Synopsis: The Women follows Frankie’s journey as a combat nurse in the Vietnam war. It tells a powerful story about the sacrifices she and other women made that were often over looked or forgotten.

My thoughts: Julia Whelan is my favorite audiobook narrator so I was unbelievably excited for this Netgalley approval! When I set a goal to read more historical fiction this year, of course, that meant more Kristin Hannah. I’d recommend this author to anyone who doesn’t mind shedding a tear or two (or twenty😢). Her stories are tragic but so so beautiful.💔🥹😭 The writing and character development, as always, is top tier. The loyalty in the female friendships really made the story come alive. I love that The Women pieced together Frankie’s whole story - from the heroic qualities she displayed as a combat nurse to what she faced in the aftermath of war trauma. It felt messy and real. I didn’t think anything could surpass The Nightingale but The Women is right up there with it. I know it’s early in the year, but I’m confident in saying this one will make my favorites of 2024. Check triggers as the content is emotional and heavy but it’s such a powerful and important story that you won’t want to miss.

true story... I am not done with this book yet because Kristin Hannah is a very tough author for me to read.
I know... she is going to rip out my heart and I won't even be 30% in the book. My first book by Hannah was " The Great Alone" it was such a heavy book I had to stop reading it and take a break...
Then I read "Four Winds" I can still feel the atmosphere of "The Great Depression" and the "Dust Bowl" with the dry crops and starving people. Hannah is very, very thorough in her research. She seems like the type of author who counts the grains of salt in the shaker before mentioning in her story.
"The Women" is a story set during the Vietnam War . She has counted the grains of salt... She does not miss one description. I have to stop and take a breath because it is very emotionaly heavy and heart wrenching.
I have not finished reading the book yet...but I will. I just can't read her in one sitting. Hannah gives me too much to think about and ponder. I did not give this book a fiver star because I don't trust Hannah...I am hoping that she doesnt rip my heart out and does right by Fankie.

I know her fans will absolutely love this book.
Kristin Hannah (Author, Narrator), Julia Whelan (Narrator) are amazing narrators. I felt all their words, had to take deep breaths and felt every emotion in their voice. Really truly outstanding.

“I left a patriot and came home a pariah.”

As someone who only knew about the Vietnam War through history books in school, I realized I understood so little. I remember it being called a senseless war and the movements to end the war. What I had never considered deeply is the effect the lack of support for the war had on the veterans returning home. Especially the invisible women of the Vietnam War who had mental health concerns but were refused veteran services.

Kristin Hannah takes the reader through so many raw and awful circumstances and feelings, but she does it with such authenticity that Frankie felt like a real person. My heart broke for Frankie multiple times as she tried and failed and tried again and again to find her way back to herself. The Women will stay with me and remind me that many were never thanked for their service when they needed it most.

Let me start this review by saying two things. 1 I hope there isn’t a word cap. 2 there is nothing I can say that would even be worthy of this book. I’m an avid reader. All of my free time is spent in a book. I’ve read some great ones. Ones I thought would never be topped. I was wrong. This book by leaps and bounds is the best book I’ve EVER had the privilege of reading. It’s a first by this author but will not be my last. Normally I’d move right on to the next one on my list. But seriously how? How do I move on from THIS??? I feel like it will be days before I’m ok enough to read again. Then it just will not be the same. That’s how impactful this book was. If you don’t feel like your soul was torn right out of you, then you my friend don’t have a pulse. I mean that in the best way possible. You should be prepared to feel all the emotions a human is capable of feeling! And I do mean all! This story is one I know I will never ever forget. I will always remember these characters as if I myself lived through it with them. Why? Because that’s the way it feels. I have never in my life had this kind of deep soul searing connection with a book. So thank you for writing this. Thank you for shining light on the women who were mistreated. Who were told to forget. Who were treated like they didn’t matter. Who were taught to be ashamed. Who were told they didn’t see battle but in my opinion faced it head on everyday. Without them there would only have been death. Thank you for saying they matter! They were there! They did serve! Thank you for the women!!! It’s been an honor and a privilege being able to read your work! As I said previously there are no words I can say good enough for this book, so let me say again, THANK YOU!!!!!
https://www.amazon.com/review/R2C6I8Z97CREZB/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Every emotion was felt while reading this. It was so well written, researched and descriptive. While I knew some of the Vietnam War, I didn't fully grasp the depth of it. This will truly open your eyes.
"The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm's way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. Women can be hero's, too"
Seriously you need to keep this book on your radar for it's February 6th debut!
Thank you NetGalley and St Martins press for my ARC.

“All the pain, the loss, the lost, the shame.”

“…thrust back into a world where Vietnam veterans were supposed to be invisible, the women most of all.”

