Wow! In true Kristin Hannah style, she did it again. Kristin is the Queen of historical fiction . It takes her 3 years to publish a new book because she researches to the nth degree. The details in The Women are incredible. The story revolves around Frances, a young nurse, who signs up for a tour of duty in Vietnam. The development of this character gives us a true feeling for what the women who served experienced. I have read a number of Kristin Hannah's books and I always though that The Nightingale was her best work. This new book is very close to topping this book. I am a 71 year old woman and I could identify with all that Kristin presented. I know quite a few Vietnam Veterans. This book presents the the lack of appreciation our country had for these men and especially the women. Kristin has a wonderful writing style. Although her characters are fictional they are a compilation of a number of real life soldiers. If you have read some of Kristin's works, make sure you prepare yourself for this deep, emotional, roller coaster ride. This book is certainly at the top of my list as the best book I have ever read. If you have never read a Kristin Hannah book you must read this one. Prepare yourself for a deep transformation. This book will stay with you for a very long time.

As someone who hasn’t read much about the Vietnam War, I found this book so interesting and enlightening. I felt immersed in the storytelling. I loved the bond of Frankie with her friends, what a great group of strong, supportive women. This is a book will that stick with me for a very long time.

Another amazing read by Kristin Hannah. I was born in 1969 so do not have many memories of the Vietnam War but after reading this story, I want to know more. I cried along with Frankie as she suffered more heartache than anyone deserves but yet managed to come out the other side. A beautiful, heart aching story of the men but mostly the women, who suffered in silence and without support for years.

Kristin Hannah is just so, so good. I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction but she can write about nearly any topic and I am immediately fully interested and vested.

"The Women" had me almost unable to put it down. I slowed myself down toward the end just because I didn't want to rush it. I have learned so much, and I am grateful to have read this book.

Another winner by Kristin Hannah.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of The Women in exchange for an honest review.

A powerful and extraordinary story of a female combat nurse during and after the Vietnam War. I was a teenager in the late 60s and there is so much I missed knowing and didn't understand about the Vietnam War. This book is an incredible way to see that time period and that war, through the eyes of a woman who went to war to make a difference.

I reread the last chapter at least four times. Hannah perfectly captures the female experience in Vietnam and does not shrink back from the the actual social history perspectives going on at the time. You really feel for these three women. Run, do not walk to read this amazing story!

Kristin Hannah is one of my all time favorite authors so I was EXTREMELY EXCITED to be approved for this advanced reader copy from NetGalley. 'The Women' is an absolute MUST READ! This book is released in February 2024 so pre-order it or get your library loan ready because this one is going to be big!! WOW!!!!

Kristin Hannah does it again! She has such a unique ability to combine historical events with character development that makes the characters come alive and all the human ways. She has the ability to evoke the complete range of emotions in her readers.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC! I was prepared to sell my first born to get a hold of this book early.

The Women is a Kristin Hannah book through and through. She knew what her readers wanted and she DELIVERED. If you've read one of her books before, then you know the drill.. this book had me crying by chapter four. I was laughing, crying, heartbroken, pissed off, and empowered all at the same time.

Frances McGrath watches her brother go to war and sees how proud her family is of her brother. At his going away party, Frances meets a young man, Rye, who is the first to tell her that "women can be heroes too", which changes her perspective on life forever. Determined to get more out of her life and her career as a nurse, Frances enlists in the army. However, her prideful father shames her because "women have no place in the war". Her fathers views were not uncommon among the American people during the 60s. The shame is exacerbated by the American peoples resistance toward the war.

The Women follows Frances and her fellow female soldiers as they navigate through life in war and the powerful emotions brought about by the trauma they experience.

The amount of twists in this book had me spiraling. If you think you know what's going to happen, you don't! Several times I had to put the book down to gather my thoughts. As always, 5 stars!

The Women
By Kristin Hannah
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Well, she’s done it again y’all. It’s almost hard to put my thoughts on this book into words. But I’ll try my absolute hardest.

The Women is about Frankie McGrath, an army nurse during the Vietnam War. Frankie’s family has a long history of serving for the USA and she’s looking for a way to help her country, while also trying to make her dad proud and get her picture on his honor wall. While in Vietnam, she meets Ethel and Barb, two other army nurses. The shock of Vietnam weighs heavily on Frankie and she often wonders if she made the right decision. Ethel and Barb take Frankie under their wing and soon the three are inseparable.

