The Women by Kristin Hannah
Historical Fiction • Women's Literature • Literary Fiction • War Story
Pub Date: 06 Feb 2024 (eARC)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️️️💫

This book was hard to get through. Not because of pacing but because it was upsetting and required many breaks. I'm still giving it almost 5⭐️ because while heartbreaking, this book deserves/needs to be read. I can see this book getting banned in places for its unflattering portrayal of the US government's Vietnam War policies. The lies told to the public by then-POTUS and their administrations are eerily familiar when juxtaposed against the rhetoric heard from Russia about its invasion of Ukraine: "We have very few casualties"; "The war is almost over & the enemy overcome"; #Winning!; “What war crimes?”

Also jarring: in the timeline of the book, in 1972 contraception becomes legalized for unmarried women [in a Supreme Court decision]. Frightening that we are now plummeting backwards in time for women's reproductive rights. But I digress.

Told through the eyes of Frankie, a volunteer Army nurse, The Women tells the stories of friendship, of love, of heartbreak, and of hope. The first half of the novel takes place on the front-lines through the bloodiest, grimmest battles in Vietnam; the second half is just as disturbing: in the aftermath of the war, navigating reintegration into a society that neither acknowledges their bravery and sacrifice nor their trauma. We get to experience what happens when you are invisible, your very existence erased. This novel claps back: "We were there."

Triggers: War, Death, Child Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug Use, Suicide Attempt, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Trauma, Infertility, Gore, Violence, Self Harm, Toxic Relationship, Drug Addiction, Classism

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me a copy of the eARC.

Have your tissues handy! The Women is a raw, gut wrenching and beautifully written novel. The first part of this novel deals with some of the horrors of war seen and experienced through the eyes of an Army nurse in Vietnam. For me, where this book really stands apart from other war-time novels is when Frankie returns home. Kristin Hannah, in a very real and respectful way, details what it was like for many veterans returning home from the Vietnam War: the unwelcome, the embarrassment, addiction, PTSD, depression… Specifically, the treatment toward the women who served in Vietnam.

I had a hard time putting this book down. It is a very emotional and an extremely important story. I highly recommend this book to everyone, no matter what genre you normally prefer reading.

“Women can be heroes.”
“Together. Survivors, all. They’d been silenced, forgotten for too long, especially the women. Remembering you got me through. It mattered: remembrance. She knew that now; there was no looking away from war or from the past, no soldiering on through pain. Frankie would not let them be forgotten anymore; somehow, she would find a way to tell the country about her sisters—the women with whom she’d served.”
“We were there.”

WOW! The Queen of Historical Fiction is BACK! Kristin Hannah wrote another tear-jerking, eye-opening, "all the feels" novel set in during the Vietnam War. This era has been taboo-like, and not many writers have written about the suffering that occurred during the war. I loved the bond between Frankie, Edie and Barb. This book has it all: heartbreak, growth, endurance, and most of all, friendship.

it was alarming to me that Vietnam veterans were second class citizens when they returned from serving their country. It was even more alarming that no one wanted to believe that women were serving their country in the war. I am very glad to have read this story to not only educate myself, but to have a completely eye-opening experience on how my parents' generation were treated.

I would re-read this in a heartbeat, it will be a part of my bookshelf along with all the other Hannah books!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another incredible book from Kristin Hannah! That she can write so beautifully about such a wide range of topics and time periods just astounds me. In The Women, the time period is the Vietnam War and the heroine is Frankie McGrath, a young combat nurse. Throughout the book, readers follow Frankie through the horror of two Vietnam tours as well as her struggles following the war.

This book is a solid 4, 4.5 stars for me. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars is that it took me a bit to really get into it. I didn't completely buy Frankie's reason for going to Vietnam or the idea that she could jump into combat nursing with zero experience. I acknowledge that I also have zero military or medical experience and I'm sure Kristin Hannah did extensive research, so...what do I know? Regardless, those two things kept nagging at me and prevented me from becoming completely engrossed in the story, at least at first.

For me, the book really hit its stride in the second half after Frankie returned home. Her struggle to transition back into life as a civilian was heartbreaking, like watching a speeding train you know is going to derail but can't stop. And what's interesting is that even though I found Frankie's reason for joining the army unbelievable, in the end it did serve to highlight her growth from naive idealist to seasoned survivor.

