I knew going into the book that it was going to be hard to read. The little I knew about the Vietnam War was always difficult to process. When you drop characters, especially a naive girl like Frankie, into the middle of the war, it's bound to be a strong learning curve for those characters. Frankie lived up to the challenge and throughout all of the brutal and graphic injuries she dealt with as a nurse, she thrived.

When Frankie got home and faced not only the vitriol of the public for the soldiers, but also the total disregard from her parents of what she had been through, it lead to major upheaval and heartbreak in her life. Thank goodness for the lifelong friends she made in Ethel and Barb, who understand exactly what went though and were there for her through her obvious PTSD.

Hannah shines a light on what the veterans actually went though in a war that was largely misrepresented to the American public. She is a masterful and realistic storyteller..

Absolutely fantastic heart-breaking soul searching book I've read in a long time. Kristin Hannah does a brilliant job of telling the story of Frankie, a Vietnam War nurse, who goes over totally unprepared for what she is about to encounter and comes home a totally different person, how the whole experience affects her, from the soldiers she tries to save to the love that she lost to the way that she is treated when she finally returns home. Frankie is an awesome main character, with guts and bravado, and you will fall for her instantly. You will rip through this book and it will leave you thinking about it for days. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

This story absolutely transported me to the 60s. I was going on with my life, feeling like I needed to get back to Vietnam, back to the story. I came into this book not knowing much about the Vietnam War, but it was clear this was a labor of love by Hannah. There were a few times in the story that I got frustrated with Frankie's privilege. The discussion of race and class was more or less glossed over, but I eventually accepted that this just wasn't the story to discuss those issues. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed, but it ended in a satisfying way. This was my first Kristin Hannah book, and I'll definitely read another!

I would recommend Kristin Hannah's new book, The Women. She is one of my favorite authors. Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

This was an excellent book about women serving in the Vietnam war and the way they were treated when they returned. The portrayal of PTSD felt really honest.

You can never go wrong with Kristin Hannah. She took a very difficult subject and tackled it in the most eloquent, heart-wrenching, mesmerizing way possible. The subject of Vietnam is not an easy one. This story gutted me yet left me feeling hope and happiness through it all. Frankie's life is one that so many Vietnam vets had to survive through. It brought to life the real-life struggles our vets came home to. Thank you so much, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this fantastic story. My favorite book so far this year. 5 stars.

War doesn’t interest me, so I hadn’t read much about the Vietnam, but as a fan of Hannah’s, I dove right in. Hannah did a masterful job of drawing her readers deep into the world of an army nurse. I appreciated her extensive research and the level of detail that she provided that built a war zone that I had known very little about. She focused on the women veterans of the war, and their struggles both during active battle and the aftermath, upon reentry into an unwelcoming America. I enjoyed the clever way she wove in music to evoke a sense of time and place throughout the story.

Frankie was a nurse striving to make a difference during wartime, hoping to earn a spot on her father’s “Wall of Heroes.” Through most of the book, I admired her brave and fierce spirit. But by the end of the book, she annoyed me. Henry was one of my favorite characters and I hated the way she deceived and dismissed him.

The book was very long and overly descriptive, and it would have been more impactful had it been tighter. I wish the secondary characters – Barb and Ethel – were more developed. They played a critical role in Frankie’s life, yet we knew almost nothing about them. Additionally, the book was very formulaic and predictable, and I was not surprised by any of the revelations.

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

This book was 5 stars for me. I cried so much, and learned a lot about the Vietnam war. I’m Vietnamese-American and both of my parents are from south Vietnam (Saigon). They were children (5 and 8) in 1965 where this book starts.

This book had such an interesting perspective from a military nurse, Frankie. It was a coming of age story, and we got to learn about what the women nurses did and the great impact they had. It also has a lot of healing from trauma and addiction. There aren’t many historical fiction books that I can think of besides this one that focused on the Vietnam war, but I am so happy I read this book.

