Once again, Kristin Hannah has written a book that grips you within the first few pages. The subject matter is a hard but really lets you see and feel what it was like during the Vietnam war. You become vested in the lives of the characters and dread what might happen to them. A must read for all.

Oh, how I wanted to love this book. I enjoy Hannah's writing and this is such an unexamined area of history that I had high hopes. While I liked Frankie and really enjoyed the part of the story that took place in Vietnam as Frankie grew into herself and bonded with her friends, the beginning felt off to me - perfect little naive rich girl goes to war and her mother sends letters about the protesters at home without a care for her daughter after already losing a son to the war - and the aftermath part was hit or miss for me. Frankie's battle with PTSD and trying to get help when everyone's answer was "there weren't women in Vietnam" was strong and the lifelong bond with her friends was my favorite, but the love story angles mostly annoyed me. I would still recommend this title to Hannah fans and patrons who enjoy historical fiction, I just wish I'd liked it more. Thanks you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Women by Kristin Hannah is a book about nurses in Viet Nam during the Viet Nam war. Ms. Hannah is an accomplished writer, and according to her notes at the end of this book, she has been wanting to write this book for quite some time. It is well researched, in all aspects, and is Historical Fiction, so although she has many facts in this book, her characters are fictionalized. The subject is a very interesting one, and since I am a nurse and grew up during the Viet Nam war, I found the book to be fascinating. She takes a wealthy girl from Coronado, California, who is 20 years old, and just finished nursing school, and places her right in the thick of things in Viet Nam. Frankie is naive, and untrained, and when she initially signs up to go to Viet Nam, she thinks that she will be able to meet up with her brother, Fin, who has recently shipped out to Viet Nam. All the horrors of this war are brought to life in this book, and the treatment of the "women" that were there, both during and after the war are explored in this story. These are the invisible heroes of the Vietnam War, and the only thing I remember seeing that explored this subject was a TV series called China Beach, which ran for 4 seasons. I really enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this subject, or Historical fiction. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity of previewing this novel in exchange for an honest review.

“The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn’t quite ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words. We were there.”

I’ve been a Kristin Hannah fan for years. Her writing is engaging and full of depth. Her characters are so fully fleshed out and relatable. The Women is no exception. I laughed and cried as I followed Frankie from her home on Coronado Island to the makeshift hospitals in Vietnam and back home again. The juxtaposition of Vietnam during the war and the US was such a stark, jarring contrast that I could feel Frankie’s emotions as she experienced it all.

As with most of KH’s books, this is very emotional. There were moments I was angry with the choices she made with her characters. And yet I will continue to read everything she writes because I can’t get enough of her writing.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Character driven stories
Vietnam era stories
Emotional writing
Any of Kristin Hannah’s other books

The Women
By Kristin Hannah

Wow! Just, wow! This is the first story that I’ve read by Hannah and it didn’t disappoint. This gripping masterpiece had me in the throws of all the emotions, so much that I read it all in one sitting. “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 (Frances “Frankie” McGrath) 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.” The Women put a much needed light on the shortcomings of the VA, lack of aide for veterans, as well as lack of equality between men & women who serve. Hands down I’ll be binging all of Hannah’s previous novels. Truly this wonderful novel is a must-read & have a box of tissues on standby.




📚 Expected release date February 6, 2024📚
❤️Thank you St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, & the brilliant author Kristin Hannah. I’m super appreciative & gave my honest opinion❤️

POWERFUL!
Thank you SO VERY MUCH to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this early for my review. Thank you Kristin Hannah, for shedding a light on a war and the women who fought so valiantly trying to save lives! I received so much more than you getting a review…I learned a plethora of information throughout this novel! (And, I was reminded of the music and fashion that took me back to my childhood!)

This story is about an era I was born into and knew very little about. Oh, there were things that stick out after reading that I thought,”hey, I remember that”….but for the most part I was really young!

This is the journey of one woman, Frankie (Francis Grace), throughout her life of volunteering to be a nurse in Vietnam at the age of 21 to her homecoming after two tours of duty and what that looked like for:

A person in a war everyone thought was wrong and hated
being A WOMAN (‘there were no women in the war’)

Technically this war was from November 1, 1955 ~ April 30, 1975 (I looked this up*), but for those alive who served in this war, many are still fighting in their mind and for their mental health.