I've read and loved so many books about WWII but nothing about the Vietnam War that I can recall. As I read, I realized how CRAZY it is that the number of years between my high school graduation and today is more than the number of years between the Vietnam War and my birth - yet I didn't know much about it. Reading The Women has inspired me to learn more, and to me that is always the sign of a great book.

My gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an opportunity to read this book in advance.

I received an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this Vietnam era novel that looks closely at a turbulent time in American history while also focusing on the war contributions of women and their desire, along with all veterans, to be seen and honored for their sacrifices and supported abroad and on their return, In addition, their is the struggle for a young woman to find love not only from her family but the men in her life. There is a beautiful outline in this novel of the strength, endurance and honesty of women’s friendships! Kristin Hannah is masterful in her storytelling!

I loved The Women by Kristen Hannah! I have not read any historical fiction about the Vietnam War and had no idea that women had served as nurses during that time. As always, Hannah delivers incredible characters that you can't help but fall in love with! The friendship theme was my favorite of the entire book. Although sad at times, the book is hopeful and there is redemption and growth in the characters. I couldn't put it down and finished in 2 days!

Kristin Hannah is one of my all time favorite authors. The Nightingale is a book I constantly recommend to anyone who has not read it. The Great Alone and The Four Winds were also captivating with complex characters and rich background of the time periods. However, it pains me to say I did not feel the same way about The Women. I LIKED it, but I didn't LOVE it. I will still recommend it, but I just felt the characters were not fleshed out as much, like in her most recent books. Frankie, a sheltered "good" girl from a "good" family, feels the need to volunteer as a nurse in Vietnam after her beloved brother is killed in action, much to the consternation of her parents. She learns not just about nursing, but also about human suffering, grief, and love, even in a war zone. Several events, both in Vietnam and at home are mentioned, but it just didn't connect with me about just how tumultuous the time period was. If you love historical fiction, I do encourage you to read The Women, I think you will like it! Thank you to NetGalley for the digital arc. #netgalley #Vietnam #Kristinhannah

This was my first real time ever really reading about the Vietnam War. Wow! This book was so eye-opening and profound! Being in my mid-forties, I have studied and read about the Vietnam War; however, this book reveals the true side of women fighting in the Vietnam War and the effects of PTSD and their homecoming afterwards. The treatment of America's men and WOMEN after the Vietnam War was atrocious! This read will stay with me for a long time and may well be one of my favorite historical fiction reads ever!

The Women was another amazing historical fiction novel written by Kristin Hannah. Her use of figurative language and visual imagery made you feel as though you were battling alongside her characters. The story's pace was fast and kept me reading late at night. There were tears, laughter, happiness, and gut wrenching moments throughout the book... just an overall amazing book!

This title will definitely be added to our high school library collection!

Thank you to Kristin Hannah for another breathtaking historical fiction novel. Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC digital download. Easies 5 Star review in a long time!

The missing. The forgotten. The brave… The women. 

The story of a turbulent, transformative era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels―at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics, of a generation both fueled by dreams and lost on the battlefield. 
“Women can be heroes, too.”

One of the easiest 5 ⭐️ I’ve ever given. I knew going into it, that Vietnam was such an awful war and a big part of that was how the returning vets were treated. Called “baby killers” and spit on. They were not treated as hero’s coming home. I never heard the women’s side. The fact that people have said over and over “there were no women in vietnam” is a lie. These brave women served as nurses in the midst of horror and put their lives on the line daily.

This story was so beautifully written, which isn’t a surprise from this author. It was at times hard to deal with the emotions that arose but it is such an important story and an important representation. I couldn’t recommend this enough!

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors so I was so excited to get the NetGalley for her new book that is set to be released in February. Hannah's ability to tie her stories to historical events is one of the main reasons I love her books and this one did not disappoint. Women's roles in Vietnam are not something that you hear or read much about, so this being the groundwork for her new novel was fascinating. The scenes in Vietnam did seem somewhat repetitive and made the story drag just a little at the beginning for me and delayed the development of the story. The usual twist at the end has come to be an expectation from Hannah and one I wish she would move away from. All in all, a great read and one will will purchase for my school library and recommend to readers.