After two years in Vietnam, Frankie is tired and mentally wounded. She’s seen some horrific things. She’s excited to get home and see just how proud she’s made her family. When she doesn’t get the reaction she’s hoped for from her family, things really start to unravel. Frankie is in a dark place and is finding it impossible to rejoin civilian life. Frankie struggles desperately with her mental health, but Ethel and Barb are always there to lift her up. Ethel and Barb are the only people who understand Frankie’s struggles because other Vietnam veterans back home dismiss Frankie’s struggles since she was never in active combat. How will the women who helped in Vietnam ever get the help they need if the men keep dismissing them? After many tragedies and disappointments, Frankie is determined to get her life back on track. She’s going to find a way to help the women who served Vietnam.

Oh the twists and turns this one took. I feel like I was audibly gasping every other chapter. Kristin Hannah really knows how to write an emotional story. I got to 90% of the way in and thought to myself ‘wow I haven’t cried in this one and there’s been some really sad parts!’ and gave myself a pat on the back. And then I got to the last chapter and cried like a baby the whole time. If you saw my story, then you know 😂.

Personally, it was really hard to read about the Vietnam War. My grandfather fought in Vietnam and the whole time I was reading this, I just kept thinking about the things he must have seen/heard/done. He really doesn’t talk about his time in Vietnam much and honestly, I can’t say I blame him. I know this is a fiction, but I trust the research done before writing this book enough to say that it sounded absolutely horrific over in Vietnam.

Reading this book was incredibly eye opening. Kristin Hannah always impresses me with how she can write about big moments in history and make me excited to learn more about them (much to my dad’s chagrin I’m admittedly not a big history gal). I can’t say for sure just yet, but I really believe that this is towards the top of my list of favorite KH books. I loved this book. I loved the message. I adored the characters. I think Frankie, Ethel and Barb may be three of my favorite characters of all time. I cannot recommend this book enough! If this one sounds interesting to you, I suggest you look up trigger warnings. There were definitely lots in this one.

The Women is out February 6, 2024! I’ll be preordering this one for sure. Thank you Kristin Hannah and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC and the chance to read and review this one early!

It's hard to put this book into words! The strength, resilience and determination of these women was amazing. I learned so much about a time in our history that was flooded with so many emotions. The best part of this story was the friendship that Frankie had with the women that surrounded her. This book will have me thinking for quite some time about the characters and their stories.





Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautifully written, well-researched book. It’s clear it is a topic that the author is passionate about. I did have a few issues with the plot, the biggest one being two incredibly unlikely “twists” that kind of made me roll my eyes. I really really enjoyed it, but I was expecting to love it as I have some of her other books.

This book! I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early release and I just finished. In typical KH form, I feel like my heart has been ripped out and then mended back up. I only wish I could give the book more than 5 stars. It covers a topic that needs to be discussed and it does it in a way that will stay with you LONG after you've read the last page.

I had the opportunity from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley to read an advanced copy of Kristin Hannah's The Women, her historical novel of the experience of women in the Vietnam War and its aftermath. The Women tells the story of Frankie McGrath, a 20 year old woman from Coronado, California who volunteers for the Army Nursing Corps, so she could serve her country and go to Vietnam. The novel is the story of Frankie's experiences - and at the beginning her time at the 36th Evacuation Hospital and then the 71st Mobile Army Surgical Hospital - read like a re-telling of M*A*S*H, minus the constant comedy - but told from the perspective not of the doctors, but of the nurses. I had recently read Dr. Otto Apel's memoir, MASH: An Army Surgeon in Korea, and early into The Women I felt like I was reading a companion story, albeit in a different War, But The Women is no copy-cat. And soon became a book I could not put down. Frankie was one of three women - Frankie, Beth, and Ethel, all combat surgery nurses who bonded together in the war, and continued throughout the novel.

Frankie's war experience was traumatic, but her return to the US was perhaps far more traumatic, and she had the experience of so many Veterans returning to a country that treated the troops like they were the enemy. Add to it, the reality that even though she was one of probably 10,000 American women who served in Vietnam, no one believed she was there, as "there were no women in Vietnam." The second half of the book grapples with her experiences with PTSD, which were amplified by several significant losses. In some ways, it felt as if something could go wrong for this young woman, it would. And even when she sought help at VA veterans groups, she would ultimately be turned away. "This is for men who were in combat, you were just a nurse."

