Not every author can be trusted to tackle such a difficult period in American history, but Kristin Hannah did an amazing job. She clearly does impeccable research, and her ability to evoke emotions in her readers is second to none. I truly loved Frankie’s story and her arc as a main character. This book didn’t shy away from the horrors of war or the horrors veterans faced upon coming back home, and I loved the honesty. This was a truly heart wrenching story that I will be thinking about for a long time.

I've read many, but not all, of Kristin Hannah's books. I wasn't alive when Vietnam took place and I appreciate the dedication to the historical accuracy of the moment. Those parts of the book were truly eye-opening and great for discussing the complexities of the war for a book group. I would not put this as an overall favorite as I felt the heroine was a little...flat. She just didn't resonate the same and while she had growth and a character arc over the course of the book, the arc was pedestrian in nature. Readers of Hannah will still love her style, compassion, and intrigue so fear not that this book will fly off the library shelves as well.

Kristin Hannah's "The Women" is about the female soldiers in Vietnam and their return to the United States. Our main character Frankie, serves two tours in Vietnam and we see her transform from a girl in heels from a more than middle class family to a seasoned soldier who is far prouder of her service than her family or many Americans back home. Frankie wants to have her picture on her father's war wall and have him be proud of her, but the sexism of the times makes this impossible. The audiobook is excellent, the pacing of this book keeps the pages turning (and the play button going). Just like in war, there is much loss in this book too.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Wow. Such an important story that needs to be told. I appreciated the growing and development of the MC. My first 5☆ book in a very long time. Must read.

5☆

It's 1965, all the young men are being sent to fight in Vietnam including Frankie McGraths's brother Finley. Being a 21 year old out of nursing school Frankie decides to follow her brother and joins the Army Nurse Corps. Before she heads to boot camp they receive a knock on the door alerting the family that Finley's helicopter was shot down and he did not survive. Now Frankie is not certain she made the right decision enlisting; she's always been the good girl and has followed all the rules, now she feels she has made the wrong decision. When she arrives in Vietnam Frankie is immediately overwhelmed with the destruction she sees and the injuries/death all around. Her bunk mates, Barb and Ethel, quickly take her under their wings and show her what it takes to survive. With not much experience as a nurse, Frankie does not know what to do but she quickly learns and after two tours she is a rockstar. But what is she going to do when she gets home? America is not the same place it was when she left, it is divided and even though she was helping the soldiers while at war people are angry with her. How is she to adjust back to a normal life after living in completely chaos and fear? Why is no one willing to help her and why do they all seem so ashamed of her?

This was a story the really brough to light what the women in Vietnam went through and how they were treated when they came home. This story is full of love, heartbreak, sadness and anger. One of the best stories I have read in long time.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC!

Kristin Hannah’s newest historical fiction novel is my favorite one yet! You can tell the novel is well researched. As I was reading I felt like I was experiencing what the characters were. Frankie McGrath was a phenomenally strong and brave character. I can’t wait to be able to recommend this book to everyone!

The Women by Kristin Hannah was a thoughtful, heartbreaking, tear jerking, and informative historical novel about three nurses who have all volunteered to serve in Vietnam. But wait, “No women served in Vietnam!” You will hear this refrain from many a character in the novel. It wasn't widely known that women were indeed serving in Vietnam.
Barb, Ethel, and the main character, Frankie McGrath are all young hard working nurses serving in Vietnam in the late 1960’s. Hannah does a good job walking you through the journey of the nurses and those who they served with- they move from thinking it is a just cause to a lost cause. Frankie arrives in Vietnam an idealistic young woman, wanting to help men who are serving like her brother Finley did.
She navigates the horrors of war while becoming an extraordinary surgical nurse and falling in love with fellow soldiers.
The chapters in Vietnam fly by. The events were so intense. When Frankie returns home, it tends to move a little slower as Frankie navigates returning home to a country that doesn’t appreciate or respect her sacrifice. A country that doesn’t know the meaning of the term PTSD. My only suggestion would be similar for many historical novels of this breadth. The first half is laid out really well. The second half spends a lot of time explaining all the different ways Frankie is damaged and crying out for help- and then the really momentous ending seemed a little rushed to me.
Overall, I loved this book. 4.5 stars/ I will be recommending to all

Thank you to St. Martins publisher for this arc by Kristin Hannah. Kristin Hannah is an author who I love I was delighted to get an advanced copy of her newest work. Kristin Hannah focused on Vietnam War and the struggles that role that women nurses played during this era.
The main character Frankie is a character that I will remember. I realize that the Vietnam War can be a hard issue to write about but, this author handled it well. This book makes one of top books of 2023. Grab a couple of tissues and relax with this amazing novel.

Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy Kristin Hannah's writing until I sink into another one of her books. To say that I enjoyed this book would be a huge understatement. The Women is a historical fiction about the women who served during Vietnam. I have to admit that it's not a part of history I have given a lot of thought to.. I actually saddened that I didn't know more going into this book about the women and what they went through as nurses in Vietnam. There are so many women in history who are forgotten.
This book was beautifully written. It encompasses stories of young innocence, family loss, personal anguish, love and relationships, lifetime friendships, PTSD, and alcoholism, along with women's rights. There are lighthearted times mixed into the book, but so many emotions as well. We know now what a mistake the Vietnam War was. We know the government lied. I'm not sure that even now, we appropriately acknowledge the men and women and their sacrifice. I can't imagine coming home to family that was embarrassed that I had served overseas and being shamed for supporting my country.
This book pulls on all of the emotions. I read it quickly, but took a couple of weeks to really process it. If you've enjoyed The Nightingale and The Great Alone, you're going to love The Women.

A riveting portrayal of a country at war both at home and far from home in Vietnam. It was a time of unrest and sadly those men and women who served their country (right or wrong) came home not to salutes and hugs but protest, insults and avoidance. Frankie (Frances) and her brother Finlay lead a charmed life surfing and hanging out at their California country club but that all changes when they both enlist to serve in Vietnam. While Finlay is branded a hero Frankie's decision to become an Army nurse is not and her parents are ashamed of her. Nothing prepares her for her time in Vietnam and she grows up overnight. In between the endless bombing, long nights of too many wounded and fatigue Frankie makes some lifelong friends and falls in love a couple of times. When she finally returns home she is met with denial that she even served unlike her male counterparts. Kristin Hannah gives us an honest and well researched story of love, friendship and coming of age in combat as well as dealing with the emotional toll of coming home. The nurses bond for life and help each other get through loss, PTSD and find happiness where they can. THE WOMEN brings us to the heart of the real experience of war and beyond where coming home was almost as bad as being there in an emotional story that only Kristin Hannah can tell. For those of us who only had TV shows like MASH and CHINA BEACH to understand the war in Asia this packs a punch. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

What a special and beautiful story! This epic tale follows Frances “Frankie” McGrath as she enlists in the army and becomes a nurse on the lines in Vietnam. She experiences unspeakable horrors, extreme conditions, and amidst all of that forges some important relationships that will impact her life forever. Once she returns home, there is no celebration or even acknowledgment for her sacrifice and bravery. In fact, her parents seem embarrassed of her choice to serve. No one wants to recognize women can be war heroes too. Frankie falls into a downward spiral, marked with pain, depression, and addiction. She must grapple with her past and decide if she wants to live in the pain, or push past it all and move forward with her life. This took me on an emotional and gripping ride, that I will never forget.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press + NetGalley for the ARC. What a treasure this story is, and I feel so lucky to have had a chance to read it early.

How have I never read any historical fiction centering on the Vietnam era? Hannah's novel tells the story of a young woman coming of age as an army nurse in Vietnam, and what life is like when she returns home. To be told "there were no women in Vietnam" - what must that have been like for female veterans? This book explores that very scenario, and I think it's an honest, unflinching glimpse into the horrors of the war and life after. Heartbreaking but hopeful, this is a really good read. It's a long one, but worth it.

5 stars

I'm thinking Kristin Hannah wakes up, sips her coffee, cracks her neck and knuckles, and thinks as she sits down at her laptop, "Hmm. Prepare to have your hearts ripped out even more brutally and frequently this time, Readers..."

This is my fourth Hannah book, and while I'm always certain she can't outdo herself, for my purposes, she has again with this most recent effort.

_The Women_ centers on Frankie (nee Francis) McGrath, a young nurse from Coronado Island. Her father's heroes' wall has always been apart from her, and as her brother Finley prepares to go to war, she's told a well-timed anecdote that makes her realize that she, too, could be on that wall, and that she feels the pull to serve.

As is always the case with Hannah's work, readers go all in with Frankie. We watch her suffer, love, grow, exceed everyone's expectations and also disappoint them, and work through many horrifying and contradictory experiences. For many readers, her encounters will seem unimaginable. An unexpected highlight for me throughout this read is the power and vital nature of friendship. In an effort to remain spoiler-free, I won't add any details about that here, but this motif, along with the more expansive discussions of shared experience and community, make for some of the most heartrending and memorable moments in a book that absolutely bombards readers with, truly, ALL the feels.

I had outrageous expectations for this one and they were still far exceeded. Special props to the audiobook, which features a well-known and very successful narrator who really make Frankie come to life.

Kristin Hannah has done it again, and I can't wait to see who/what gets her attention next.

“Women can be heroes.”