Hard to read, but amazing!

Frances “Frankie” McGrath is twenty-years-old and fresh out of nursing school. She signs up to go to Vietnam to be heroic like her brother and earn her place on her father's wall of family war heroes. What she experiences is disturbing and heart wrenching but undeniably heroic. The question is: Was it worth it?

This is a story that needed to be told a long, long time ago. I was born in the late 60's and am appalled at how little I know about the Vietnam War and particularly the role women had in it. Kristin Hannah's realistic portrayal of the daily life on the edge of combat and what the soldiers faced when they returned home was so compelling, yet informative, that it is now my favorite of her works.

Everyone should and must read this one to be enlightened to the truth that “Women can be heroes, too".

I was born when the Vietnam War was happening so I don't remember anything, except one of my cousins died on Vietnam and my grandma crying when she got the news. I never heard about women being in Vietnam, only the men and the great sacrifices they made.

Kristin Hannah brings us the story of Frankie and other women who went to Vietnam to serve their country. Frankie was a young nurse who's brother had died in Vietnam, and she felt drawn to sign up to honor her brother. Frankie's story of love and loss, of her heroism and bravery, of all she saw and experienced will stay with me for a long time.

I gave this book 5 stars, I would have given it more if I could have. I'm not one that usually enjoys Historical Fiction as much as I did this one. I read this in one day, I couldn't put it down until I knew the rest of Frankie's story!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

A haunting novel of war and the debilitating effects of PTSD.

Frankie McGrath knows her parents expect her to follow tradition, get married, have children, and keep an immaculate home for her husband. Then her beloved brother ships out to fight the Vietnam War and all of a sudden Frankie wants to do more- win a piece of the pride her father has for his son’s service. When her brother’s handsome friend whispers, “Women can be heroes, too,” it lights a fire in Frankie’s spirit, one that sends her to the Army Nurse Corps and a year’s consignment overseas.

Excited at the prospect of telling her parents, Frankie is shocked and hurt when her news is ill-received, and then devastated moments later when two soldiers show up at the door with news of her brother’s death. Heartsick, Frankie leaves for her tour of duty and is immediately thrown into a chaotic new world of death and destruction beyond anything she could imagine.

Life in a warzone is dangerous.

Chaos.
Bright lights, music blaring, doctors and medics and nurses shouting instructions, casualties screaming. She saw Jamie, dressed in a bloody gown and masked up, coming toward her. There was blood everywhere, on walls, the floor, faces—dripping, geysering, pooling. Patty Perkins, in bloody fatigues, yelled, “You’re in the way, McGrath,” and pushed Frankie aside; she stumbled and hit the wall as two medics carried a litter into the OR. On it, a soldier—a kid—was sitting up, yelling, “Where are my legs?”

The Women- Kristin Hannah

But it’s also about connections. Soldiers band together and become brothers in arms. The threat of death or dismemberment forges relationships, sometimes literally in blood.

But coming home is just as hard. When Frankie returns, it’s to a country in upheaval. The service she’s given is treated with disgust. People spit at her, and taxis refuse to pick up anyone in uniform. Her parents treat her as though she was away on an extended holiday (two years in the frontlines), and the VA insists women didn’t go to Vietnam. She is essentially on her own. Then her two best friends from the war show up to get her back on her feet, and so the long, and heartbreaking, journey begins.

I was a young girl from Canada when the Vietnam War took place. It wasn’t until later that I learned about Agent Orange, Napalm, and PTSD. It wasn’t until I read The Women that I understood the horrifying details of this war and the lasting legacy it left on not just their country but the people of the USA, as well.

War is ugly, but is it worth the cost to our men and women? I don’t think so.

Kristin adds an after-note at the end thanking the veterans who helped her maintain accuracy in this all-important piece of history. I’ll end my review with these thought-provoking words:

I spoke with Senator Bob Dole last year, who admitted that as of 1970, most senators didn’t even know what MIA or POW meant. Think about that. Last year the people running our country—a country at war—didn’t know what missing in action meant.