This is about friendships, love, the bonds and the courage to fight to bring home our loved ones from war. This is about knowing that women in all their beauty, strength and feminine ways are people; strong people! We are courageous, fearless and heroic…and I am proud to be a woman!

Frankie and her friends are fighters and heroes! This is their story. I highly encourage this book to be read! It’s fantastic! It’s a learning experience for “The War No One Wants to Remember”. It’s also a book about mental illness and how it USED TO BE dealt with. And as only Kristin Hannah can do….she tells this story with passion, grace and a lot of investigating into all of the subjects that are here too unpack.

She lists many other books to read on this subject which I had never heard of…but I will say that my father and mother in law were friends with Jeremiah Denton and he has a harrowing tale of being a captive in a POW camp at the ‘Hainoi Hilton’ and it is riveting.

WHEN HELL WAS IN SESSION, Jeremiah Denton, Jr.

I know this review is long……BUT READ THIS BOOK! Again, thank you for trusting me with an advanced copy, I was honored to read. This book comes out February 6th, 2024 ~

I could not put this one down! I have liked all of the Kristin Hannah books I’ve read, but this one is by far my favorite. I was not born before the Vietnam war, but had a family member who was a combat nurse and faced many of the same issues as the main character.

Frances McGrath’s story of never giving up, and the women who supported her throughout her journey was so well told. The author does a great job with character development and accurately portraying the historical events.

This book is perfect for book club discussions and I can’t wait to introduce it to my other reader friends.

The Women is a dramatic and emotional novel. I'm a big fan of historical fiction; this is the first book I've read about the Vietnam era. I found the first half of this book suspenseful. The second half was more to do with the treatment of veterans upon their return to the US. Although I was young, in my early teens, I remember hearing about the war in Vietnam while my parents were listening to the nightly news. Not once do I remember anything told about the nurses. It's a shame how all the vets were treated. This era must have started the decline of decent behavior in America. This book has prompted me to read more about women in the armed forces. Thanks to author Kristin Hannah, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Women was a compelling book. I couldn't put it down. The story was sad, happy, heartbreaking and gives a reader all the feels. I lost my Uncle to the Vietnam War, so books or movies about it are sometimes hard to deal with. This story was nice, in that it talks about the women, I never even thought about women being in Vietnam. Great story

I will read any book that Kristin Hannah writes and felt so lucky to get this book on #netgalley as an ARC. 3 other book club members also got it so we picked it for our September read.
Frankie was a character that was hard to resist - Earnest, Loyal and Real. Watching the arc of her character shift as she follows her brother into the Vietnam war (as an Army nurse) was the highlight of the novel for me. Albeit violent, dark and very sad, this novel gave me reason to be interested in the role of women in the Vietnam War. I love the memorial statue in DC and have wondered what stories those women would tell if they could talk - Now I know one of them. Written with honesty and grit, Kristin Hannah does it again! Pre-Order this one!


#netgalley
#goodreads

wow. women were in Vietnam. my father did 4 tours and the research that went into this storyline amazing. i have been wanting to read this author for a while and so happy6 i got approved for this new novel of hers. you will be hooked from the beginning.

The Women
By: Kristen Hannah
Review Score: 5 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints

-This book is a vivid description of being a war nurse in Vietnam.

-Hannah pulls you in immediately to the story.

-Frances goes through so many ups and downs in her life, and you feel for her the entire book.

-There are so many amazing references to the music of this time!

-If you love the movie Forrest Gump, you will love this book.

——

The Women was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 2/6/24

I JUMPED the minute this book was available to me on Netgalley. Y’all. It did not disappoint. I have not had too many 5 star reads this year, and this was definitely one of them (and it comes out next year)!

This story is powerful. Hannah takes you into the hospitals setup in Vietnam. You feel the stress, the fear, and the emotion of every person who enters that place. Hannah does such a great job of showing how PTSD impacted those who have been to war. She also showcases how these nurses really had to fight to prove themselves among other veterans.

Every character is purposeful to the story. There is no fluff, just emotion.

You also really get a sense of the time, and did I mention the music? Ugh. I need to make a playlist of all the songs mentioned ASAP.

