I absolutely loved this book! Such an emotion filled story. I truly wanted to continue reading about Frankie because I felt so drawn to her character.

Historical Fiction focused on a trio of army nurses who served during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, their time in Vietnam and the difficulties they faced in the 70s and early 80s after returning stateside.
The parts of the novel which take place in Vietnam gave me flashbacks of the TV series China Beach.
Kirsten Hannah books have the reputation for making readers emotional. The prevalent emotion I felt in reading the second half was anger, mainly at Frankie's choices but also at the VA. I also guessed correctly at the ending, although dumbfounded that it took the completion of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a decade later to spark that particular resolution. I had high hopes Finley was going to have the same outcome as Rye, but alas he didn't.

Well, this was easily the best book I've read this year. It almost certainly will be the best book I read for the rest of the year. You know how sometimes you read a book and it just sits with you after you're done. That's how The Women was for me. I finished it two weeks ago and am still thinking about it. I would expect nothing less from Kristin Hannah. She is a must-read author for me.

The Women follows Frances “Frankie” McGrath, who at 20 and fresh out of nursing school, volunteers to be an Army nurse in Vietnam in 1967. Frankie served two tours in Vietnam during which she had a trial by fire crash course in how to be a surgical nurse, witnessed some of the most horrific injuries imaginable, met her two best friends, and fell in love. The Women follows Frankie through her two tours, and then afterwards as she returned home to an America that was no longer supportive of the war in Vietnam and went so far as to deny to Frankie's face that women even served in Vietnam. Frankie was denied mental health support from the VA not once but twice after her return to the US. The Women continued to tell Frankie's story until the Vietnam Memorial was dedicated in Washington DC in 1982.

The Women tells an important story of the women who served in Vietnam, that I personally was not familiar with prior to reading this book. Kristin Hannah gives voice to her characters in such a way that you cannot help but get swept up with them as they follow their journeys.

10/10. I cannot recommend this one enough. It was released at the end of February 2024 so there is plenty of time to read this one before it gets voted to be one of the best of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

An absolutely superb historical fiction book. Frankie was a young, idealistic woman when she volunteers to join the Army as a nurse to follow her older brother to Vietnam. This book follows Frankie to Vietnam and home again, vividly describing the obstacles faced in country and on her return home. I read it in a day....I loved it. Highly recommend!

Absolutely the best book I have read this year! I love historical fiction and I had never read anything from the Vietnam era. This book checked all of the boxes for me and I could not recommend it enough!

I finished this book a few weeks ago now and it is still stuck in my mind in the best way. As a huge Kristin Hannah fan I have been waiting for this one with bated breath. This story absolutely moved me the way her novels always do and I feel like I genuinely learned so much. I had never heard stories of women nurses in Vietnam and not only their experiences during the war but also the welcome they received when they got home. I am so grateful for this new novel and the impact it had on me!

3.5 stars. Of course it's beautifully written as I expect no less from Hannah's prose. Of course the topic is one that is wildly underrepresented in historical fiction and is presented in a compelling, very-human way. And yet, it's just *not* The Great Alone for me. It's not The Four Winds. This is the curse of amazing writing. My expectations were just so very high but something never clicked for me with Frankie like it has with past protagonists. That said, I suspect that most readers of Hannah's work (and anyone who appreciates great historical fiction) will enjoy this one overall.

This book was honestly AMAZING. It was so emotional, and so well-written, that I felt everything that Frankie was going through as she felt it. I did rate it 4 stars however, because I saw several plot points coming before they happened - BUT, I think anyone that's read more than 2-3 of Hannah's works would also see them coming. The Nightingale is still my favorite of hers, but this one definitely makes the top 5! 4 stars.

I think every book I’ve read by Kristin has been 5 stars and this was one NO exception! The stories she tells, the characters she creates. It’s just all perfection. I loved reading about Frankie’s journey-her time in Vietnam and about her life after. I especially enjoyed it because I work in the operating room and that aspect of it was just so cool to me. The friendships she built were also GOALS. And the men. The MEN (all except one ) were awful. I can’t imagine dealing with what she went through with one man in particular. I think the best thing for me to say is that I 10/10 recommend this book!