“Women can be heroes.”

“We were there.”

Kristin Hannah takes on the Vietnam War with a poignant pen. From the beginning, she pulled me into this era, capturing the overwhelming nature of the time. The first part focuses on Vietnam and the life of a combat nurse (Frankie) and the many casualties of war, both US and Vietnamese. The second part focuses on Frankie’s return home. I immediately wanted to read this book, because of the author, but also to read about an era less often covered in historical fiction.

I was deeply moved in many respects. The gritty, in your face descriptions of the kind of trauma witnessed as a combat nurse. It was intense. I was sickened but I do feel it added to the perspective. And then, the return home…no heroes welcome, no acknowledgement, no interest. To have gone through Vietnam and to return in a confused state of shame and be unsupported, was just staggering. The pain, the PTSD. The author does a tremendous job of capturing all the emotions. There were two things I hadn’t considered that really stuck with me: (1) the adamant denial that women were in Vietnam and (2) that they considered their time in Vietnam as “the best of times, the worst of times”. So much to unpack with those thoughts.

Surprisingly, and I hate that this is the case, I’m not 100% sold on this book. It’s too long, there are too many incredible coincidences and stretches, it’s way too neatly wrapped up in the end, it gets melodramatic when it’s not necessary, the love interests are just awful and the main character was just unlikeable. For a book titled “the women”, I would have liked more stories of the women. I wanted more of her friends, Barbara and Ethyl. Definitely needed less of Rye (although I did get caught up in that drama, it really was an unnecessary side story.)

While there are aspects that bothered me, it was really emotionally gripping overall and will stay with me. Kristin Hannah is skilled at getting to the heart, and writing with a female lens. It’s not my favorite of her books, but worth a read. She shines light on the forgotten.

There are a million triggers in this book. It probably needs to come with warnings.

I know they are already looking at a movie based on this book…. That’s going to be amazing!

I both read the book and listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Julie Whalen was great as usual!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!! It was an honor to both read and listen to it.

THE WOMEN - KRISTIN HANNAH

5⭐
PLOT - Frankie McGrath one who is always for doing the right thing joins the army nurse corps to serve in Vietnam. But she isn't prepared and each day becomes a gamble of life and death for her. But that's not what was real battle for her..it's coming home to find a changed and divided America.

MY THOUGHTS -
This book is PHENOMENAL. Kristin Hannah has outdone herself yet again. The first half to almost 2/3 Rd book will pull you apart/ rip you to pieces then will slowly piece everything together.
Her intense research and depth on this important historical event is very evident and you will be invested throughout the story.
The audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan makes it even more real giving you goosebumps at so many places !
Even if you dnt read historical fiction this one shouldn't be miss at any cost!!
A favourite of mine in 2024 !

The Women, by Kristen Hannah, is the kind of novel that stays with you. The kind of novel you both race through and take your time with. The kind of novel you make all your book-loving friends read too because you can't imagine not sharing this amazing story with everyone you know. Julia Whelan is the perfect narrator for The Women (Well, Whelan is a perfect narrator, period. I cannot imagine a story should wouldn't make richer, just by lending her voice to it.) I am in awe of Hannah's talent to create stories that are so big, and yet crafted of the smallest, most intimate moments. A beautiful, heartbreaking, inspiring, redemptive novel. (I suggested The Women to my book club and cannot wait to discuss it with everyone next month!!!)

5 stars for this audiobook! Kristin Hannah + Julia Whelan narrating = automatic request for me. I think this is my favourite novel of Hannah’s so far. I have found her books to be a little too heavy handed with tragedy, and of course this book has its’ many tragedies, but there’s something more hopeful about this one. I loved the character development of our main character, Frankie, a young and naive nurse who enlists to serve as a nurse in the Vietnam War as a way to connect to her naval officer brother and to impress her father. I took an undergrad history course all about the Vietnam War, and don’t remember learning much about the women who served. This book explored so much about the war from the women’s experience, but it also dealt with trauma in such a thoughtful and important way. I will definitely recommend this audiobook.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan and it was supreme! This is probably the first book narrated by Whelan I have listened to and her ability to make the words flow is phenomenal. It didn't sound like someone was reading to you, but telling a story. This is what I enjoy about an audiobook!