As always, Kristin Hannah masterfully engages her readers in a story while simultaneously educating us on historical events and their impact. Before reading this, I knew very little about the Vietnam War and even less about the impact of women at this time. Every part of this book will stick with me and I will be thinking about Frankie and all of her accomplishments and struggles for years to come. My heart broke for her repeatedly but I was left hopeful for her and encouraged by the messages from this book. If Kristin Hannah writes it, I will read it. Always.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

Kristin Hannah does it again! The Women follows the story of Frankie, a young woman who decides to serve as a nurse in Vietnam. However, nothing is as she expects it to be, and she struggles through a lot. This book shed light on a part of history that I do not think it talked about nearly enough, and that is what nurses and other medical personnel had to deal with in times of war and returning home. Frankie was layered and complex, and you couldn't help but root for her. I flew through this book and I think it talks about very important issues that we still see today.

This wasn’t my favorite Kristen Hannah book, but it was still really good! I loved the story of the untold women of this war and get a deeper look on things I wasn’t aware about before. As always, Hannah transports you!

The Women is a story of the women who served in Vietnam, and the challenges they faced not only from the war itself but their families, communities, and even male military members.

Frankie McGrath left her upper middle class southern California life to serve her country as a nurse in Vietnam. The things she endured during the war were horrific, and her return home wasn't any easier. The story of her journey, and her fellow nurses, is engaging and runs the gamut of emotions and experiences.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m gonna be honest, I really didn’t enjoy The Women. I found the prose overwritten and overly descriptive. The plot was virtually non existent- it was just a series of descriptions of horrors and tragedies. When she comes home from war with still half of the book left, there was nothing driving the story forward except the character’s depression. The horrifying descriptions of war felt so over the top and unnecessary. It felt like the author was trying very hard to write a tearjerker so she pulls out every sad thing imaginable. Did we really have read about dead babies in detail on page three times??! Additionally, the characters are complete stereotypes. Everything is told not shown. The author literally writes “she was a good girl who followed the rules.” The writing felt amateurish. The “twists” were extremely contrived and unconvincing. This may be the last Kristin Hannah book I read.

How in the world can I possibly write a review that will do this beautiful book justice?! True to KH fashion, The Women had me feeling every emotion under the sun. Happiness, anger, fear, desperation, sadness, love… you name it.

I went into this book not knowing much about the Vietnam War, let alone the experiences that women had during this time. Frankie is now a new favorite character of mine - she is strong, resilient, and watching her grow throughout this story (as a person, AND as a nurse!) was incredible.

KH always does a great job of writing phenomenal support characters, but Barb and Ethel are by far the best. They are TRUE friends to Frankie. They made me think about my best friends & how very thankful I am to have them. 🤎

What an important story that KH has written. The heart of this story is truly about the women (true to the book’s title) who served in the war, but received none of the same recognition that the men received.

The Women will be a book I continue to think about for a long time.

The Women is so touching and emotional. Kristin Hannah has once again made me not only enjoy historical fiction but brought me to tears doing it. This story has so much in it - grief, trauma, family relations, expectations, dishonesty, sexism, ptsd, depression, loss, addiction & betrayal. My heart broke over and over for Frankie as I read this story. Absolutely beautiful - pure perfection!

I have posted this review on Amazon, Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4bw6GCr3_e/?igsh=MnNsc2hkbHJmeDMx

And Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5982987659

This is the second book I have read from Kristin Hannah and the second one I have loved. I was drawn in immediately and didn’t want to put it down. So many emotions, tearing up, happiness, disappointment, disbelief and joy all wrapped up in an amazing story. I have already recommended to numerous customers and will continue doing so. Five stars without a doubt!

Title: The Women
Author: Kristin Hannah
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In "The Women" by Kristin Hannah, readers are transported into the lives of women whose friendship weathers the storms of life's challenges. Set against the backdrop of Vietnam, Hannah weaves a narrative that is both tender and compelling, exploring the depths of female friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.

Women can be heroes. When she hears that Frances “Frankie” McGrath decides she knows what she is supposed to do. Without the support of her family Frankie rushes off to join the war effort hoping to also be stationed near her brother. Nothing could have prepared her for the turn her life was going to take.

