaking you apart, and The Women was no exception. I mean, how could a story about the Vietnam war not shatter you into a million pieces? However, with grief there is sometimes hope and there was plenty of hope in the relationship of these 3 women. There was so much beauty in the love that flourished between them in the middle of such a brutal war. I actually found myself envious of this bond at times.

I never thought I would love Historical Fiction so much, and maybe I wouldn’t if it was a different Author. I feel like Hannah has a way of writing that pulls you in and makes you want to know more. Women that served in Vietnam were hardly recognized due to not serving in combat. Not only were their heroic efforts unnoticed, but most people had no idea women even served. This both broke me. While this book itself is fictional, Kristin Hannah interviewed several military nurses who served in Vietnam. At the conclusion of The Women she also lists resources to learn more if you wish.

Thank you so very much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Women is inspiring, heartbreaking, and hauntingly beautiful. I never thought a book about the Vietnam war would end up being one of my favorites. I think this one will stay with me for a very long time.

I will open by saying that when it comes to Kristin Hannah, I am a biased reader. I have never read something of hers that I didn't like, and in fact, The Great Alone might be one of my favourite books (which is hard to pinpoint when you read as much as many of us do). So, when it came to The Women, I was thrilled to read something I had already decided I was going to love.

And, as no surprise, Kristin Hannah surpassed my expectations. The Women tackles the story of the Vietnam war, and the often forgotten role women played in the army. The story is primarily about Frankie, a nurse, who served in-country, but it is also about her friends, her family, her comrades, and a whole country in the throes and the aftermath of a controversial war. It tells her story both on and off the battlefield in a heart wrenching, eye-opening way - which along the way is both beautiful and painful, joyous and full of sorrow.

I will say, one of the twists in the book was pretty obvious to me right from the moment the premise was introduced - but I will say that even though I saw it coming, it hurt all the same. This is the thing about Hannah's books - you can already know the story, see where it's going - but you're gonna be caught up in your feels every second of that journey. I don't know what sick pleasure she must get from knowing that her readers are single handedly keeping Kleenex alive - but she should get royalties for that.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this 5 star read,


I am not much for crying in books, but I don't know what sick pleasure Kristin Hannah gets from writing some of the

Wow. This book has alllllllllll the emotions- the intensity of war, the joy of true love, the pain of being hurt by people and life experiences, trauma, alcoholism, family, and so much more.

There were a couple times where I wondered how things could get any worse for poor Frankie. I almost had a moment of frustration with the book, thinking enough is enough and wondering if she’ll ever get to a point of happiness of contentment.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but all I can say is that this was an incredible story- a testament of resilience when life knocks you down over and over again.

I know I'm in the minority here, but this was a DNF for me. The story just seemed to drag on. The descriptions of the Viet Nam war and injuries incurred was very good, but the story itself seemed to go nowhere. I know a lot of people who reviewed it raved about it but I just could not get into the story and it seemed to drag on. I've really liked all the other Kristin Hannah books I've read, but this one was way to slow for me.

I have to say this is the best book I’ve ever read! Kristin Hannah has been my favorite author for a few years, but this one absolutely blew all of her books out of the water. It was raw, emotional, realistic, and so, so sad.

When Frankie McGrath’s brother goes to war, her whole life changes. Her father has made it clear that the only way to be a hero and end up on the “Hero’s wall” in his home office is to serve your country. One day, while doing menial tasks as a nurse, she meets a wounded veteran that tells her about the nurses over in Vietnam. She immediately goes and signs up as an Army nurse. Her parents don’t understand and are furious when she tells them. It turns out, her father only respects the men who go to war. It’s too late for Frankie to back out and she is shipped out the Vietnam. While there, she is thrown into the worst conditions imaginable, but she makes the best friends and actually falls in love. When her time there is over, she returns to the States heartbroken and traumatized. Frankie has to learn how to live in the real world again.

I don’t think I have ever been this personally invested in a character. I felt like I was Frankie for a majority of the book! The author described the setting and the character’s emotions so well that they felt real.

While this book was super sad, the ending was surprisingly heartwarming. I don’t know if I’ve ever cried this hard in my life! This story will definitely stick with me for a very long time!

This is such a remarkable story. Having lived through the Vietnam war, it brought it back so dramatically to me. Frankie McGrath changes in so many ways as she endures the horrors of war and the insults toward her service when she returns home. I highly recommend The Women, Five star review from me. Thank you to NetGalley, St.MartinsPress and Kristen Hannah for the arc.

There are very few authors that I can think of that need to sell their novels with a box of tissues, but Kristin Hannah is one.

