The Women
Kristin Hannah
5⭐️

“Women can be heroes, too.”

Kristin Hannah truly is a master storyteller, and she absolutely delivered with her newest novel.

Set during and after the Vietnam War, The Women is a profoundly emotional story that shines a light on women’s heroic stories that have often been forgotten or overlooked. It was educational, eye opening, frustrating, and utterly heartbreaking.

I don’t read a ton of historical fiction, and to be honest I don’t know an abundance about Vietnam however I was instantly absorbed into Hannah’s impeccable writing. The story flows so perfectly and reads so realistically you almost forget it’s a work of fiction. The vivid descriptions and situations were mind blowing and gut wrenching. I was immersed and felt like I was right next to Frankie, experiencing every thing and every emotion she was.

The cast of characters were fully fleshed out, realistic, and full of depth. Hannah has a knack for creating truly beautiful and strong female friendships. Next to Firefly Lane, these are amongst some of the best I’ve read. The way they supported each other, loved each other, and showed up when needed was heartwarming. #SquadGoals

What I loved;
🚁 Historical Fiction
🚁 Thought Provoking
🚁 Mental Health Rep
🚁 ALL The Feels

Pub Date 2/6/2024. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. And many, many thanks to Kristin for this labor of love. It is sure to be one of the top reads of 2024. I look forward to rereading with the audio and cannot wait to get my hands on a gorgeous finished copy.

👩🏻‍⚕️🪖💉🇺🇸🌴💣

Kristin Hannah has done it again.👏🏼 She is absolutely the queen of historical fiction.

<i>The Women</i> is an emotionally gripping tale about one woman’s service in the Vietnam conflict and all of the bonds, personal growth, and heart ache that come with it.

Frankie McGrath joins the U.S. Army as a nurse after graduating college with hopes of making her patriotic parents proud and of serving along side her brother, a Navy officer, in Vietnam. By the time she arrives in country, it is immediately clear that she was young and naive, and that she has no idea what she’s gotten herself into. Thankfully, two fellow nurses (Barb and Ethel) take Frankie under their wing. Once Frankie gets into the swing of things with Barb and Ethel at her side, she quickly excels and becomes passionate about nursing and her service to her country.

The first 50ish% of this book details Frankie’s time in Vietnam and it moves at the perfect pace. I had such a difficult time forcing myself to stop reading and tend to other responsibilities during these parts. As a fellow female military veteran myself, I relate to Frankie and her service so much, especially since I was a medic so I too have experience in military hospitals. Kristin Hannah did a phenomenal job accurately describing what all of this is like. Likewise was her use of military rank, slang, acronyms, etc.

The back half of the book spans many years after she returns home. It’s not the friendly welcoming party she was expecting—in fact, it’s quite the opposite. She’s let down by almost everyone once she gets back home, and experiences nearly every sort of heartache a woman can. My heart broke right alongside hers each and every time, which is a sure sign of an amazing book for me.

4.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

The ONLY reason I’m not rating it as five stars is that I did get a little bored around 65-70%. It quickly picks back up though, so don’t let this deter you from picking up a copy when it comes out (06 February 2024).

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

“The Women” is an eye opening story about the female heroes of the Vietnam War, the nurses who made sure the soldiers were given the absolute best possible care. Frankie McGrath loses her brother in Vietnam and decides that women can be heroes too. While she is ill prepared for the war itself, she quickly finds her way thanks to her bunk mates, Barb and Ethel. The unlikely friends handle everything together and must lean on each other through love and loss, and the return home to an America that does not believe women were considered veterans. As Frankie navigates the war and post-war California, she must decide if she wants to forget the part or force the people around her to acknowledge her time in Vietnam and how it affects her. A gripping novel that kept me up late wondering if Frankie would be ok, it is a truly eye opening piece of historical fiction.

This book should come with tissues. The truth of the Vietnam War is devastating. It’s a time in American history that needs examination. Kate Quinn does a magnificent job focusing one woman’s experience and the path she takes to wholeness after serving her country as a battlefield nurse. For younger readers, this book will feel impossible. For those of us who remember Vietnam, it’s heartbreaking and honest, a reminder.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kristin Hannah never disappoints. I was so excited to get an ARC of this book - she’s one of my favorite authors and she has a real gift for writing historical fiction. I had never read anything about the women in Vietnam. In fact, I haven’t read much about the Vietnam War at all. But this book was a heartbreaking roller coaster ride of emotion. Frankie was the perfect voice.

*There are a couple of mature scenes but you can easily see them coming and skip them.

The Women by Kristin Hannah is hauntingly beautiful and I loved every moment of it! Frankie’s brother shipped off to the Vietnam War while she finished her nursing degree. Shortly after becoming a nurse she decided to enlist in the Army to go to Vietnam as well. Kristin Hannah explores many aspects of the war, from what the men that saw the frontlines went through as evidenced from their wounds to the living conditions of the military personnel and the Vietnamese living in a war torn country to the aftermath when people don’t come home or when they do and no one knows how to treat them or how to respond appropriately to them.
The characters are complex and interesting, the storyline just grabs hold of you and won’t let go of you, even when you’ve turned the last page. You’ll laugh, you’ll be horrified and you’ll cry and cry some more!