Kristin Hannah's book, The Women, is an epic story about women in the Vietnam War. The story follows Frances McGrath, a naive nurse who volunteers for service in Vietnam. Despite the predictable plot points, the book still leaves a powerful impact on the reader. The story is about Frankie's growth and aging, with her friends Barb and Ethel providing support. The story is divided into two parts: returning from Vietnam and living afterwards. Returning veterans face harsh treatment, with many suffering irreparable damage. Hannah also highlights the women who have been erased from history, with female veterans often being told "There were no women in Vietnam." The book is a must-read for fans of Kristin Hannah's powerful and harrowing reads, but may not be suitable for those sensitive to depictions of substance abuse and other lasting effects of war.
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Kristen Hannah for the ARC for an honest review.

I loved everything about this book! Kristen Hannah is such a story weaver! The characters were amazing, I learned so much about nurses and their time in Vietnam. It was also heartbreaking to experience on the pages the difficulty so many vets had when coming home.

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It would be an utter CRIME to give #thewomen by @kristinhannahauthor anything less than 5 stars. Quite simply, this book is an absolute MASTERPIECE. I am astonished at how her writing continues to get better and better. It's taken me months to finish this book - mostly because I knew I would never read anything like it again and wanted to cherish it as long as possible.

This shines a light on so many topics - the important role of women in active combact, the necessity of nurses in war time, the horrific aftermath that death and destruction have on people returning from war, the neverending force of female friendships... the list goes on. This book was not easy to read at all. In fact, it is so vivid and graphic that the reader feels like they are there. I have such an appreciation for the "people behind the scenes" who are heroes just as much as the front lines.

I could spend hours telling you why you need to read this - for the history lesson if nothing else, but I don't want to give too much away. This will probably go on my list of top 5 all-time favorite #historicalfiction books. It's a must-read - for ANYONE.

Kristin, you've done it again. 👏

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THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah blew me away. While the length might look imposing, I flew through this book in two days. Frankie imprinted on me for her courage, her strengths and weaknesses, and her resilience. I haven’t read a lot of fiction about Vietnam and you could tell how well researched this novel was while keeping with Hannah’s signature character development. I look forward to learning more by reading the books she mentions in the back. I thought that the challenges of the era between Vietnam, civil rights, and women’s rights were handled brilliantly, never losing the focus on the women, but never erasing the brave men in the process. What a time to live through. The last fifth of this book was some of my favorite reading ever – cannot wait to discuss this with our book club in April.

I received an advanced copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Kristin Hannah is a master storyteller. In The Women, we follow Frankie from her privileged upbringing to the dirt, grit and harsh reality of the Vietnam War.
While my Dad fought in Vietnam, I really had no idea that women were there too. The Women was an eye opening read.
Hannah weaves a tight tale of friendship, loyalty and family during this tragic time in history.

A tour de force! While at times a difficult read, Hannah deftly explores a war and a trauma that are under-recognized in American culture. Propulsive, emotional, and big-hearted!

The Women is a heart wrenching tale taking place dining Vietnam War.. This time period is not often represented in historical fiction and Kristin Hannah does an exceptional job representing what it was like to come home from Vietnam after serving, especially as a woman. This one is a must read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review..

I read, The Women, by Kristin Hannah. I was excited to read this book due to the topic and the excitement around the book. Kristin Hannah did a great job with parts of the book. I feel the returning home part could have been handled differently . Unfortunately, the book was not a “couldn’t put it down book” for me. Her main character of Frances “Frankie” McGrath is a wonderful and deep character. We see many sides of Frankie as she goes through life. These stories need to be told. I imagine there are many women similar to Frankie.

I would definitely recommend this book. 4/5 stars.

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Wow. Where do I even begin. This novel was so heartbreaking but incredible all at the same time. The characters had so much depth and the writing was as beautiful as ever. This is the best book I’ve read so far this year as well as the best I’ve read from Hannah. Thank you netgalley for my free review copy.

This book was heartbreakingly beautiful. Kristin Hannah puts so much care into her books It hurts to read. This book was tender and powerful and utterly heartbreaking. I cried so much. Her power with her words and the ability she has to make her readers feel such emotions is incredible. This story of how impactful the nurses were and the story of Frances and her heartbreaking journey was just everything. All the stars for this one

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. I said it. I will remember this book. It will follow me everywhere I go. It was phenomenal. The Women was written with such grace and thoughtfulness. I just could not put this one down and it touched me in ways I’ve never felt while reading - I mean I cried a lot.. I am not an emotional reader, but this one got me. The relationships, the connection I felt to Frankie, the history and research.. it was all so well done and tied together so nicely in the novel. This is one of those books that you’ll feel lost after finishing and not sure what to pick up next because nothing else can compare.

Read it. Don’t miss out. Bring a whole box of tissues. & if you can read it with a friend I highly recommend because you’re going to want to talk about it.