I've always appreciated Kristin Hannah's work but this book went to a whole new level. I've certainly read books about the 1960's and I lived that time, albeit as a young girl, but I've never read a book that follows the lives of an Army nurse during and after the Vietnam War.

Hannah truly takes us into the evac hospitals that Frankie worked in. We experienced the trauma that the nurses endured while trying to save lives but also the downtime that enabled relationships to form. Frankie is the main character who is befriended right away In Country by Ethel and Barb who have more experience and can help Frankie learn not only the job but how to cope with issues of being a woman in a man's world.

After their discharges, these women continue to support and love each other. It is very clear that these female friendships are all that's keeping them sane at times. When Frankie attempts to get some help from the VA, she is told in no uncertain terms that women have nothing to deal with, "there were no women in Vietnam".

This is a very sad look at a time when vets were not treated well or appreciated. And as a woman, Frankie is doubly treated unkindly and misunderstood by all except her fellow nurse vets.

I highly recommend this thoughtful look at a time in our recent history. Keep the kleenex close!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This is going to be a tough one to review, so I'll start with what I liked:

-LOVED the setting of Vietnam War and learned SO MUCH...esp surrounding how our Vets were treated when they returned home (and the absurd denial that women weren't there...and then downgrading their service bc they "weren't in combat"). This is a time in history that A LOT was going on - the protests, the fight for equality and civil rights, etc - and I really loved reading about this time period. In this aspect the book really shined!
-I do think it's a book I will continue to think about. I wavered btw 3 and 4 stars...I'll probably revise later, but for now, I'm more disappointed than wowed.

What didn't work for me:
-The book is basically 2 parts: Frankie in Vietnam and then Frankie's return to America. I think both are important, but I definitely preferred the time in Vietnam...and probably mostly because I felt like KH lost focus in Part 2. As mentioned above, there was A LOT going on at the time, and I can understand KH's desire to cover it all, but that also kept everything very surface level. She chose to mention every trauma known to a female soldier of Vietnam, and therefore, lost the emotional attachment I wished to have. The last 15% of the book picked up a ton of emotion and, I admit, I was crying my eyes out, but 15% can't save the entire second half of a 500 page book.
-This one sounds silly, but I guess I would have liked more women in a book titled and focused on "the women". Instead, KH spent a ridiculous amount of time focused on a toxic relationship. I would have loved more Barb and Ethyl instead of Rye. That fills like a huge missed oppotunity.
-I just really despised Frankie's parents. They were self-indulgent, selfish, and mean. I assume KH was driving home the point that these women were treated like crap by everyone upon their return, but the redemption came way too late for me.
-Unfortunately, the last thing that really irked me can't be talked about without spoilers, but KH used it not once but twice. Once, I could see and it would make a point...twice was eyeroll worthy.

I feel like I'm kind of split on KH at this point. She has potential to be amazing (The Nightingale and The Great Alone), and she can also be super disappointing (The Women and The Four Winds). With all the rave reviews, I felt she might have nailed this one, but I was ultimately left wishing for so much more.

This is a book that will stay with me forever. Kristen Hannah has a way of writing stories and characters that have you feeling so many things. Frankie and the ladies go through so much from love, hate, death, and just shear shock. There were fast part where my heart was racing with Frankie’s as she navigated going to war and what the entailed there and after. You get a glimpse into the strong female friendships made during this war and how they kept eachother going. The authors note goes into more of what inspired parts of the story, I definitely recommend sticking around and reading it!
This is hands down my favorite Kristen Hannah book so far!

Thank you to St.Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy!

4.5 rounded up!

Another masterpiece of heartache and resiliency from Kristin Hannah. THE WOMEN truly broke my heart over and over again.

As with most KH books this is another important story that readers will likely not forget. I loved Frankie’s character so much. The complex relationships and the (realistic) non-linear portrayal of growth (and LIFE) were also favorites.

Found family, grief, trauma, love, recovery, light….the emotional impact will last a long time from this one. There was so much I learned about this period as well and I will definitely be recommending it.

I almost passed on reading this book. Why? Well, I'm tired of the rosy stories of women rushing off to war. Good thing I didn't pass because it definitely was not a rosy war story. Sure, there was romance (and it got a bit ridiculous at points - thus the missing star), but it was also crudely objective. Death, dismemberment, sexism, PTSD, war protests, the horrible way the soldiers/vets were treated when they came home. It was all there right on the page without any sugar coating. Sometimes I felt like the feminist hammer was thrown a bit too much, but that was the point of the book, right? "There were no women in Vietnam." And while I enjoyed Frances' story, I would have loved a bit more about the other characters. It was like a stage play where characters only appear when needed to prop up the main character. With all those pages, so much more could have been done to tell the powerful story of all those women who weren't in Vietnam. But, end result, this was the quickest 480 book I've ever read!

