I was so excited to get an ARC of Kristin Hannah’s new book. This is the eight book of hers that I have read and it’s in my top three of them.

I loved the main character and the supporting cast of women characters - for a book titled “The Women” it truly showed the strength and resilience of women.

Reading about the devastation of the Vietnam War and how the men and women who served in the war were treated once they returned home was very upsetting. No matter what your beliefs are about the Vietnam War, Hannah does a great job of showing how the veterans were treated by their fellow Americans unlike how veterans of the previous wars were treated.

I appreciated that this book wasn’t a sanitized or whitewashed depiction of this time period.

While I found the sorry emotional and she’d some tears. I found the plot twists predictable. I wish I had been wrong about one twist in particular. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to fans of historical fiction and readers who like books featuring strong women and unsung heroes.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner by Kristin Hannah! I always learn so much about history when I read her books. This story takes place in Vietnam and vividly details what it may have been like for women who served and the struggles they had to overcome.

I chose this book from NetGalley since I have enjoyed Hannah's work, and to learn more about women serving as nurses in Vietnam. I realized, while reading, that my ignorance regarding the Vietnam war (I was a child then) was tempered only by my apparently vivid memories of the television series China Beach. Hannah's depiction of Vietnam had a similar feel, with compelling, often graphic action, though the romance angles tended to test believability. For me, that was ok under the guise of "we could all be dead tomorrow."

Hannah's real focus is on the ambivalent country the women found upon their return home. I knew the men who returned from Vietnam were demonized and scapegoated, but I knew nothing about what women suffered. I had mixed feelings, though, about Hannah's heroine, Frankie McGrath, who gives up an extraordinarily privileged life to join a war her family has crudely glamorized, choosing to forgo needed training to get there as quickly as possible. Given that the vast number of soldiers in Vietnam had no such choice in the matter, and were poorly trained and fighting a hopeless war precisely because they lacked the very privilege she disdained, it was hard for me to empathize. Her friends, who suffered their own trauma in almost complete silence and deference to her, often seemed more compelling. Of course she suffers upon her return home, but in almost every incident, her friends or family provide a soft landing. I read some of the reviews, and I agree that there were some glaring omissions here, and that the people of Vietnam were mostly depicted as grateful to the US intruders. At home, McGrath's relationships with men were concerning, yet predictable. Regardless of all of that, Hannah's writing kept me turning the pages. And I really appreciated the resources provided at the end for further reading.

What a story! The Women is Kristen Hannah's gripping tale of women who served as combat nurses in Vietnam. There is no sugarcoating here. Life is hard, filled with harsh weather, horrible injuries to treat, and occasional days of too-close bombings. But worse are the conditions when they return home to a world that scorns them for being in the military or flat out denies they were in Vietnam.

Hannah does a remarkable job walking a very fine line between man-hate and portraying the time period's sexism. These characters have flaws, making some really bad choices along the way, but they are very relatable. The writing is excellent, and the story is well-paced.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone.

Not family friendly due to profanity, some scenes of war trauma, and sexual situations. Note - this book also deals with PTSD, drug and alcohol abuse, and depression.

Kristin Hannah has worked her magic yet again! The amount of time and energy she puts into her research to create such captivating stories that, while technically categorized as fiction, feel more real than a lot of non-fiction I've read.

The Women is such a beautiful story of the brutality of war both on the front lines and in the tents that serve as triage centers and operating rooms for the wounded. The story of the women who fearlessly served their country during such a critical time in our nation's history is one that everyone should read. Their sacrifice, the love they experienced, the loss they suffered, the horrific things they witnessed, the after-effects of their trauma as they returned home and the loved ones and government that overlooked their cries for help....it's hard to read at times but such a beautifully crafted story, regardless.

I'll be thinking about this book for a very long time!