An emotive writer with incredible depth to her characters, it’s no surprise to me that they hold characters I rarely forget. And even though I’ve been reading her for decades, I really think the last 10 years, she’s created her best work…

And here’s why: she has figured out a formula in her writing that highlights incredibly strong women MCs and gives them a storyline that teaches; either by unraveling pain or spotlighting a family in crisis or historical events. And as she’s doing it, she finds these sentences that she sprinkles throughout that cause you to tear up with emotions…

In this novel, which comes out in February 2024, Kristin Hannah spotlights the women of the Vietnam War. The MC Frankie signs up to head overseas after watching her beloved brother do the same. But innocent and wealthy Frances goes into this as an adventure and has her rose-coloured glasses ripped off within an hour of arrival.

As the book goes on, we see the sisterhood of war. Forbidden and desperate love. Unbelievable loss. And then the aftermaths of war in a country that remained very much the same (or became hostile) while the soldiers were fighting. It touches on the politics of the decade, how we deal with our vets and ptsd of pain.

Yes, that seems like a lot to uncover in one novel but the author finds a thread of family that connects it all. The strength of women, forgiveness and resilience.

The Great Alone is my favourite novel of hers, but I can tell you that this is right up there. I don’t think I’m going to forget these characters for a long time.

It also reminded me of a university friend whose father was a Vietnam veteran who came back with one less leg. It also reminded me of my grandfather-in-law whose pain was horribly masked by anger and loss. And I think of how that type of inner pain can affect families generationally.



When I cried:
The letter between Frankie & Barb
Private Albert Brown

As always, Kristin Hannah’s prose was the star of the book. Her description of how returning from Vietnam affected the nurses was poignant and is criminally underrepresented in history. However, the plot bordered on ridiculous at a few points. It was hard to stay in the world of the story when I kept thinking “Really? More trauma?” A few catastrophes is one thing, but back-to-back throughout the book became redundant, especially when several of them were very similar. Still a good read.

The Women is another epic saga from Kristin Hannah. The subject is one that I've never read about before: women nurses in Vietnam. We get a description of Frankie and her brother, Fin's, privileged lives on Coronado including her dad's Wall of Honor where photos of the men in the family who have served their country are displayed. In an effort to get on that wall . Frankie volunteers to go to Vietnam as a nurse. The story goes on to describe the horrors of the war and Frankie's trouble acclimating to life when she returns home. It describes her relationships in Vietnam and at home including her friendships with two women she meets at war. The book ends at the new Vietnam Memorial in DC - another wall of honor that, unfortunately, also includes her brother, Fin. Although the end was a little rushed, it was a great story. (Initially, (I had an issue with Frankie using the word "sh!tshow" because I felt it was a newer word, but, after some research, I discovered that it was used as early as the 1970s - just FYI for fellow nerds.)

I have been a Hannah fan since I read The Nightingale and stayed up all night finishing that book on the verge of sobbing many times. With The Women, Hannah has done it again. This story is emotional, heart felt, gritty, sometimes dark, just over all an excellent story. And yes, I stayed up way too late, not able to put this down, wiping tears from my eyes.

I grew up watching MASH reruns, it been my favorite, go to show since I could remember. The scenes from Frankie's experiences in Vietnam felt straight out of a realistic MASH episode, and I loved it. The friendship that develops and endures between Ethel, Frankie and Barb is the type of friendships every girl dreams off. Seriously, with Ethel and Barb at her side Frankie was going to be ok no matter what brutality the world threw at her.

I appreciated that Hannah took the leap and tackled this subject. Vietnam is very much the forgotten war, often demonized in the American psyche. Not that the atrocities committed over there aren't worthy of that demonization, but the hundreds of thousands sent over there, either out of a sense of duty or because they were drafted still deserved to be treated with empathy and kindness when they returned. Hannah made the experience of these nurses real and accessible. That is the sign of excellent writing and an overall fantastic story. I know I will re-read this one. Easily 5 stars from me.

Frankie is a HERO! I highly recommend this book! Beautifully written and I can't imagine going through what she did at such a young age. These women went through such a struggle with family loss, government lies, addiction, in this coming of age novel. It had all the feelings- harsh, bitter, love, passion, and so may raw motional moments. I couldn't put it down! This will be made into a movie for SURE too!

I was thrilled to receive an early copy of this book. I’m ashamed by how little I knew about the Vietnam War before reading this book. It was so eye-opening - about the conflict itself, about inequalities during this era, and about the complicated, horrific way veterans were treated upon their return. Wow.