Kristin Hannah does it again! The Women was utterly beautiful. I'll admit, I didn't know much about The Vietnam War before reading this book. I certainly have never given much thought about the women of the war. It was heartbreaking to read the horrors that these women experienced while in Vietnam, and even more so how they were treated when they returned home.

Frankie was a great FMC, and the female friendships were great. I thought the ending was perfect and wrapped everything up nicely. I am in awe of the amount of research Kristin Hannah must have done to make this story come to life. Everything she wrote sounded like she was actually there.

The easiest 5 stars. This was a story that needed to be told, and I am so excited for readers to read it in February. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Kristin Hannah has done it again, and arguably this is one of her best books yet. I could not put this book down and was even trying to read the ebook while making dinner (I do not recommend it). Hannah has taken a subject that is often seen as political, embarrassing, confusing, or complicated (depending on your perspective), and presented it through the lens of historical fiction in a way that is informative, personable, and engaging. I'm so glad that she wrote this, and I love that Hannah included the note to share that she has wanted to write this story for years, but waited until she was ready to. This is an incredibly easy book to recommend - if the book description catches your eye or intrigues you, this book is for you.

Side note: as this book surrounds the Vietnam War, I would encourage readers to check triggers ahead of time due to the nature of the topics described and discussed in this book.

This book will take you on a roller coaster. It's sad, tragic and happened way too often. It touches on how the Vietnam veterans were treated after they came back. Kristin Hannah brings the women's side to life. The women you didn't hear about. They had a right to be heard too. The book follows Frankie. What she delt with as a nurse in Vietnam and what she went through when she came home. I will admit it's not an easy read. It will stress you out and break your heart. But it will also give hope. Another great book by Kristin Hannah.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristin Hannah and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

4.25 ⭐️

I really liked this overall and loved parts! It was extremely captivating, horrifying and moving. I thought the book did a great job of positioning the War and Vietnam itself as a main character (similar to how Alaska was a character in The Great Alone). I learned about the war when I was younger but haven’t really thought about it much as an adult. I love a book that teaches you about a lesser known piece of history (the women of the war, in this case). There were also a few truly shocking moments that will stay with me.

I’m rating 4.25 because while there was so much I loved, I think this book needed a lot more character development. They called it “The Women” but we still barely even knew the side characters and didn’t really see much of their Vietnam experience. Even Frankie’s personality was a bit bland/one note. I think I would have connected to it more fully with the characters fleshed out with much more detail.

Still highly recommend and think people are going to love this one.

My 100th book for the year!!!

The Women by Kristin Hannah is SO good! I’ve waited my entire life for someone to put the Vietnam War in perspective and share stories of the women vets. This book does just that and it is gut wrenching, heart breaking, and touching. It’s my second favorite Hannah book. (Not sure The Nightingale will ever not be my favorite! 💙)

If you are holiday shopping for yourself or a reader, preordering this book would be a great gift. It comes out in February 2024.

This story gives a voice to the female nurses of the Vietnam war. A story that most of us don't know and Kristin Hannah has brought it to light in her approachable style of writing. I was pulled into this novel from the first page and couldn't put it down. It was hard to read as you feel as if you are right there besides them. That is a gift to us as readers as we cannot turn away from the harsh realities and the sacrifices by all that served in Vietnam. This is a book that you should go into blindly and not read a lot about ahead of time. Immerse yourself into the story and you will forever be changed.

Don’t start this book if you have plans for that day. You will become so enthralled with the story that you won’t be able to put it down. It is fabulous. Kristin Hannah has done it again! She writes books that stay with you and truly capture your heart. This time she takes us back to the mid 60s and the Vietnam War. “Frankie” McGrath is one of Hannah’s best characters yet. When Frankie’s brother goes to Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps to be with him. As we watch Frankie’s character evolve from a naive 20 year old to a jaded warrior who sees unspeakable acts of war, it is impossible not to become invested in her story. I loved how even the tone and voice of her letters home show the evolution of her character. We see the gritty aftermath of what happens to Veterans after they come home. We see the bonds that are made in an army hospital. This is going to be one of the best books of 2024. Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy. I just reviewed “The Women” by Kristin Hannah. #KristinHannah #NetGalley

What can I say? Kristin Hannah never disappoints. I felt like I was reading the story of one of the nurses from MASH, but that was fine because I honestly had never thought about the nurses stories before—which is the whole point of this book. Hannah tells the stories that others ignore, whether it’s a French resistance member in Workd War 2 or a survivor of Leningrad. Her stories are heavy and sometimes I have to put the book down for a day or two, so it takes some time to get thru. And her books often have a bittersweet ending, not entirely miserable, but not Hallmark happy either. The Women follows all those traits that Hannah fans have come to expect. I think Kristin Hannah is the best writer out there for women, she writes characters that are typically human, but do extraordinary things. In other words, she writes women that we could all possibly be, or aspire to be.
Several years ago, there was a tv show called China Beach, about the nurses in Vietnam. At the time, I worked for American Red Cross, and my supervisor had been a donut dolly during the war, and she would sometimes talk a little bit about the similarities between the show and the reality. She is in her 70s now, as are most of the veterans. I’m glad this book is written now, when those that it is about can finally get their thanks for what they went thru.