The Women dives into the life of a Vietnam War nurse who enters service hopeful and bright. The trauma she experiences there is echoed in the changes the nation is going through when she returns home. It’s a book of loss, betrayal, but also one of love and found family. As a nurse, I found the field hospital scenes very interesting. It reminded me of stories told to us by a nursing professor who was a Vietnam war nurse. Many of her experiences were echoed in this book. I do think the book could have been a bit shorter , as some parts in the middle seemed to drag on. Frankie was not always a likely character, but I was always rooting for her. Thanks to netgalley for the advanced copy!

I read The Nightingale. I loved it. So I was eager to read The Women. And I tried. I tried so very hard. But I cannot make it past the first 100 pages. I applaud the author for trying something different, but what is this book? Has she never heard of China Beach? I hate to say this but I have the feeling K. Hannah read a history book about Vietnam and decided that she could write a book about Vietnam. I want to like this book — I just can’t.

As a Kristin Hannah fan, I knew I would not be disappointed by The Women - this book may be her best yet. Hannah did an amazing job of weaving together an addictive story of these characters while teaching readers about the truth and horrors of a time in history that has often been forgotten. This book focuses mainly on the main character Frances "Frankie" McGrath, the stories of nurses serving in the Vietnam War and the challenges of re-entry into civilian life upon arriving home from their service.

The characters were incredibly developed and I fell in love with them right away. I enjoyed getting to witness the relationship between Frankie, Barb and Ethel - a lot of lessons to be learned from their friendship and loyalty. I devoured this book in 3 days and wish there was more to read. There were audible gasps of disappointment, shock and happiness along the way. A perfect blend of history, friendship and love of many kinds.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The women by Kristin Hannah is a historical novel about the nurses in viet nam. Specifically Frankie, who enlists to make her dad proud and serve alongside her brother. It’s also about love, ptsd, and friendship. I think the most interesting stuff happens in the second half, after she returns home. Another winner from Kristin Hannah!

Women can be heroes and Kristin is mine.

I was beyond ecstatic when I was approved for an advance reader copy of The Women. I had faith that I would love this story no matter the topic. I was swept away. Amazing.

We follow Frances McGrath who joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows in her brother’s path to serve in the Vietnam War. Frankie’s peaceful and sheltered life in Coronado Island, plus lack of experience as a nurse, was glaringly obvious as she navigated all there was, in a hospital, in the middle of a war.

Surprising herself, Frankie found ways of coping and flourished as a nurse, creating life long friendships and found love in many. Those few years in Vietnam were transformative for Frances.
She persevered and returned home to tell the tale, that no one wanted to believe or hear.

Women did not serve in the war. It was disheartening to be on Frances’ journey who was trying to find her way and heal. With no resources within her reach and her family with their heads in the sand, she really struggled. Thank god for real friends.

Books like this is why we love reading. It takes us on a journey. We learn something from another time, another place, that we would not otherwise be able to do. Combined with conveying the important roles that women play in these stories - a nurse who served in the Vietnam War - we are provided with insight on the impact of these world events on them personally. These aspects shaped what is common place for us today. Access to mental health treatments for post traumatic stress disorders is forefront of this story. It was hard to read, and yet I could not put this down.

Thank you for that ending. I have to say… I knew it!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this via Netgalley.

OH MY GOSH, is there a Kristin Hannah book that hasn’t gutted me?!? Normally, my historical fiction takes me to WW2, so I loved this was all about women in Vietnam. I’m embarrassed to say how little I knew about Vietnam, and this was just so heartbreaking and felt so real and raw. It was incredible!

This was a phenomenal book that I would consider essential reading for everyone. We follow nurse Frankie McGrath over a 15 year period and experience the war in Vietnam through her eyes. We also see the way different groups of people were welcomed home after their service--the combat soldiers, the POWs, and the nurses. I think our government and society still has a lot to answer for in this regard. But that is why a book like this is so important, because the women's stories need to be told too. I realize now how fortunate I was to be able to read an advanced copy of this book and highly, highly recommend it for all. Just know that it is not a happy story. There is a lot of trauma and many emotions will be brought to the surface, but these are feelings we need to feel so that history is not forgotten. Remembering it is the only way to learn from it.