I don't want to spoil the story, so I will be vague, but Frankie's experience over the next decade is one of trauma, grief, and redemption. While she rebuilt her life, it was always and forever impacted by her time "in-country." The Women is a compelling book that I could not put down. It was a book that made me mad - at how we treated our veterans. They weren't the enemy, the people who sent them there were where the true anger and lies should have been directed. In many ways I would love to see Frankie's story continue, and even more of the events that transpire in the last parts of the book.

Kristin Hannah says she first conceived of this book in 1997, but was not ready as an author to tell the story she needed to tell. I am glad she did not set this book aside. It should be a staple in the literature on the Vietnam war era.

A moving and riveting story about a young girls journey after experiencing and dealing with war and its aftermath. It was a journey of self discovery and selflove, with constant heartbreak that play on your heartstrings. Truly loved every moment and appreciated the story and journey shared.

The Women is another prime example of why Kristin Hannah is, and always will be, my favorite author. My father-in-law served in Vietnam, so I’ve heard numerous stories over the past 30 years of the horrors he faced during the war. Reading Kristin’s account of a woman’s Vietnam experience gave me a whole new and different perspective on this tragic time in America’s history. As always, Kristin’s extensive research is evident in her work, and her vivid descriptions made me feel as if I was there, seeing the devastation through Frankie’s eyes. I felt so many different emotions while reading this book - sadness, anger, disbelief, and hope are just a few that come to mind. There were many times I caught myself crying over the injustice and despair Frankie encountered during and after the war. Her moments with Barb and Ethel were some of my favorite scenes in the story, and I truly loved their closeness and loyalty to each other. I also enjoyed the many layers of Frankie’s relationship with her parents and how it evolved over time. I can’t recommend this book enough. It will certainly open your eyes and broaden your view of the Vietnam War as you discover a part of it that is rarely talked about. I was hooked from the first page, and I know The Women will remain in my heart and mind a very long time.

4.5 rounded up! I have a loooot of thoughts on this one and may bump my rating down (or up…) because my feelings were all over the place while reading!!

While I gather my thoughts I will say I learned A TON, I truly felt like I was taken on a JOURNEY, and I loved so so much the HUGE importance of female friendship here 🥹🫶

Hannah remains an all time favorite author for me and I can’t wait for everyone to read this one.

Kristin Hannah does it again! A phenomenal story that I could not put down and finished in 24 hours. What a beautiful tribute to the women who served and still serve today.

I just read this book way ahead of all my other books, I just couldn't resist it. And then I couldn't put it down. This is a historical fiction novel based on the women nurses who served in Vietnam. Frankie is a wealthy white woman from California who decides to enlist as a nurse. She goes to Vietnam and everything is hard but she finds herself as a nurse, friend and lover. The descriptions of the Vietnam war are horrifying but the camaraderie makes it understandable why Frankie finds her way there. Things are more difficult when she comes home and can't relate to her country or family anymore. Kristin Hannah does not disappoint! The book is on the long side but it goes by way too fast.

📖 Book Review 📖

📱”The Women” by Kristin Hannah

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To Be Published February 2024

Thank you @netgalley for this early kindle edition.

Wow- it has been awhile since I have laughed and cried while reading but Kristin Hannah brings all the emotions to her newest novel. Much like “The Nightingale” I was drawn in from page 1.

So I have read a lot of WWII novels and enjoy learning about historical events that were breezed over in US History classes. The Korean and Vietnam Wars are barely mentioned in school and so I did not understand the anti-patriotism that surrounded the Vietnam veterans when they returned. Vietnam is not a war people like to talk about, and many don’t understand why America was involved. So kudos 👏💜 to Kristin Hannah for writing such an engaging story about such a hard topic.

This is the story of Frankie McGrath, who volunteers with the Army for the Vietnam War, fresh out of nursing school and just wanting to make her patriotic parents proud. She is unprepared for the horrors she will encounter, and is literally thrown right in. Grateful for her roommates, who are also nurses, Barb and Ethel, will save Frankie’s life time and time again. Frankie serves 2 tours, learns so much and saves so many lives as a combat nurse.

Readers get to see the shift of popular opinion in America, over the Vietnam War, from being generally supported to the shock over governmental lies about fatalities. Frankie, like many veterans returned to people who spit on her, and disregard her saying "There were no women in Vietnam". Frankie tries to integrate back into society and “forget” it all but she can’t, nor should she.


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