Kristin Hannah has written another amazing book! If you are a fan of Historical Fiction and interested. in learning about the role of the nurses during the Vietnam War..this book you will love.

Synopsis: After Frances brother signs up to fight in the Vietnam War, Frances decides to sign up as well as a nurse. The story that follows is about the horrors she sees and experiences and how it changes Frances for both good and bad.

This was a page turner that was very hard to put down. Packed with plenty of action, heartache, joy and love this book was well worth the read.

I want to thank St Martin's Press and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Kristin Hannah has outdone herself! The Women is a gorgeous story of bravery, love, and what it’s like to be forgotten.

This was the first time I really, truly thought about what it was life for women in service, especially for nurses during the Vietnam War. I was a nurse in a previous life, and I could feel the passion Kristin had for telling the stories of the forgotten nurses.

She also carefully and eloquently tackled PTSD, gaslighting, addiction, and suicidal ideation (content warning) while weaving it seamlessly into the story.

Kristin Hannah has so many incredible novels, but I think this is her best! I was lucky enough to get a Net Gallery ARC, and I will absolutely be buying this when it comes out in February 2024.

Kristin Hannah is a storyteller like no other. She magically weaves a tale that transports you into the characters' lives. The telling seems so real that it makes it easy to see and feel what the characters do and helps the reader better understand their world. In The Women, the reader follows the lives of three women who serve in Vietnam as nurses. It is here that they are bound together by their experiences and become lifelong friends. Frankie, the main character, returns home, mentally and physically changed. The ladies are not met with the response they expected after their heroine sacrifices and need to learn to live in this new and strange world. The rest of the novel follows their lives after their service and how each of them deals with the ghosts of the past. A story of courage, friendship, loss, heartache, change and redemption, The Women, is not to be missed. An absolutely awe inspiring story!

Kristin Hannah continues to amaze me with the way she takes historical settings and fills them with relatable, flawed characters that you can't help but love. This story was incredible from start to finish, Im sad I devoured it so quickly and have to wait years for her next novel.

I learned so much about The Women that served in the Vietnam war, and it broke my heart to learn about how they were treated upon their return to America. They were made to feel like their trauma was insignificant, that they should just get over it and go back to being a woman, they were told that women didn't serve in Vietnam, and had people doubt their very real experiences and the horror they were through.

This novel was gripping from the very beginning, we meet Frankie and watch as she enlists to be a nurse in the Vietnam war. I couldn't bring myself to put this book down, the story and characters were so engrossing I just had to know what was going to happen next. There is such great representation of female friendship in this book as well and I loved both Ethel and Barb's characters too.

There isn't a Kristin Hannah book that I wouldn't read. She blew me away with this one and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Kristin Hannah writes another masterpiece! This unflinching novel provides an accurate portrayal of the complexities and tragedies of the Vietnam War, the impacts on those who served in Vietnam, and how those experiences followed Veterans when/if they returned home.

Readers are drawn into Frankie's experiences, her relationships with those with whom she served, and how those experiences forever changed the course of her life.

Kristin Hannah is an amazing historical fiction writer. I have loved her previous novels and her upcoming one, The Women, tackling the Vietnam War, is no exception. It is one of the best historical fiction reads that I have read this year. It really drew me in; I found myself thinking about this novel and the characters even when I wasn’t reading it.

Set in Vietnam and the US, both during and after the Vietnam War, the story is about Frankie, a young nurse from a well-to-do family, who signed up to serve in Vietnam. She is a well developed and likeable character.

The story follows Frankie and her female (and male) colleagues during the war and the author does an excellent job of vividly describing their experiences helping others while trying to stay alive. Once back in America, we see the challenges faced by Frankie and other returning Vietnam vets and the open disdain of their fellow Americans for participating in the unpopular war. It is even worse for the women whose contributions to saving lives during the war were ignored.

In telling Frankie’s story, the author interweaves many themes: trauma, PTSD, friendship, the role of women, sacrifice, love and addiction. She also clearly describes the tumultuous times of the late 1960s/early 1970s in the US, weaving in key historical events like the (Robert) Kennedy and King assassinations, and the anti-war protests.

I haven’t read many novels about the Vietnam War, so this was an engrossing, fascinating and informative read - exactly what I look for in historical fiction. Lovers of historical fiction and wonderful characters make sure to pick this one up!

Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Review has already been shared on social media. I will repost my review on publicati0n day.