What a story!! So much emotion. As an Army veteran, I really loved this story. I didn't want to put it down. Frankie had the perfect life, then she went to Vietnam as a nurse, and everything changed. Her beloved brother was killed in Vietnam just before she went there. Just arriving there was a shock. She was not prepared for all the noise, smells, rain, blood and gore. Nothing prepared her for that. She thought she had nurse's training, but nothing could have prepared her for what she waded into. All she could do was suck it up and go for it. Frankie had so many losses and found some very wonderful friends. Then when her tour of duty was up, nothing could prepare her for coming home. The world she left behind was not the same one she left. She was not prepared to be spit on and called a baby killer. Where did she fit into all of this? When the alcohol and drugs got to be too much, she either had to get help or just give up altogether. Her family and best friends are there to help her. Will she choose to live?

The Women

Quick Synopsis:
Despite the month only being February, I can confidently say this will be one of my favorite reads of 2024. Usually, I finish a novel and immediately want to write a review so I don’t forget any parts of the book. The difference with The Women is that I know I won’t forget this novel anytime soon. Kristin Hannah’s portrayal of Frances McGrath’s experience as a combat nurse in Vietnam was equally inspiring and haunting. Her story upon returning to the United States was devastating.

Characters:
I don’t feel I can adequately explain the characters in The Women through a review. Kristin Hannah’s portrait of the women and men of Vietnam was so well done. I particularly loved the way Kristin Hannah portrayed the friendship between Ethel, Barb, and Frances. Vietnam forced the three women into a friendship that evolved into a lifelong sisterhood. Their beautifully depicted bond anchored the novel for me. Kristin Hannah showed both the veteran perspective and the stateside perspective. All the characters and their heartache came alive through her words.

Storyline/Pacing:
Admittedly, I read well into the night with this book on more than one occasion. This novel could easily be considered a character study in that it follows the life of Frances McGrath through Vietnam and afterward. For me, it was a fast-paced, historical fiction story that read like a movie. By that, I mean I could envision all that occurred and rarely wanted to put it down. I had minimal knowledge of the women or war in Vietnam, and that lack of knowledge propelled me through this novel.

Overall:
I requested The Women because of my love for The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Amazingly, I adored The Women even more. At times, I noted echoes of the history we are living through today. Kristin Hannah’s portrayal of Frances McGrath’s story and other Vietnam veterans underscores the truth in American society that our veterans’ stories are often hidden or swept away. For that reason and so many more, this is a novel I wholeheartedly recommend to any reader. It will be among my favorite books of 2024 and beyond.

Disclosure:
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Digital Review Copy of The Women. I intend to purchase a printed copy for myself and others. All opinions are my own.

Friends, she has done it again! No one transports and immerses you into a location like Kristin Hannah. Whether it’s war-torn France or the wilds of Alaska, she creates a setting so vivid you feel like you are there. She does it again in this novel with the posh neighborhood of Coronado and the war hospitals of Vietnam.

Wanting to join the photo wall of heroes in her father’s office, Frankie enlists in the Army Nurse Corps and follows her officer brother to Vietnam. We are given detailed descriptions - often quite graphic - of what life was like as a nurse during the war. Perhaps what is more disturbing, though, is her life after returning home. It is far from the hero’s welcome she expected, Frankie returns to a country she doesn’t recognize and PTSD after two tours of duty so severe it is soul crushing.

My dad fought in Vietnam but it was never discussed. This book was so helpful for me as it shed so much light on what he must have experienced and holds so close to himself. To come home to protesters and so much hate after all he did in Vietnam in the name of our country must have been devastating.

Once again, Kristin Hannah has written an amazingly wonderful, compelling, and powerful novel. This time, she has told the story of the women who served as nurses during the Vietnam War. I learned so much from this novel about the nurses that served and was fully vested in Frankie, the main character’s life, from the beginning to the end. I feel like I was fully immersed in everything that Frankie experienced, which is the power of a wonderfully written story.

