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.

As a lover of historical fiction, specifically war-time hist-fic, I was so excited when St. Martin’s Press offered me this eARC. There isn’t enough written about the Vietnam War, and certainly not from a female perspective. Truthfully, I knew painfully little about it so I’m glad this book opened my eyes to the USA’s role in the war, and the unrest experienced back home.

I really loved the first half of this book when our FMC, Frankie has landed in Vietnam and finds herself through immeasurable hardship and loss. The pacing was great, and I found myself excited to get back to it every day.

Unfortunately, the second half started to drag a bit and my interest followed suit. Frankie’s experience with PTSD and her difficulties returning to “normal life” were over dramatized. Situations she put herself in felt contrived and driven to hike up that dramatic flair Kristen Hannah uses in her books. I felt like we could have had just as much outrage, empathy and connection with Frankie if she had been written a little more realistically.

That said, I really do enjoy this book and I’m so glad I read it. I would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the author’s previous works or wants to check out this time period in historical fiction . Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Pressand the author for this free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 rounded to 4/5

Ah the wonderful innocent world of the early 1960’s. I remember it so well. But then it strikes home, how wonderful was it actually. When we talk about the 1960’s we reminisce about the Beatles, JFK, rock and roll. But this was a very turbulent time. We all lost someone. And at the same moment we lost our innocence. Bouffant hairdos. Really?!? White lips. And the list goes on. But there was one instance when it all hit home and became all encompassing. The Vietnam war. Military service lottery. Those are the things we faced.

So in the time of the flower children, the musical Hair the 60’s brats grew up quickly. The visits from military police could only mean one thing. Sobering. Life changing. And in THE WOMEN Kristin Hannah pulls no punches. Women are often the unsung heroes. In Frankie’s home heroes earned a framed photo on the wall. She wasn’t looking to be a hero. She wanted her parents to be proud of her.

Remember MASH. Different war. Same issues. Nurses doing stuff they weren’t trained to do, see, handle or cure. Bottom line was a patient is a patient. Frankie is going to have to create a new vision for herself. No longer safely ensconced by a loving mother and father. Doted on by an older brother. She is going to have to reinvent Frankie. And in Viet Nam. Trained but not prepared.

Just keep on keeping on. Seemed to be the motto of those in Nam. What they faced there was harsh. What they faced when they went back to the world was harsh. Doesn’t seem fair but what exactly is fair.

It was an unpopular war - is there such a thing as a popular war. Kristin Hannah’s descriptions are succinct and honest. THE WOMEN may just be the most important book to read. It illustrates through amazing dialog and character development just how strong and relevant women are. These characters will reside in your mind way after you close this book. Just as those that Frankie shares her life and experiences with. Bring some tissues. Be prepared to say oh no. As THE WOMEN develops and expands past Frankie’s time in Nam Kristin Hannah tells the truth of that time. Fast reading and can’t put down describe THE WOMEN. It’s an experience for those too young to remember, an emotional moment for those of us that do.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for the advanced copy of this book for my honest review. First of all, this genre is way outside of my normal reading comfort zone. I don't read many wartime books at all. This one is set during and after the Vietnam War. It tells the story of Frankie, who at a young age decided to head off to war to become a nurse. Frankie has no idea what she's in for until she arrives. Watching her go from a wide eyed innocent girl to the best trauma nurse is quite the journey. The story follows her time in the war and then also her return home. This book really highlights the horror of this war and they way these men and women were treated after returning home from serving their country. This was at times very dark and hard to read, but I feel it's such an important story that needed to be told. These brave people really deserve our respect and understanding. I work with Veterans everyday in my real life and have the utmost respect for the sacrifices they made. That said, this book is very, very sad. You have to go in knowing that. The writing is beautiful as always with this author. I was quickly pulled into this story and rooting for Frankie and hopefully a happy ending for her. I had an issue with two things that happened towards the end of the story. I can't really go into it without huge spoilers, but I feel it was a little too much. It just seemed unrealistic and not necessary for both. Overall though, a very powerful and extremely well researched book.