If you couldn’t tell, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. 10/10.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #historicalfiction #arcreview #netgalley #thewomen #kristinhannah #stmartinspress #vietnamwar

A beautiful, poignant, coming of age novel about a young girl who decides fresh out of college to become a Vietnam army nurse in an attempt to make her father proud.

Well researched and heart wrenching the way the novel sheds light on veterans returning from Vietnam and how they were treated, especially women. “There were no women in Vietnam”

***Spoilers in this paragraph up ahead!*** I really enjoyed It, and as per usual, i cried multiple times. However, the only thing i didn’t enjoy, is that I’m starting to expect that nothing good will ever happen to Hannah’s main character, making It predictable, and less emotional when stuff does happen. Poor Frankie suffers from so much loss, PTSD, addiction, etc. The spoiler at the end was almost so unbelievable It was hard to be happy for her. Come on, the two loves of her lives coming back from the dead?

Overall, i really did enjoy the novel. I was so excited to get an advanced reading copy and can’t wait for everyone else to read It!

I found this story a compelling look at the important role that women played in the Vietnam War. Sadly, I never once thought about the PTSD that the nurses suffered and am grateful for Hannah's well-researched and captivating look at the issue, mainly through her main character, Frankie. What Frankie goes through both during the war and afterwards, both at the hands of strangers and, even harder, at the hands of her family, is traumatic. I was so moved by her story, as well as those of her nurse colleagues, and I know readers will be as well. I wholeheartedly recommend this book; it's not a perfect read, but 100% worth your time.

Another great book by Kristin Hannah.
I liked the 3 girls who became lifelong friends. They all had good stories.
Set during the Vietnam War, it was graphic enough that I had to put it down and take a break a few times.
That by no means takes away from the book.
Looking forward to her next novel.
Thank you NetGalley!

Historical Fictional at its best. Kristin Hannah presents not only a wartime tale, but the afternoon of war in a sensitive manner. Even as a history teacher, I feel the Vietnam war is a war that is forgotten. This novel brings to light the struggles women that served faced and out duty to remember.

*I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley*

I have a love/hate relationship with Kristin Hannah. I love her books, but I hate that every one of them makes me cry. I have read all of her books, and I can't get enough of them.

Ms. Hannah's latest book revolves around Frankie, a debutante living on Corinado Island with her parents and brother, Finley, in the late 1960s. Through a series of events, Frankie ends up as a combat nurse in Vietnam. On Frankie's first day in-country, she meets Barb and Ethel, also nurses. And The Women are born.

This book takes a sweeping arc from the beaches of Coronado to the wet dampness of the jungles of Vietnam and back through America. It follows Frankie and her relationships with her friends, family, lovers, and most importantly, herself. It's a love story to the unsung heroes of Vietnam, women who were "never there" and their sacrifices and stories.

Lush in description, you feel every ounce of what Frankie goes through from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and back again. It is a story about family, friendship, war, patriotism, broken families, and finding yourself in places you never thought you'd be.

This book is gorgeous. I admire the research Ms. Hannah did to make it as accurate as possible. One thing I love love love about her books is that she always shows you a side of history you never knew about or thought about. I knew nothing about the dust bowl but learned with her book The Four Winds. Likewise, it never occurred to me there were women in Vietnam who served and that they may not have seen combat in a traditional sense, but they SAW COMBAT.

My father was a Vietnam veteran. He was drafted into the Army in 1970 and served in Germany for 2 years. He didn't see combat, but he was very proud of having served. He loved his army friends and so enjoyed hanging out with them as much as he could. This book is a love story to veterans and I loved every word.❤️🤍💙

Another great title by Hannah, as expected. This will be a popular read at our library and almost definitely added to our book group titles.

I saw this book and was immediately drawn to it. I am a twenty-year military veteran and deployed multiple times to different areas in the Middle East. Kristin Hannah did not disappoint!!! This is one of the best historical fiction books I have read in a long time. Vietnam vets hold a special place in my heart, as it was such a difficult time for our military members during this time in history. This book was such a great read and all the aspects of war and what can be even more difficult, going back home to a new normal. I highly recommend this book and will be buying a physical copy once it is released. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book. It grabbed me right from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. I haven’t read much about the Vietnam war and this book really captured the time, both overseas and at home. I enjoyed the music references that were sprinkled throughout the book. Highly recommend!