Kristin Hannah, once again, proves her storytelling prowess with a captivating departure from the WWII era in her latest novel. While the initial pace might seem gradual, it's a rich narrative that delves into the complexities of the Vietnam War. Loved this change-up from her traditional WWII stories.
Hannah's meticulous research shines through, with such an immersive experience into the historical backdrop.
The emotional depth of the book is truly commendable, eliciting a myriad of feelings - from gut-wrenching moments to anger, heartbreak, empathy, sadness, and eventual joy. Frankie, the main character, becomes the vessel through which we navigate the pre, during, and post-war periods, providing a profound perspective, respect, and appreciation for the time.
This is a must-read for Kristin Hannah fans, who want to witness the transformative impact of war on individuals and communities.

Kristin Hannah’s upcoming book is going to be a big one! As usual, she delivers with a 5 star book.

The Women publishes in February and I was blessed to receive an e-galley from @stmartinspress but even MORE BLESSED to be friends with @megsbookclub! Here’s the thing… I’m definitely affected by the way I read a book and I know that reading a print book is my favorite way to read. I received the e-galley of this book several months ago but because I love Kristin Hannah’s books and I know we only get one every couple of years, I was actually going to wait until the book was published in February to read it. Meg has many more followers than I do so she gets lots of arcs that I don’t and she’s so generous to share with me. I literally screamed when she said she got the print #arc of The Women and I went to her house the next day to get it!

Anyway, all that to say, this book does not disappoint! It’s set during the Vietnam War and tells the story of a young woman, recently graduating with a nursing degree, who signed up to go help fight a war that her own nation didn’t fully support her in. And even years later it was still said “there were no women in Vietnam” but there were. They weren’t soldiers but they were definitely on the front lines and should be treated as such. This is a powerful story of the bonds of friendship, a daughter living up to and falling short of her parents expectations, coming of age and falling in love amidst the bloody ravages of war, and a look at how a nation treated it’s veterans during and after one of the most brutal wars we have fought.

Five stars, you definitely need to read this when it publishes on February 6, 2024.

Hannah does it again!!

After Frankie's brother goes to war, she decides to enlist as a nurse to aid in the Vietnam war. We follow Frankie as she heads to Vietnam, where she jumps right into her life as a nurse, helping every wounded soldier that comes through her doors. 

This book may be set during war time, but it really highlights the female bonds and the results of trauma. This is set in the late 60s when women were expected to become wives and mothers only. Frankie isn't treated like the hero she is. The toll all this pain does to her is not recognized. 

This book has a lot of heartache...ALOT. But it is also such a well told story of a woman who is fighting for herself. 
I listened to the audiobook for the majority of this book. Julia Whalen is a wonder. She brought Frankie to life and made us feel every emotion there is. 

This is a must read for any Hannah fans or fans of historical fiction.

Kristin Hannah is known for her thorough historical research. But this time, she has outdone herself. The Women is set in the Vietnam war era. The book paints an all too familiar picture of white privilege and the insular, ignorant world of people in the US. And in that picture we find Frances (Frankie) McGrath. Frankie rebels against the preordained world for women of that era and goes to Vietnam as a nurse. The book paints a very realistic picture of Frankie's experience - in Vietnam, coming home. surviving in the years to come. You won't be able to put this book down, even with the awful, graphic reality of the times. Ms. Hannah, kudos to you for such a well developed, engaging novel.

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

This book was the gut punch, emotional rollercoaster I expect and hope for from Kristin Hannah so it definitely delivered on that. It transported me to the era like KH always manages to do through her descriptive writing and captivating storytelling. The characters were dynamic, layered, messy and complicated like I’ve come to expect in a KH novel. I’m so happy with all of those aspects of this story.

There were some storylines that I didn’t jive with which knocked the reading experience down a star for me. But overall I can appreciate the raw and emotionally challenging story that this was.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Kristin Hannah for this ARC.

I 100% mean this when I say this: this is going to be my top book for 2024.

I have only read Home Front by Kristin Hannah before and loved it (it hit home with my husband being an Army Apache Pilot) and with me being a nurse and loving historical fiction, I knew I wanted to get my hands on The Women. I literally squealed when I got the notification for this ARC!

Let me just say, you are going to have EVERY emotion while reading this book, especially for the main character. Sometimes you love Frankie and sometimes you get so mad with her and her decisions. But honestly, it gives a full circle effect that made this story even better.