I loved the story. The world was changing in the 60s and I was drawn to the story of main character Frankie. She fought for her country, her family, and more importantly, herself, but not everyone was proud of Frankie's heroic efforts, but embarrassed, disappointed, disgusted, and unacknowledged for her fighting in Vietnam. the Women is an emotional gripping story that everyone should read but better yet, listen to.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Woman
By: Kristin Hannah
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Pub Date: 2/6/24
Read by Julia Whelan

I truly don’t think anyone writes better historical fiction than Kristin Hannah. This one really made me think. My grandmother was a nurse in the Navy during the Vietnam war. Never once did I think to ask her about her experience and now I can’t.
Frankie McGrath is 21 years old. She has been raised to be a wife and mother but when her brother ships out, she decides to follow him and become a combat nurse.
After she arrives in country the absolute chaos of the war smacks her right in the face. She works hard and learns so much from the other nurses and doctors. She reups and does a second tour before finally returning to her parents home in California. She knows about the protests and the unrest with the war but never expected to be spat on at the airport. Taxis refuse to pick her up because she’s in uniform. But what’s even worse is she discovers no one believes there are women in Vietnam. Her parents have lied to her friends and acquaintances, telling them she was off in Europe.
It was such a moving, compelling story that really made me think. What the women and men who were unlisted went through coming home.

✨Book Review✨

The Women
Kristin Hannah
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Pub Day to one amazing book!

If you’re looking for a book that will make you feel every single emotion look no further.

KH will always be in my top 3 favorite authors because of The Great Alone, The Nightingale and because of Winter Garden. And now this book! I’m not sure how a person can write such real, gritty, gut wrenching stories.

This book details the story of Frankie who volunteered to serve in Vietnam as a nurse. She volunteered to please her father and she thrived there because she was great at what she did. When she returned home after two tours she was spit on and called names. Her father didn’t welcome her but was ashamed. This story touches on death, heartache, depression, suicide and so much more.

@Kristinhannahauthor you will always be the queen of historical fiction in my eyes. Thank you for sparking all these emotions in me as I was reading. It brought this story to life before my eyes.

The audio was amazing. This narrator helped to bring this story to life. She was able to narrate both men and women and the way she did it made each feel real. Each time someone would start talking I already knew who they were by her voice before it was mentioned.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillian.audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC.

At the age of 20 Frances "Frankie" McGrath impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps to follow her brother to Vietnam. Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America. The Women is a portrait of Frankie specifically and through her Hannah shines a light on the forgotten women who served in Vietnam.
The story is descriptive, compelling, and thoughtful. Frankie's story is heartbreakingly full of grief and trauma but also of love and friendship. The audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan who as all ways does an excellent job, Fans of Kristin Hannah and readers who enjoy powerful historical fiction novels won't want to miss this.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook.

🚁 The Women - Kristin Hannah

5 ⭐️ - Kristin Hannah is superwoman. No one does women at war quite like KH. She built me up and she tore me down. I loved every second of it. If you’re a war, historical fiction fan or a KH fan, this needs to go on your TBR immediately if not sooner.

Women can be heroes too. When 20 year old Frankie McGrath hears those words, she has a revelation. In 1965, the world is changing. When he brother is drafted to serve in Vietnam, Frankie joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows him there. War is overwhelmed and is filled with days of fear, life, death, hope, and betrayal. But war is only one battle. The real battle lies in Frankie and her friends’ return home to a changed and divided America, a country who wants to forget what’s happening in Vietnam.

“There were no women in Vietnam,” or so you thought. It is obvious that Vietnam wasn’t one of the better US decisions. This book touches on that, as well as shines a bright light on the women who volunteered to put their lives in harms way to help our soldiers and our country. This book shines a bright light on women’s strength, women’s friendships and relationships, and the power women have. This book is heartbreaking, heartwarming, well researched, powerful, and important. You’ll think you know where it’s going or what to expect and then it takes a left turn and shocks you. The best part of this book? The strong importance of female friendships. I wish I could experience it for the first time again. Don’t let the page count scare you but if it does, the audiobook narrated is spectacular. Read it and love it immediately.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the early listener audio copy. This story comes home TODAY! It’s also a BOTM pick you don’t want to miss!

THIS BOOK! I'm calling it now, The Women by Kristin Hannah will be the book of 2024.

Summary:
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over- whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Thoughts:
Hannah's storytelling is impeccable, hooking you in quickly. There was so much I loved about this story from the heroine main character, Frankie, the trials she faced, the rawness of her personality, and the true depiction of grief and a life turned upside down by trauma. This book was so enlightening to me about the Vietnam War and I value the honesty of what a time such as this was for our country.

I don't know how she does it, but Kristin Hannah continues to write stories that simply need to be told. The Women is a story everyone should read and I will be screaming that from the rooftops!

Ok, this was absolutely amazing. I never really heard of the women who were over in Vietnam. I know that the soldiers were not appreciated, but this book goes through so much more detail than I knew. I cried from this book, hearing what the women went through and just this story. The author did an amazing job with this story.