Stark truths___5 plus

The wall of heroes in Frances Grace McGrath father’s house holds no place for women!
When a friend, Rye Walsh, says to Frances that women can be hero’s, she believes him.
Her brother Finley, a recently graduated naval officer, is deployed to Vietnam. He doesn’t return.
Kristin Hannah has taken the story of women who served in Vietnam and broken it open, revealed it in a way that breaks your heart.
I’m rendered speechless by this beautiful, sobering story of one woman’s journey.
Frances is a barely trained nurse, just turned twenty-one who enlists with the Army to nurse in Vietnam. Believe me she hits the ground running, all innocence lost in her introduction to the harrowing circumstances she faces. Vietnam! A place where she’ll grow, grieve, and work under atrocious conditions.
The scenes of the overcrowded Mobile Medical units, ‘in country’, close to the fighting, are horrendous. Apocalypse Now on steroids.
Frances is betrayed by her country, the man she loves, and her family. When she arrives home she’s spat on, she’s abused.
The forgotten women of the war. Even Veteran Affairs refused to acknowledge the women as vets!
I cried a lot during the reading of this. The silence is resounding.
We all know Vietnam was a war that should never have happened. Frances’ story encapsulates that.
Frances’ journey is one of hope and disappointment, of shame and guilt, of coming to the place of personal peace at a huge cost.
Hannah has written a novel for all the forgotten women who served in Vietnam in a myriad of capacities. It’s a tribute to the harsh retelling, of the psychologically wounded, of the people who came home to a government that failed to support them, that refused to acknowledge MIA personal may still being held by the North Vietnamese, that lied to them, and like Pontius Pilate washed their hands, in the blood of their people.
Heroic in scope, tragic in forgotten-ness, a generation lost through no fault of their own. Some bought into the myth, some endured, most lost themselves.
Frances’ story encapsulates them all.
Lest we Forget! I know I won’t!

A St Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Pub Date: February 6! Run, do not walk to the bookstore!!


Frankie McGrath comes from a line of military heroes. But she doesn't know she can be one. At her brother, Finley's, going away party for Vietnam, his friend Rye tells Frankie that women can be heroes too. This statement starts a journey. Frankie commits to the Army Nurse Corps to follow Finley to Vietnam.

Saving lives on the front lines in Vietnam changes Frankie's life forever. She finds love and loss and friendship and camaraderie. She finds herself only to lose it when she comes home to politically divided country with no resources to support veterans. After all, there were no women in Vietnam, according to everyone.

This is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Hands down. It is so deep and layered and beautiful and tragic. Kristan Hannah brought everything to this one. It is an era that I have not read a lot about and I felt like I was beside her through the whole journey. It's about mistakes and trying to do the right thing. It's about politics and mental health. It's about your ride or die people. I wanted Frankie to find peace and happiness, but I did not want the book to end! It's been a while since I stayed up all night to finish one.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an advanced copy!

This was my first Kristen Hannah novel and it will definitely not be my last. This story was really interesting and I learned about female medical staff in the Vietnam War which is a new topic for me. My heart broke for Frankie as she served her country then found nothing but obstacles when she arrived home. The themes of mental health and substance abuse were addressed masterfully and the friends that stuck with Frankie through good and bad added so much to the story. I was so glad Frankie got reconnected with her Mom & Dad and that they became so supportive of her after a fraught relationship. And that ending! I loved it! Frankie found her true love after getting done dirty by Rye not only once, but twice. What a jerk! I will be looking forward to reading more from Hannah’s back catalog.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful story.

“The Women” by Kristin Hannah
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 2/6

Thank you Netgalley for this arc! I feel honored to get this arc! I’m actually shocked that a Kristin Hannah book was even available to read.
If you read her previous works you know they are always intense and tear jerkers. My heart felt so torn the entire book.