Kristin Hannah handled the harshness of war with so much detail and specificity that I felt like I was there. It was gripping and intense, and I was completely enthralled. The pacing was excellent, though - the relationships among the nurses and their friends provided a respite from the heavy war coverage. (And gosh did I love the friendships in this book!)

Then Hannah covered the aftermath with such dignity, portraying the pain and trauma in a way that exposed it without exploiting it. So well done.

This was just a brilliant book, and one I’ll be thinking about for a long time. It felt like one of the most important books I’ve ever read.

If only I could give this book more than 5 stars as it is such a powerful story that will stay with you for a very long time.

The Women is a book that will capture your attention from the first to very last page and if you are not reading you will be thinking about Frankie and her story.

The story takes place during and after the Vietnam war.

We meet Frankie, who a recent nursing graduate has enlisted much to her parents dismay to go to Vietnam and do her duty to help her country.

We never hear of the women that were in Vietnam and how they were not recognized and were in fact hassled when returning home after their tour of duty was up.

Frankie along with Barb and Ethel endure the hardships of war and have a friendship that will last for over 20 years and its part of the journey the reader will take with them.

I cried with Frankie, I worried for her and my heart broke for her but most of all I admired her.

My review could never do The Women justice as its a book that is a must read and will stay with you long after the book is closed. ( I could not pick up another book for 2 days when I finished)

Kristin Hannah has written her most powerful book yet and no doubt will be many Book Club choices.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin' Press for the privilege of reading and reviewing The Women.

Kristin Hannah is an author whose books I will buy without reading the blurb on the inside cover. I have read every one of her books and I have loved them all. She tackles hard hitting topics but does it in a sensitive manner while still keeping the story interesting and exciting. This book tackled the Vietnam war and followed a combat nurse named Frankie through trials and tribulations during her tour of duty in Vietnam. The detailed account. of Frankies experiences in Vietnam were thought provoking and made me feel emotional about what went on during the war and how awful the veterans were treated upon their return home. I highly recommend this book, it is one of the best books I have read this year hands down.

What an incredible book about women in war. I really love how Kristin Hannah is able to take my mind and make me just lose myself in her books. Frankie was such an inspirational woman who over came so many obstacles and conflicts as she transformed from a teenager to a military woman at such a young age. To watch her journey as she aged was incredible and as a woman I really could feel for her and everything she went through.
My grandfather was a POW for 18 months and he never talked about what happened during that time. Whether you were held prisoner, fighting on the front lines or a nurse like Frankie was, I have no doubt they all saw the most traumatic and horrific things. PTSD is such a unique experience for everyone and Kristin Hannah did such a perfect job showing this and working Frankie through that time in her life. This was such a well written and well researched book! 5’s ⭐️ from me. ❤️📚

SYNOPSIS:
- Frances “Frankie” McGrath is a twenty-year-old nursing student. She has grown up in a conservative, proper household on Coronado Island. Her older brother, Fin, is in the Navy, and the book opens with him preparing to leave to serve in the Vietnam War. At Fin’s going away party, someone tells Frankie, “women can be heroes, too.” This new concept sets off dominos in her mind, and it causes her to enlist in the Army Nurse Corps.
- Frankie hasn’t come into her own yet professionally or emotionally, and she has a lot of growing up to do in Vietnam. Luckily, she has amazing roommates, Barb & Ethel.
- The book follows Frankie’s life in Vietnam & also her life when she returns.

MY THOUGHTS
- I enjoyed the women’s stories and perspectives. I never have heard about the nurses in Vietnam War, and this was educational.
- I really liked the amazing bonds & female friendships. It was refreshing to read about capable, badass women.
- The toxic family dynamics were interesting, as well as the society’s expectations on women in the time period.
- Very well-written & well-researched. A bit repetitive in some parts.
- The depiction of PTSD was well-done.
- The letters written between Frankie & her family and friends were great, and I loved the incorporation of those into the story.
- Book starts out slow, but it picks up & it is hard to put down.
- I was disappointed by:
- the dehumanization of Vietnamese people. We were never offered their perspective. Given the length of the book, I think it would have been easy to incorporate a character. I found the time in Vietnam to be the most slow moving chapters, and I think part of the reason is we were missing representation & perspective from a large portion of folks. It almost came off “white savior” in some ways, as we only know Frankie’s perspective.
- the final ending twist was one twist too many for me, and felt like a repeat of what had already happened with a different character.
- I didn’t like seeing Frankie’s character reduced to her love interests on so many occasions.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5 rounded up to 5. Enjoyed the perspective of the women who were nurses in Vietnam. Interesting family dynamics + well-written female friendships.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on February 6, 2024.