Unforgettable.

Although this novel tells one woman's fictional coming of age story, this is really a testimonial to all the women who served in Vietnam and whose service was neither appreciated nor recognized by their country or their fellow citizens.

Frances "Frankie" McGrath is 21 when she impetuously joins the Army Nurse Corps. Arriving in country without any notion of the horrors of war, she is completely unprepared for daily life in these makeshift hospital and surgical wards near the shifting conflicts in the jungle and in the air. The devastation she witnesses, and the sheer multitude of injury and death is almost more than any soul can bear. She forms a strong friendship with her two hooch mates and that bond is the only relationship that keeps her sane as she develops her nursing skills to save as many of the wounded as she can. Despite the terrible conditions, she feels that Vietnam is where she can be of most use and she really wants to be a hero. Ultimately, she wants her parents to be proud of her as they were of her beloved brother. And, after a second tour, she finally returns home only to find that the world as she knew it has changed. She's an embarrassment and is reviled and soon becomes broken and lost. She wants to move forward but there is another fierce battle for herself at home.

I was in middle and high school during the last years of the Vietnam War. I was vaguely aware of the draft but I do not remember anyone I knew going there. When I graduated, I went off to college, to nursing school, and the #1 show was MASH. I wanted to be Loretta Swit and I really intended to join the military as soon as I got my degree. Life had other plans for me and that dream was set aside as I became a wife and mother. I always regretted not serving. Now, after reading what life was like in a war zone operating room, I know for sure that I would never have had the strength or endurance to do that job. While the TV show did give a glimpse, I now understand that the true picture of what it was like was hidden from all of us as no one ever asked those nurses or the other women that were in Vietnam for their stories. What must have it been like for them to hear that there "were no women in Vietnam." To be denied help at Veterans hospitals and clinics.

I believe this novel will really appeal to a certain reader and affect them differently depending on what they think or know of the war years and if they had personal experiences with it. My heart was breaking for the main character who I am sure represented a good many of those who went through the atrocities and chaos.

Rarely do I rate a fiction book 5 stars but I can't stop thinking about this. The narration was excellent, and the writing was so evocative and powerful. The story resonated with me in a way that I have not felt in a long while. This review does not do the book justice. It's possible that the descriptions of the gory nature of war will be a turnoff to some. The main character goes through a lot during the course of the story but every word demonstrates the absolute toll that serving one's country takes on a person. It explains why so many came home so damaged.

Thank you for the audio and the e-book advance copies to read, review, and highly recommend.

Thank you netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review. Kristin Hannah has done it again with another great read. This was a great historical fiction novel of a woman serving in the army as a combat nurse during the war in Vietnam. The story was great and fast paced. The details were great and detailed about the war. Great book about Freedom and Family. Highly recommend

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧
𝐁𝐲 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐒𝐭. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟐.𝟔.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝑂𝑢𝑡 𝑆𝑜𝑜𝑛!

Kristin Hannah has been one of my favorite authors for a long time. I have loved her historical fiction, such as 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴. But when I saw her latest book was about the nurses of the Vietnam War, I knew this may be her very best.

To say I was immersed in this book would be an understatement. Kristin Hannah’s descriptive, emotional, and, yes, at times, graphic writing put me alongside young Frankie as she served as a combat nurse in Vietnam. You experience the constant dampness, awful smells, gruesome hours of surgeries, and the death that follows her everywhere. It was only the friendships that Frankie formed that carried her through.

Later, we see the disrespect the women who served as nurses received back home. Frankie struggles with PTSD and addiction, yet she cannot find treatment as a veteran - Frankie is constantly being told there were no women in Vietnam. Even her family seems ashamed of her.

I love this time period; the late ‘60s were such a volatile and yet pivotal time. This is not only a brilliantly written historical fiction novel, but it’s an important one, too. These women, nurses, and heroes were given a voice. All the stars for 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧.


I’m so thankful I could pair my reading with the audiobook narrated by @juliawhelan, who brought the narrative to life.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the gifted digital ARC.
Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook.

Have the tissues handy and clear the calendar when you start this one! Totally five stars from me. Since my freshman history class first semester of college, I have had an interest in women in Vietnam. This book hit all the marks for me. Frankie has a life that many have experienced, and I hope that as people read this book they will support measures to help women that come back from war. This book is a rollercoaster of emotion you will experience them all. Hannah is getting better and better each book I read. She is now on the top of the must read pile!

This book would pair well with The World Played Chess by Dugoni for a male perspective and Home Before Morning by Van Devanter for a nonfiction account.

Please read this one and share with others. Thanks NetGalley for letting me have a first listen before publication day. This opinion is mine and wasn't influenced.