After Frances brother enlisted in the Navy she felt calling to enlist as a nurse in the Vietnam War. The Navy wouldn’t allow her to go right to combat, so she decides to go with Army. She thought she was going to be serving her country, but she had no idea what she was in for. From the moment she stepped off the plane she was thrown into the fire. She barely made it to the hospital. The hospital was a gruesome scene. Her shifts were constant chaos. She became a stellar surgical nurse, but the real battle was going home. After two years she became a civilian. Her parents didn’t want to talk about the war and people didn’t believe women were veterans. She only could count on fellow nurses that came home before her. She had terrible PTSD and was constantly battling her anger. She had to figure out how to heal and this story is about a woman that puts her life back together piece by piece, but will never be the same.

Move over WWII here it comes Vietnam Story that will take your breath. It is againa story about indepened strong women and her fight in the world of men. This story is about nurse during Vietnam War and then their life back home after. It is about respect and disrepect that they got from their people family, friends and governemnet

The Women by Kristin Hannah. Run to your nearest bookstore and grab this book when it’s released! This book tears at the heartstrings! Written from the perspective of “Frankie” McGrath, who wants to join the heroes wall in her parents house. She leaves her safe home and enrolls in the Army Nurse Corp during the Vietnam War. The first part of the book is written with her time in Vietnam. Whereas the second half of the book brings to light the grief and the confusion and the challenges of being home after ending her time in Vietnam. This is a timeline and setting that I haven’t found often and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will recommend this book to everyone! Thank you to NetGalley and Kristin Hannah and St. Martin’s press for the opportunity to read this book. I can’t wait for everyone to experience this incredible book.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I might be a bit biased since @kristinhannahauthor is an automatic read, but... Wow, she has done it again!
This is a powerful story about the horrors of the Vietnam war as well as the aftermath for many who came back as villains. But more specifically all the women, who weren't even there according to many! We follow Frankie who decides to join as an Army nurse to be closer to her brother (a Navy Academy graduate) and maybe be added to her Dad's honor wall. When she gets there she realizes just how unprepared she is! But through friendships and having no other option, Frankie grows up, becomes an awesome nurse, and survives two hard years of war. However, her return home is met with hostility, lies, and rejection from all fronts! As she tries to reacclimate to civilian life she realizes just how much she has changed, and how long it will take for her to recover from everything she's been through.
One of the most beautiful parts of this story is the friendships between Frankie, Barb & Ethel. Their devotion to each other and willingness to drop everything to help was definitely a bright spot in this rough story.
This is not an easy read. It will make you mad, sad, hopeful, disheartened, and in the end better off knowing about these women who WERE there, and did amazing things to help many come home!
I am from a military family, and both of my grandfathers fought in Vietnam. Neither talk about it much, but my Papa (who was in the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, discussed in the book/movie We Were Soldiers Once and Young) was telling us, just over the Christmas break, about how he was in Cambodia reading a Stars & Stripes about how the President said he pulled all of the troops out of Cambodia and back into Vietnam! When he asked his commanding officer about it he was told to stop reading and get back to his job... in not as nice words. Misinformation is not a new thing!
This one is set to be published next week, Feb 6, so add it to your TBR! And go thank a Vietnam Vet!
#NetGalley #TheWomen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kristin Hannah never disappoints. A heroic story of Frankie, who signs up to be a nurse during the Vietnam War. From the beginning to the very end, my heart ached for her. The friendships she made were true, but the losses she endured felt enormous. While following Frankie’s life was compelling, more so was the historical telling of the Vietnam War that was woven throughout the book.

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. This book comes out February 6th. Add it to your list ASAP! #booksbyashleynicole

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: February 6, 2024

I have been looking forward to this since it was announced and it had me hooked from the first page, as most Kristin Hannah books do! Unfortunately this turned into a rollercoaster read for me. While called “The Women” it really is just about one woman, Frankie, who is increasingly unlikeable and frustrating. This follows her story of as a nurse during the Vietnam War—with so much loss, and a lot of heart. The first part of the book is set in the middle of the action in Vietnam and is so terrifyingly gripping that I couldn’t put the book down.