This may have upended The Great Alone as my favorite Kristin Hannah book. Frankie is completely unforgettable. You feel like you are with her every step of the way. She is so badass but also human. I think that is the best part about her. The female friendships were definitely what I was here for. This book is as uplifting as it was completely heartbreaking. Make sure you bring the tissues.

The book is fast paced! It was so hard to put it down at times. It definitely doesn’t seem over 400 pages.

A super shout out for all of the research and historical digging that needed to go into this book. I absolutely loved that while it was fiction, there were so many elements of truth and reality weaved throughout the entire story. Things I had never known or had heard about definitely peaked my interest.

And we can all admit that Kristin Hannah definitely knows how to end a book. Crying like a baby is putting it lightly. This is a book everyone should read. Do yourself a favor and get it today.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of historical fiction are no stranger to Kristin Hannah. I first fell in love with her writing with “The Nightingale” and when “The Women” was announced, there was no doubt I needed to read it.

In her recent novels, Hannah focuses on a historic event and/or time period which is how she shines. “The Women” tells the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, an Army nurse who serves in Vietnam.

Frankie grew up on an island in California to a family with a proud military background. When she attends her brother Finley’s going away party before he ships out to Vietnam, she has a pivotal conversation with Finley’s friend Rye who reminds her that women can be heroes too.

She decides to enlist to be with her brother and to hopefully earn a spot on the “heroes wall” in her father’s office. Frankie knew she wanted to help people and trained to be a nurse.

When she arrives in Vietnam, Frankie learns quickly that she’s in over her head, especially when she experiences her first mass casualty.

Her roommates, Barb and Ethel, quickly take her under their wing and she develops thicker skin and saves the lives of hundreds of soldiers.

The first half of the book that covers Frankie’s time in Vietnam was the most compelling. It is clear that Hannah spent ample time researching veteran experiences, culture, geography and military terms in order to tell the story as accurately as possible, even though the characters are made up.

Hannah wasn’t afraid to show the ugly sides of war. She touches on napalm attacks, men who lose appendages and civilians who suffered terrible deaths.

When her service is up, she is afraid to go back to “normal” life and leave behind her time in Vietnam where she made a difference.

About midway through, Frankie comes home to an unforgiving world, a culture of people who not only hate the war, but call Vietnam veterans “baby killers” and refuse to believe there were women serving there. Even her parents are ashamed of her service and lied about where she was in order to protect their reputation.

Frankie suffers with post traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction, among many other struggles.

About three-fourths of the way through, I got irritated with the drama involving the men in her life. It started reading like the plot of a Lifetime movie.

Luckily, this period was short-lived and it was just a minor plot that didn’t add or take away from the overall theme.

Hannah takes readers through Frankie’s journey of healing and again, isn’t afraid to touch on the harsh topics like suicide.

Despite the small patch of irritation, the book was well-researched, beautifully written and compelling while still maintaining an important message: That women can be and are heroes too.

I encourage anyone to pick up “The Women” and similar books as they are a way to learn about the past while still immersing themselves in a compelling story.

When I read what this book was about, I was not excited about it. Similarly, I was not excited about the plot of The Great Alone or The Four Winds but if those books have taught me anything, it's that I will love anything Kristin Hannah writes. The way she brings a world to life and makes the women so layered and complex is truly something to marvel at. I just couldn't get enough of Frances.

As per usual, Kristin Hannah absolutely destroys all of our emotions in every way. This book was simply unbelievable. It is powerful, raw, terrifying, sad and a little heartwarming just to keep us going. I ugly cried way too many times while reading this book.

The Women follows a Vietnam Veteran who served as a nurse, then returned home to find absolutely no support for female veterans. That’s really all you need to know about this book, and I highly suggest you read it soon.

If you have a chance to listen to this book on audio, definitely check it out as the amazing Julia Whelan is the narrator. I read most of it, but listened at parts just to get the Whelan experience.