I’m convinced Kristin Hannah can do no wrong 👏🏼

The Nightingale will always be my favorite book by her, but The Women is coming in at a close second! 😮‍💨 This story covers some heartbreaking subject matter, with real detailed stories about the Vietnam War and life post-war for the veterans. I think my cry count was 10+ throughout this book 😭 It is such an impactful story and you can tell that the author invested her time in the writing of this book to make it as accurate as possible.

The research Kristin Hannah had to do for this book absolutely blows my mind. I 100% encourage you to read the authors note after you finish it! It was such an eye-opening and educational book, but told in an extremely engaging way.

The female MC, Frankie, is such a strong woman and endures so much heartache and trauma throughout the book - but she comes out stronger because of it. & the female friendships 😭 I loved Barb and Ethel so much!

As with most Kristin Hannah books, there are some love stories throughout the book, but they do not take away from the overall plots of the story - such a perfect balance.

The ending is one of my favorite parts of the book 🥲 I was quite literally sobbing as I finished it.

I could go on and on about this book, but I’ll leave you with this…

Women can be heroes & you will want to pick this book up on February 6th! 🫶🏼

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Hands down, the best book I've read in months. Kristin Hannah has a gift for historical fiction. In The Women, we meet and follow Frankie McGrath as she completes nursing school and enlists in the Army Nurse Corps to serve in the Vietnam War. We follow Frankie throughout her service in Vietnam and her many struggles upon her return to the United States.

Kristin Hannah truly has a gift for taking a little known or recognized piece of history and putting a story to it. I was engrossed in this story and did not want to put the book down. I was amazed at the strength of the main character Frankie as she found her way through Vietnam and a post-Vietnam world. I learned a lot about Vietnam in general from this book, about nursing during Vietnam. As a nurse myself, I love a story that focuses on a nurse. I felt I truly connected with this book and I did not want it to end. Though nearly 500 pages, I plowed through this book. Do yourself a favor and order a copy now!

4.5 stars!

War books are definitely not my go-to genre, but I’ve loved everything Kristin Hannah has written so I thought I would give this one a try and I’m glad I did! Some parts are rough to get through, but she does a great job building such special characters that you’re rooting for until the end. I love Hannah’s writing and think she did a really good job honoring the forgotten women who served in Vietnam. I also learned a lot about the war and the time period. A tough but important read.

Kristin Hannah did a wonderful job describing the Vietnam war and the PTSD that followed. I was moved to tears many times throughout the book. Wonderfully done!

Kristin Hannah is a phenomenal writer, and storyteller. I’ve read nearly all of her books and THE WOMEN might just be the best one.. It’s the 1960s and the Viet Nam War in raging. I was a young girl and the war was constantly in the news and a major subject.
Frankie McGrath has finished her nursing degree and impulsively joins the US ARMY to follow her brother to Viet Nam. She’s going to look after him. Even before her arrival to Viet Nam, her brother is killed and Frankie finds herself in way over her head, working in field hospitals, patching up severely mangled soldiers, and trying to stay alive herself. Through friendships and a pair of love interests, she survives and returns home to idyllic Coronado, California. But, everything has changed and mostly her. She’s witnessed things most peopke can’t even imagine. But she’s home now suffering PTSD, and a drug and alcohol addiction. Being home seems to be where her real survival struggles truly begin. Faced with backlash from her family “women don’t go to war” and from a public fed up with all things Viet Nam, Frankie spirals into a life of gut-wrenching ups and downs.
This story is so well-written, engaging and emotional. There were times I had to pause reading when the actions Of people made me so very angry and upset for Frankie.
THE WOMEN is A true masterpiece that everyone should read.

Thank you @stmartinpress @macmillan.audio @netgalley for a copy of this book. Hannah does it again with an amazing story. This one is on Frankie and spans over many years starting during the Vietnam war. The story sucks you in from the first chapter. I love that this book showed the effect of war from a perspective of a female nurse. There is so much heartbreak but so hope as well. I love the friendship between Frankie, Barb & Ethel. Julia Whalen did a great job brining Frankie's personality to life. I felt her anger, the frustration and her joy.

4.5 stars
There were women who served in the Vietnam war and Frankie McGrath was one of them. As an Army nurse she saw horrific injuries and death. After two years of services she returned to an America that was unwelcoming and disrespectful. What was even worse was that fellow male veterans repeatedly told her that “women did not serve in Vietnam”.
Frankie McGrath is the fictional hero in this novel but the author based her character on real life women who were brave enough to care for the soldiers in the middle of the battlefield. Her life was hell during and after the war as she tried to function with unrecognized post traumatic stress disorder. The book was totally absorbing and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history and the atmosphere of that time. I was a young teen when America entered that war. I remember the riots, the later change in attitude towards the war, and the lies told to the American people. This was an emotional read but well worth it.