Unfortunately the second half of this takes place after Frankie comes home from war and it became a chore to read. I really appreciate that the female experience—and under-appreciation—in Vietnam is being told here, albeit very ethnocentrically. Unfortunately this turns into some soap opera love saga. The first love was the most believable and then crushed. The second, and the one Frankie is most hung up on…just didn’t make sense. It wasn’t believable, nor was the attachment and obsession with it. This became shockingly predictable once Frankie was home with cliche after cliche. If you didn’t know exactly how this was going to end, you really didn’t pay attention. I believe the final pages were meant to make me gasp in hopeful delight, but the only made me roll my eyes.

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillian.audio for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book made me feel all the feels. It made me happy, mad, and it made me cry. I cannot get enough of Kristin Hannah’s books and this was no different. I could not put it down. I love Frankie and following her through Vietnam and then coming home. I felt each of her losses and disappointments and rages as much as her joys in each step of her life. Hannah is an amazing storyteller.

I also loved the message that Women can be heroes too. Such a great reminder!

This book is narrated by Julia Whelan and was perfectly executed. She immerses you into the story so that you experience what’s going on along with the characters. I felt the emotions along with the sense of urgency that moved the storyline forward.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #netgalley #goodreads #ltbreaderteam #thewomen #kristinhannah

I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this excellent historical novel from Netgalley via the publisher St. Martin's Press, and the author Kristin Hannah. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Women of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am always pleased with a new Kristin Hannah book, but this one is significant. The Women is a very well-focused snapshot of the 1960s, the intense effect of the Vietnam War on the young people of the US, and the drastic change in the essence of life in the US for my Baby Boomer generation and those to follow. I read it and wept for what was lost to my generation and the world of my children, what we have failed to find to restore or replace contentment and complacency in our homes and workplaces. This is a sad but necessary look back, that will perhaps help us look forward - and beyond to life after the next Presidential Election.

And a second point well presented - Women have never been recognized for their contributions during wartime. I had a great-aunt in the WACs who drove a US General all over Europe for several years during WWII - until their vehicle hit an IUD. Suffering life-altering injuries, my grandmother's sister, Omaha Iva Goddard, was not even eligible for medical care at the time of the accident, nor did she receive any travel, medical, or monetary assistance after she returned to the US on a very slow boat. Until the mid-1990s women's participation in all things military was not even acknowledged. As we see in this novel based on fact, it took 30 years after Vietnam for even that to transpire. For Shame.

Many thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

Impactful. Eye opening. Drenched in emotion. Women are heroes, and war is hell.

This book has consumed my thoughts since finishing it.

There’s no doubt that Hannah has written many books about significant timeframes and overlooked female heroes. But this one, it’s quite possibly her most important to date.

As a milspouse, this book hit particularly hard. I’ve seen the impact of war first-hand. And in this novel, Hannah gets it agonizingly right.

It’s gut wrenching and raw. It’s, “how can a person handle any more?!” It’s sobbing tears and choking pain. It’s being home and yet not free.

Walking in Frankie’s shoes was an immersive experience. To encounter such trauma and then to be overlooked and discounted. It ripped my heart out. I wanted better for her.

It’s worth noting that Hannah utilizes two of my most detested tropes. I wanted to hate it. Instead, I realized the brilliance in their execution. They masterfully showcased the traumatizing, life altering effects of combat. A person… irrevocably changed into something different, unrecognizable.

It’s not all heartbreak and turmoil though. There is deep, abiding, life impacting friendship. There is hope and overcoming. There is honor and recognition. I was so proud of Frankie in the end.

And there are the real women behind this fictional account. True heroes deserving a spotlight.

A definitive must read, and a necessary lesson for us all.

But grab a friend (like @books_and_biceps9155 ) and a box of tissues first!