Frankie is a young white woman from a well to do family in CA. The only expectation for her is that she marry well and have children. The expectation for her older brother is that he serve his country like all of the men in their family whom their father reveres with an honor wall in their family home. This is despite the fact that he never served himself. When her brother is sent to Vietnam, Frankie follows him there. She studied nursing in college and knows she can help. Only the Army will send her immediately, so she enlists without a second thought. The first part of the book tells of Frankie’s horrific time in Vietnam and the second part tells of her homecoming and readjustment to life. The America she returns to is not the same America she left.

Admittedly, I should know more about Vietnam. I was born 11 months before it ended and my limited knowledge is embarrassingly from movies and TV. This book made me want to learn more, especially about the women who served. Frankie is told repeatedly after her service, “There were no women in Vietnam.” I found this baffling and maddening.

The first half of this book was so engrossing, I didn’t want to put it down. Frankie grows up fast in Vietnam and you admire her for her bravery and her desire to help people. You could easily see this as a movie because the writing was so vivid. The details about Vietnam as a country, where she is stationed, and the injuries and surgeries were extremely detailed. I have no doubt an incredible amount of research went into this book.

The second half was very different from the first. I often found myself frustrated with Frankie while also feeling sympathy for her. Not much of her life after Vietnam is pleasant and that’s saying a lot considering she was in the middle of a war. I waffled between a 4 and 5 stars because of the second half, but the ending made me cry and made up for the other parts I did not enjoy as much.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

What could I possibly write to express the depth, layers, emotions and of course heartache in 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 (Pub 2/5). Anytime I try to write a a review for one of Kirstin Hannah’s books I find it impossible, so instead of my normal format I’m keeping this short and sweet.

Man does Kristin Hannah know how to wreck me! What a truly phenomenal story based on real history, events and people that needed to be told 1,000 times over. It was intense, eye opening, heart wrenching, layered, and very emotional. So I’m glad I was prepared with a box of Kleenex because Hannah gets me every single time, and by the end, I am ugly crying (and then crying again while reading her acknowledgments). This will be a story I never forget and one that everyone absolutely must read.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

The Women by Kristin Hannah is an exceptional portrait of a nurse serving "in country" during the Vietnam War and then returning home. This is a very highly recommended, emotionally charged historical fiction novel which will certainly be one of the best books of the year. This would be an excellent choice for book clubs and will certainly result in thought-provoking discussions.

After nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears the words "Women can be heroes too," while looking at her father's wall of heroes featuring pictures of the men in their family who served their country during a party for her brother Finley who is leaving to serve his country in Vietnam. After she gets her RN she follows the lead of her older brother, and joins the Army Nurse Corps and begins basic training in 1966. Once she arrives in Vietnam, she is overwhelmed by the smells, sights and chaos, but is shown support and the ropes by fellow nurses Ethel and Barb. She quickly steps up and adapts to the responsibilities of a surgical nurse dealing with horrific injuries under extreme conditions.

After serving two years, Frankie comes home and faces a different kind of battle. Her father is ashamed of her service, the country does not recognize nurses who served and sacrificed as veterans, and the country is in turmoil. The only help and support she can find for her PTSD are from Ethel and Barb who understand what she is going through mentally and help her adapt to civilian life in a changed country.

The writing is phenomenal and manages to create an emotionally charged, realistic, and vivid portrait of Frankie's service and her struggles. I was completely immersed in The Women from start to finish. Part of my complete captivation with the narrative was based on my memories from that time period. I was young, but have vivid memories of events from the sixties and certainly more from the seventies. Hannah managed to create a complete portrait of the women and the times (including clothing).

The experiences the characters experience is heart-breaking. Frankie is a completely fully-realized realistic character who garnered my compassion and empathy. Her treatment when coming back from war to work in a hospital is eye-opening and in many ways disgusting.

This is the best kind of historical fiction as it takes a long sweeping view covering years of a character's life as society, information, and point-of-views constantly change around the characters. It covers an era and a turbulent time. The narrative is broken into two parts. The first deals mainly with the war and the second with trying to reenter civilian life after the war.

The Women by Kristin Hannah is a must read novel. I expect it to be on many lists for the best novels of 2024. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
The review will be published on Edelweiss, BookBrowse, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

The Women is so much more than I expected—a modern day classic. Written from the perspective of Frankie, a nurse in Vietnam the reader gets a look at the gritty side of war and its aftermath. This historical epic is a must have for every home library.

