I have the absolute pleasure to see @kristinhannahauthor speak last week about her latest book, The Women. She had been one of my favorite authors since I read Winter Garden way back in 2010. I really enjoyed getting to hear about her writing process and how she became an author. But I especially loved her personal connection to the Vietnam era that inspired her to write this novel.

The Women follows Frankie, a young, naive woman who wants to make her family proud to become a nurse in the army and serve in the Vietnam war. She is an excellent nurse and feels it’s her calling to signup for a second tour. When this is over, she heads home as a war hero. But she arrives back in California to a much different world. She’s disrespected and treated poorly after she sacrificed her life for her country. She’s repeatedly told that there were no women in Vietnam.

Due to the atrocities she saw while she was “in country” she develops what is now commonly known as has PTSD. It wasn’t treated or even diagnosed in the 1970s. The book goes in depth to show what a soldier really goes through after returning to civilian life.

This is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read and I was truly fascinated with the Vietnam era. Kristin is a tremendous writer that makes you feel like you were right there in Frankie’s surgical room or drinking with Barb and Ethel at the O Club. This is also a time period I feel is often overlooked in high school history classes so it was good to learn more about this lack in my own knowledge.

This is a must read for any and all people. Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted ebook and I will treasure my autographed copy I received while attending Kristin’s event.

It's a hard read but extremely well done. Again and again, my heart hurt for Frankie and her friends. A good resource for educating ourselves on the reality of the VietNam War.

Thanks to Kristin Hannah for shining a bright light on the women who served in Vietnam. This novel contains so much fuel for thought, and it enlightened me on so many topics surrounding the war.
Side note- I found the book jacket and the inside cover pages to be classic and beautiful , a fitting tribute to the women - and men - who gave so much of themselves.

Beautiful story and lovely storytelling. It got a little long and felt like it was dragging partway through, but I quickly got over that feeling. While war is a difficult subject and it was not always easy to read, I can honestly say I loved my experience with this book.

I am a huge fan of Kristin Hannah. Her words are powerful. Her descriptions make you picture almost being there. I love how raw and honest this book was. I know my generation knows of the Vietnam war and how horrible it was on both sides since we are far out from its days. We have all learned in history class the horrible effects of war on not only our soldiers but on the citizens and innocent in Vietnam. Even today I know several veterans of that war who feel like they never came back to who they were before the war. By tackling the subject of women in Vietnam this was a hard perspective to write on. Being in healthcare and wanting to work in trauma myself I was very drawn to Frankie. She felt as if I would have been her friend. Detailing not only her struggles mentally but with substance abuse was such a strong and brave choice. The people who went over there came back with so much more than physical wounds. I absolutely loved loved loved this book!!

This book gripped me from chapter 1. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I could feel the soundtrack, the anger, the excitement, the love, and the devastation. I wish I could immediately read it all over again.

The Women is an exceptional historical saga that left me deeply affected. As a long-time fan of Hannah's work, I’ve found each of her novels grimmer than the last, and The Women is no exception. It brilliantly but painfully portrays the life of Frances "Frankie" McGrath, a young nurse who serves in the Vietnam War.

Hannah’s historical detail about the war, protests, music, and cultural tidbits transport readers back to the turbulent 1960s and 70s. The vivid settings and descriptions of the horrors of war are so powerful that you can almost feel the oppressive heat and humidity of Vietnam and hear the screams of those waiting in triage. The living conditions of the nurses were horrendous, and Hannah spares no detail in showcasing their daily struggles.

Frankie's journey is heart-wrenching. Her emotional suffering and the love story that unfolds made me tear up. Hannah masterfully illustrates the intense pain and trauma experienced by those who served, both on the front lines and upon returning home. I’ve read about how Vietnam soldiers were mistreated when they returned home, but I’ve never read about what happened to the women who served. This book fills that gap, shining a light on their often overlooked sacrifices.

Kristin Hannah has become an absolute master of historical fiction, and The Women may be my favorite of her books. It is a must-read for anyone interested in a beautifully crafted, well-researched, and deeply moving story about the unsung heroines of the Vietnam War. Five stars.

** * Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. The opinions are my own.

A great book, very well written and a great story told. I would never choose a book about a woman in the Vietnam War, unless by Kristin Hannah, and as expected, she told the story in such a way I never wanted it to end.

I love Kristen Hannah sooooo much!! As a nurse, I loved a story about the impact nurses can have. I thought it was so good and I already cant wait for her next book.

More Kristin Hannah love for yet another exceptional read that brought out all the emotions! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an advance review copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Women is the story of 21-year-old Frankie McGrath-- a combat nurse in Vietnam 1967 to 1969. The author does a fantastic job showcasing the horrors of war from the viewpoint of the medical personnel, in particular the nurses, who worked tirelessly to save as many military members and civilians as possible.

The first half of the book details Frankie's experiences during her two tours. The rest of the book focuses on the hardships and mental health issues she dealt with upon her return. Again the author shines a spotlight on a part of history often overlooked.

While I understand that war trauma can be ongoing, it seemed that the author threw almost too much at Frankie with so much tragedy it began to feel repetitive and unbelievable. Overall this is a story of sacrifice, perseverance, friendship and patriotism. If you enjoy audiobooks this was well narrated. Also, don't skip the author's note as it provides more context for the story.

Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

What a harrowing story! I vaguely learned about the Vietnam War in history, and I knew how poorly the soldiers were treated upon their return. And, of course, we know now how awful Agent Orange was and the PTSD that the vets endure. But putting faces, names, and details to it all: wow. I didn't think Kristin Hannah could repeat the majesty of The Four Winds, but she has!

Gripping story that is hard to lay down, and will stay with me long after I've finished this book. Yet - there were moments in the book that felt a little bit predictable/overly expositionatory. Yet, I would still very much recommend this to anyone who is interested in historic novels, and who enjoys getting sucked into emotional drama and learning aboutthe different ways people cope.

Kristi Hannah is greatly gifted at making me cry and this book was no exception. I grew up watching MASH (thanks to re-runs and my dad being in charge of the remote) and despite the show being so popular this is the first novel I’ve read about Vietnam (or even heard of for that matter). Despite the fairy tale ending, I did enjoy it immensely (seeing as how I read it in one day).

Hard subject but this one gave someone who wasn’t as familiar with the Vietnam war. Loved Frankie and friends and also enjoyed the education on PTSD.

I loved this, cover to cover. Although I think the first half is the best, featuring Frankie's time in Vietnam along with her experiences there as a combat nurse. The second half dealt with her return home and the years immediately after. I know this is fiction, but it's also based on history and truth, the result of a lot of research by the author. And I'm appalled that I had no idea about most of what happened in this book. I studied Vietnam in my history class with one of the best history teachers ever, and I still didn't know most of what Ms. Hannah included in this book. I'm astounded.

This book reminds me a lot of The Four Winds, which I LOVED. It very nearly feels like two separate stories instead of one. The first half is largely historical with some romance thrown in: the places Frankie saw in Vietnam, what it was like for the soldiers and medics during times of intense combat and also in brief pockets of peaceful times. What they wore, what they ate and drank, what the setting looked and felt and smelled like. We see Frankie acclimate to this stressful circumstance and place, and we see her form relationships during these times. She really thrives while serving in Vietnam. She's an incredible combat nurse.

In short: the first half is mostly the actions going on around Frankie; the second half deals with Frankie's actions once she returns home to America.

I could not put the book down. When I wasn't reading with my eyes, I was listening to Julia Whelan's brilliant audio narration. I've heard several people say this was one of the saddest books they've ever read before, and OF COURSE wartime is sad. But I think there are some extra sadnesses involved with the Vietnam war. As for my own personal reading experiences, I was profoundly moved reading this story, but I didn't feel the bone-crushing, heartwrenching, tears-dripping-off-my-chin devastation that I did when I've read some of Ms. Hannah's other books (looking at you, The Four Winds!). This is not a bad thing at all.

It takes a very long time, but Frankie is able to pick herself up and turn her actions and behaviors into something very positive and healing for herself and other servicewomen. In this way, the book ends on a very positive note. But, oh boy, it's a lot of heartache and heart times for Frankie up until this point. After she arrives home from serving two years in Vietnam, she is yelled at. People spit on her and call her a "baby killer" and they refuse to acknowledge her service. Even her parents are ashamed of her service and cannot speak of it nor put her photo on the "Heroes Wall" in their home. Frankie has a difficult time finding help for her PTSD, even from the VA. Because people just didn't believe there were any women serving over there.

I love that I could really tell Ms. Hannah felt passionate about the story she was telling. It really comes thru in the story, and it drove me to do my own research about most of the events and places she has dotted throughout the book. I learned a lot and I sort of wish I had read it in a group so I could have talked about it with other people while I was reading.

Kristin Hannah is always a must buy in my house! This book did not disappoint. It is a moving and heartbreaking story. We often think of Vietnam Vets as just men, but their were women who served and also cared the trauma of war home. Must read! Great historical fiction.

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This might be my favorite Kristin Hannah book so far. I haven’t read them all, but have read enough to catapult this book to the top of my ranking. I was completely engrossed in this story, captivated by the writing because I felt like I was inside the book.

Even though this story falls within the historical fiction genre, it is obvious that Hannah did her research as so many storylines are true. 

For how heavy and sad it is, I wasn’t overly shocked on how many topics Hannah hit on. And they weren’t just thrown in to fill the space, they very much had a purpose which tied everything together. Between the horrors of war, PTSD, women living in a mans world, love, death, and so much more, I think it’ll be hard for me to convince readers just how well done everything was.

I went on an emotional rollercoaster and loved every step of the way.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ALC!

Content warnings: War, death, violence, miscarriage, addiction, Alcoholism, infidelity

I LOVED this book. Easily one of my top 5 for the year. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. I've just started reading Kristin Hannah and this book made me want to go to the library and check out all of her books. This book was heartbreaking and realistic and hopeful and emotional and so so important. I really did not know much about the Vietnam war and especially how veterans were treated. I think it's so important to learn how that treatment impacted mental health and the entire country. This book was so well done and I'm definitely recommending it to all of my friends. On to the next Kristin Hannah book! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.