🎧 Narrated by the incomparable Julia Whelan, the audiobook is a richly executed, immersive experience. Whelan fully embodies Frankie, bringing powerful emotion to life while also propelling the narrative with a sense of urgency.

Kristin Hannah is one of the most well respected writers of her generation; and she has earned every amount of respect she has- her work especially in the last 15 years is unparalleled and the highest of quality.

THE WOMEN is no exception; and I believe it to be one of the most powerful novels written in the 21st century... Yes, high flowery praise I know; but I wept, hard, for these characters; and I learned more than I ever thought possible. I am ashamed to admit that I was not extremely familiar with a lot of events of the Vietnam War before reading Hannah's novel, but after reading the journey that {the fictional} Frances McGrath and her fellow female army nurses experienced in the pages of this novel; I have gained the highest amount of personal respect for the nursing profession, and all those that served in the Vietnam War.

This was truly a powerful emotional read for the ages, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone with the emotional depth and courage to tackle these 480 something pages. I promise you won't regret it.

I was eagerly awaiting the latest novel by the writer of one of my favorite books of all time (The Nightingale). Hannah is back to her historical fiction best in The Women, a novel about women nurses in Vietnam. She is a master at writing characters that make you feel as well as heart-pounding action scenes. I couldn’t read Frankie’s story fast enough, learning so much about the time period through her service in Vietnam and after the war. It’s a time in our nation’s history that we tend to skip over, the uncertainty of the war and its politics keeping us from acknowledging the sacrifices made by thousands of men and women.

As with any Kristin Hannah book, your heart will shatter into a million pieces several times, but unlike her last book (The Four Winds), the sadness is cut by the fun female friendships and strong relationships Frankie has in her life.

This is truly a must-read for all historical fiction fans and one that I’ll never forget.

Women can be heroes.

Kristin Hannah is my favorite author so there’s no surprise this was my most anticipated read for 2024. I was a little nervous going into it because I’ve actually never read a book set during Vietnam, but rest assured, there was nothing to be nervous about. Hannah wrote a beautiful story set amidst such turmoil and conflict. I loved the story of The Women who served in Vietnam, and I learned a lot about this war and what the vets went to after returning home while reading it.

The Women tells the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath and her decision to join the Army Nurse Corps after her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam. When Frankie arrives there after minimal training, she’s overwhelmed by the chaos and horrors that face her. She meets two other nurses while she’s there, Barb and Ethel, who remain her friends even after they’re discharged. I loved the friendship and support between these three women, and how it lasted throughout the story.

What I really enjoyed about this book was that Hannah not only told what it was like to be in Vietnam, but what it was like after returning to America. She showed the way the vets were treated in a heartbreaking manner, and it really opened my eyes to the struggles these men and women went through. One thing I didn’t realize was how hard it was for these nurses and the other women there. How people kept telling them they weren’t vets or in Vietnam.

It broke my heart reading Frankie’s story. I cried throughout this book. Some tears were sad while others were happy. Hannah has a way of evoking so many feelings within her readers, and this book was no exception to that. It was so emotional yet I didn’t want to put it down.

The Nightingale has always been my favorite novel by Kristin Hannah, and I’m surprised to say this one might even be better! Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story about the nurses being a part of the Vietnam war. Specifically one nurse’s story, Frankie McGrath as she becomes an Army Corp nurse helping the injured. We see her being overwhelmed by the chaos of war, Seeing the losses of shatter lives and yet having a binding friendship with others.The worst to come was not so much working in a make-ship hospital but coming home to hate and the belief that women were not there fighting in the war. This is a story that had to be told for those strong women that help our troops and what became of them.
The Women brought back a lot of memories for me since I was a college student at that time. I saw things protrayed in this book that I witnessed but was naive to think women did not fight in the war. Of course the tv series China Beach made me realize I was mistaken.
. I could not put this book down and loved the strong women characters. I am glad I read their story through the eyes of the author. Kristin Hannah thank you for this and NetGalley for the arc to read.