After her brother dies in action Frankie arrives in Vietnam with no idea what to expect. Her eyes are soon opened to the horror of war and the fortitude it takes to make it just one more day in the face of suffering and death.

Bonds are forged through shared experiences, brokenness, and hope. The writing was so real I shared in the fear, angst, anger and triumph right along with the characters. This book gives a look at the women who were unsung heroes and is definitely worth the investment. I highly recommend it.

I received a copy courtesy of St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion of the book.

To put it succinctly, The Women is phenomenal. I think it will be one of the most popular books of 2024, and I can't wait for everyone to get a chance to read this powerful and educational novel.

From the opening chapter, I felt myself strapping in for an intense ride. Kristin Hannah is such capable and competent writer. She almost immediately introduces the stakes for the protagonist and fairly quickly immerses the reader (and Frankie, a female nurse sent to Vietnam) into a world of startling violence and extreme stress.

Of course, I was familiar with the way that soldiers returning from Vietnam were treated when they came back to the States. But this novel really drove the situation home for me in a way that I will never forget. And, it was even more brutal for the female veterans, whose story is even less well known and respected.

This is one of those books where I thought about it all day every day until I could finish it. I was completely wrapped up in the story on every level! I truly appreciated the afterword where I was made aware of the level of research and care that Hannah infused into her work on this story..

The only thing I would note is that this book is extremely graphic in its medical details. It's not for the squeamish. However, I know exactly why Hannah wrote it the way that she did. It's important to the plot.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Women is the story of Frankie McGrath, a girl who grew up privileged in Coronodo Island, CA in the fifties and sixties. She was raised to become a wife and mother- that was always the goal. Except, when Frankie's brother goes off to Vietnam, Frankie feels moved to do something more. She gets her nursing license and volunteers to go to Vietnam as an Army nurse.

What follows sets the course of the rest of her life. The book follows Frankie to war, detailing the horrors she experienced there. She also finds love and hearbreak and makes some amazing friends. When she returns to America, it is not the same country she left. Frankie must deal with the changed landscape of the country, and the changed person she is.

The story is very moving and in typical Kristin Hannah fashion, explores the strength of women who experience unimaginable pain. It is also an interesting story not often explored, of the women who served in Vietnam and how they dealt with their experiences.

4.5 Stars

I don't know what it was with this book or what magic this author used, but I was trapped. I first thought that it was going to be a 'did not finish' novel for me. I didn't like Frankie all that much throughout the entire novel, but I understood her. At times, I thought I was going to need some "mother's little helpers" to get through the pain, grief, and horror that was Frankie's time spent in 'Nam. But let me tell you, the war wasn't even the worst part.

I am so ashamed of how the public looked upon the returning Vets. I can understand it, but I am still ashamed. I was very young as this war was being waged, so I understood nothing until I read the historical novel. 20 years this war was fought (1955-1975), and like most wars, for what? But that is neither here nor there.

I could not put this book down. The troubles that Frankie faced with only the help of her fellow nurses were intense. I could see that it was PTSD, but there was really not such a thing back then.

Her love life issues -gah! I just wanted to do something really nasty to Rye, I really did, and I wouldn't have blamed Frankie one bit if she had done something nasty to him!

Eventually, Frankie does overcome her PTSD and helps others.

I really don't know how to express my feelings for this book. It just sucked me in and wouldn't let me go until the final page was read.

When 20-year old Frankie's brother ships out for the Vietnam War and is revered a hero by the family, she is told "Women can be heroes too" and that sentiment really sticks with her. She decides to enlist too as a combat nurse . much to the dismay of her conservative, well-to-do parents, who want her settle down and find a husband. When she arrives in Vietnam, she is overwhelmed by the state of things, the chaos of daily life, and the horrors she witnesses to fellow soldiers, but also at the hands of her country. She finds, and loses love, and makes lifelong best friends along the way.

Part of the book starts with Frankie's return from war and her treatment by everyone, including her family. With obvious signs of trauma, PTSD, and flashbacks, but none of the options for help men were offered, Frankie begins to spiral.

Does every book by Kristin Hannah wreck me like this? Yes. But will I continue reading every book she releases? Of course. These books are out of my typical genre, but they reel me in every time. I loved the messages of the book surrounding women being heroes and loved the strength of the main characters to rise above all the doubts and discrediting because "women weren't in Nam" and use it all for good. Frankie especially was imperfect, but felt so realistic. And more than anything, I loved the friendships of this book and how those changed and developed over the years in the most beautiful ways.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.