The Women- Kristin Hannah

The best book I have read for 2023. I do solemnly believe that it will stay amongst my top favorite forever!

This book is amazing! I love Kristin Hannah and have read a lot of her work and this by far is my favorite. I don’t want to spoil any plot because I would love for readers to experience the same reading journey as I had. Going in blind was literally submerging my self within the story that I can almost taste it, smell it and even hear all of it. The writing was so gripping and gratifying all the while keeping my stay worthwhile. So, if you ask how was my trek through the pages, I would say it was emotional and impetuous. The feelings left me tender, broken and bruised. The dialogues were spontaneous and temperamental more so that the song references in this book can definitely build a playlist. In fact, I have been listening to the playlist since I am married to a vet. A complete soundtrack to that period of time.

Its a long book but I still have the energy to go for more pages long after the author’s note has finished. The characters- if you have been in this world as long as I have or even much longer, you have met these characters. You have lived, laughed, walked and might have loved and lost with them. The book is a definite must read, I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy and to listen to Julia Whelan on audio. This is not just for entertainment but for something bigger. To honor everybody who served, both men and women. And YES, there were WOMEN who served in Vietnam. They fought and struggled just as the men had. They cried and tirelessly worked for the country except they came home without the recognition they deserved. Its a reminder for us not to forget and when ever we say “Thank You for your service” to a veteran, mean it with all of your heart and soul and being.

Special thanks to Kristin Hannah, St.Martin’s Press and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read an advance e-copy in exchange of my honest review. I love it very much and I highly recommend!

This book was incredibly well done. The Vietnam War was a time period I didn't know a lot about. I was completely captivated by Hannah's writing and this book has left me thinking about the characters long after I finished the book. I loved that only the first 30% or so took place in Vietnam and the rest of the book showed how horrible it was for soldiers when they came home, and more specifically women who "didn't see combat". This is hands down my favorite book of Kristin Hannah's and I will be singing it's praises for a while.

This book is about the often forgotten women who fought in Vietnam. Frankie McGrath is a 21 year old nursing student who lives on Coronado Island by her very conservative parents. When she decides it is her turn to to serve in Vietnam, her parents do not have the same reaction as they had towards her brother. Frankie ends up becoming a very skilled army nurse and ends up staying past her length of assignment. Once she returns home, she is very overwhelmed and doesn’t know how to deal with the trawl she has gone through. Her parents also do not seem to support her past choices so this makes it even more challenging to come home. Two of her friends she met in war, Ethel and Barb, become her life line and saving grace through all of life’s challenges. Some parts of this book were hard for me to read but I did like the fact that I learned new things about the Vietnam war and have a much better understanding of what these women and men went through afterwards. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This is Kristin Hannah's masterpiece. I was caught up in this story from the first chapter. It made me wish I could ask my dad everything about his Vietnam experience. It was brutal and heartbreaking and amazing. This is top of my list to recommend to all types of readers. I have already told everyone to make sure they grab a copy as soon as it hits the shelves. I loved it and can't recommend it enough.

I love historical fiction and this was an awesome read. i loved the writing and the pacing of the book. this is my first KH book and i know it won't be the last! this story was emotional and heart wrenching. it was so touching, the vietnam war is a big task to take on, but i thought she did so with grace.

I really enjoyed this story she brought. I feel like the Vietnam war is something that there aren’t a lot of novels about. I also really enjoyed the perspective of an army nurse. If you are a Kristin Hannah fan you will love this one as well.

I am speechless. I started this book yesterday afternoon. I found myself up till 2am reading and grateful today was a holiday so I could read as soon as I awoke until it was done. I fully devoured this story. This has been one of my favorite authors for a while now, but I almost feel as if this is her best work to date.

The story of Frankie who becomes a nurse and goes to Vietnam for two tours while learning about herself and the cruelties of this world was heartbreaking. As a nurse who recently went through a pandemic, I have endured nothing compared to a combat surgical nurse but felt the losses resonating with me just the same. The treatment Frankie and her friends endured upon returning home was barbaric in itself.

I found myself sobbing multiple times during this book. I am sure the book hangover will be long lasting. This is the best book of 2023.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this work. All opinions are my own.