AND! The ending, chefs kiss.

This finally gives the justice and notice that all Vietnam vets deserve, especially the women that have been denied and ignored for so long. Yes, women fought in Vietnam. They saved lives and endured a lot of whatever EVERYONE else did as well.

So thank you Kristin Hannah, for writing this amazing novel.

Wow, wow, wow. Finally, a book, and a love story, around the Vietnam War. So many lies and I remember watching this on TV during the Nixon times as a kid. This book is heartbreaking, heart wrenching and real. Thank you Kristen Hannah!! Thanks netgalley for the ARC and ALC. I mostly listened to it and it was fabulous!

I was just a child during the years of the Vietnam War, so suffice it to say I was not very tuned in to what was going on during that time. I am so glad to be able to read about it from an author who so often writes a story that captures my interest.

Frankie, a young woman of some privilege, does a brave and controversial thing when she signs up as an army nurse for Vietnam. Her parents find out after the fact and they were angry at what she had done.

Frankie’s idea was to follow her older brother to Vietnam and hopefully get a chance to see him while she worked as a nurse. However that scenario was not to be and Frankie was thrust into situations she could have never imagined.

Surprisingly, she stays for two tours of duty. Looking back, this seems like it was her undoing. When she finally returns home, life is not as she would have imagined and she has a difficult time adjusting.

This was a time when PTSD was just becoming known and people were not very knowledgeable about how addicting drugs could be. Combine the two and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Readers follow Frankie and her close friends and family as they deal with her situation to adjust to civilian life and find her new purpose post war. At a time when the women were not recognized as veterans, the book illustrates how hurtful and unfair it was to those women who served in any capacity. Add to that, the fact that even the men returning home from battle were looked down upon because the war was so unpopular in the states.

Some trigger warnings to readers are explicit description of injuries, alcohol and drug use, depression and loss of loved ones. In spite of all that, this was an excellent eye-opening look at what went on in Vietnam and the United States during those years.

THE WOMEN is one of the most powerful novels I've ever read. Period! The Vietnam War is portrayed as an actual character that will have your heart pounding in your chest as you become enmeshed in the lives of the brave women AND men who served in Vietnam. Hannah has managed to give us a story we had not heard before, for the most part.
This war was very unpopular and those who arrived home in one piece, were not greeted welcomely. And they suffered for that.
Frankie is the character I will always remember as the woman who challenged her own self and got through the war, then came home to try to pick up the mess of her life and move on. She is fierce.
Hannah has created a masterpiece of a novel that will live in my mind forever.

One of the traits I most admire about Kristin Hannah is that each of her books is very different, not from a cookie cutter formula, but all are well researched and beautifully written. That takes true talent and a love of storytelling. This book was a learning experience for me, as I knew very little about the Vietnam war, especially the trauma the women in the medical units endured and the subsequent ignorance and ridicule they faced upon arrival back in the States. This wonderful, but heartbreaking novel is destined to become one of the best of 2024 and I highly recommend it! My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a book I needed to sit on for a minute before figuring out how I felt about it. It was not what I expected, which was a story about a nurse in Vietnam. That was part of it, but it was so much more, and I found the latter half of the book, when Frankie returns home to be so much more powerful than her time at war.
*
I've read a lot about Vietnam, and about women in Vietnam, but this was the first I can recall that really truly delved into what it felt like to return from service, expecting to be a hero and instead being reviled, for women to have their service be completely discounted or ignored, to continually be told that "there were no women in Vietnam".
*
This was tough. It's dark, there's a LOT of very real mental health struggles that the main character is told to just brush aside because she wasn't truly in combat, she should just get on with her "real" life as a wife and mother, and what that does to invalidate the years she spent in service, the horror she lived through that no one wanted to talk about.
*
It's Kristin Hannah, so have some tissues ready, and of course plenty of trigger warnings (death, addiction, miscarriage, suicidal thoughts, trauma...and so on). But this is really incredibly powerful and tells such an important story.