Kristen Hannah has done it again. The Women is a heartfelt story of the women who served in the Vietnam War at a time where the country denied their service and treated them with dishonor. The first half of the book tells of the intense scenes of the medical camps in Vietnam and the second half portrayed the struggles of the nation and these women trying to move on with their lives. The main character, Frankie, is real, strong, and flawed. She grapples with generational trauma, PTSD, addiction, and grief all before she turns 29 years old. I was born in the 60s, and my father was in the Air Force in the war. Since I was so young during this era, I don’t remember first hand events described other than what I learned from history books, but this story seemed to bring my parent’s experiences to life. I was shocked and cried and laughed. The references to the music of the era only strengthened the story and brought meaning to the way society felt during this time. My father never talks about his time in Vietnam and after reading Frankie’s story, I can completely understand why. War is horrible in everyone’s eyes, but to give yourself, your life, for a country and war that wasn’t supposed to happen only makes the experience more heart wrenching and sad.

Thank you Kristen Hannah for creating this book to bring a new light on the women who “never were in Vietnam”. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the advanced audiobook.

Finally, if you can listen to this story on audio, I highly recommend it. Julia Whalen is the narrator and she is the queen of audiobooks. 5 stars is just not enough.

The Vietnam War is taboo in my family, much like I assume it is in other American families. My grandfather, who served, won't speak of it, and my grandmother claims to not know much of his time there. This book, while fiction, helped to shed some light on what may have actually happened in that period of my grandparents' lives. It is rich, full of tragedy, eye-opening, and empathetic. Keeping in the vein of Ms. Hannah's specialty, it is also thoroughly engaging. The characters are relatable and lovable, and the events are shocking. Historical fiction lovers will rejoice in the fact that, once again, Kristin Hannah has delivered them a masterpiece. Paired with the queen of narration, Julia Whelan, this book checks all the boxes and leaves nothing to be desired. I cannot recommend this new Kristin Hannah novel enough. Thank you to Ms. Hannah and the publishers for allowing me to listen to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

To say I love Kristin Hannah’s writing would be an understatement. She brings characters to life, and her writing illicits such strong emotion.

In The Women we get to hear about the women who were in Vietnam through army nurse Frankie McGrath’s story. After her big brother enlisted she followed suit. Through her story we see the violence of war, death, love, loss, grief, alcoholism, PTSD, drug addiction, depression, miscarriage and so much more. She seeks help, but is told there were no women in Vietnam. Yet she was there. She held the hands of soldiers as they died, she became an incredible surgical nurse, she risked her life to serve her country. When she returned, she found her parents had lied about where she was. They honored the men and forgot the women. Society looked down on her for being a part of the war when she returned home too. This caused Frankie to spiral out of control with no one to help her. Except for her two best friends, who were also nurses in Vietnam. The friendship they forged was unbreakable.

PTSD was not well-known about during this time and we see the violence the Vietnam war caused. Such raw emotion is brought out in this book and is written in such a way you truly feel every bit of it. An easy 5 stars for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Kristin Hannah, and Macmillan Audio for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. It was narrated by Julia Whelan, who has quickly become one of my favorites.

Pub Date: February 6

You know that feeling after you finish an amazing book and you feel almost in shock, like you need to just sit and keep thinking about it? I’ve been feeling that since I finished this audiobook. I think The Women just became one of my favourite books of all time.

Frances “Frankie” McGrath just wants to prove that women can be heroes too. When her brother ships out to fight in the Vietnam War, Frankie enlists as a nurse to follow him overseas into a war that’s in full swing, and nothing like the news was reporting in the States. Frankie is thrown into the deep end, with a never-ending string of casualties to treat while navigating friendship, love, and hope under the constant threat of the active war zone around her. Once Frankie finally returns home, she is faced with a very different America than she had left behind. Through ups and downs, Frankie must figure out who she is in her new post-war life and how to keep surviving.

This book drew me in immediately and had excellent pacing - I didn’t ever want to stop listening! The audiobook narrator was excellent. Captivating, poignant, joyous and heartbreaking, The Women is a masterpiece bringing the spotlight to an important side of history that's often left out of the conversation.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing this ALC!

I’m not a big historical fiction reader, but for whatever reason I simply cannot get enough of Kristin Hannah and her particular ways of emotional manipulation! This one focuses on the involvement of women in the Vietnam War and the ways their contributions were erased. The whole thing felt so cinematic and I loved how realistically flawed the characters were.

This book pulled me from the start! This is a powerful story about the women that served their country in Vietnam. It breaks my heart that they came home without a hero’s welcome. I was a child during that ti e so I didn’t see first hand the horror of that war. I do remember praying for the soldiers serving at dinner and at bedtime. I hope this generation will study and remember history so it’s not repeated. I can’t wait to handsell this book!

Oh wow!!! This book!! 😭😭😭
Kristin Hannah did it again and with so much emotion. I was hooked from the very start. I knew this would be a five star read. I got that feeling of excitement and I couldn’t put this one down. She was able to capture the realness of you feeling like you were there. She drew you in and you felt it every single thing that happened.

Be sure to read the authors note at the end.
The narrator was fantastic!!!

Kristin Hannah is an incredible writer and Julia Whelan is the best at her craft! I could listen to Whelan read all day, her voice is like butter and makes the audio so smooth. She has a special knack for making each character distinguishable.

“The women had a story to tell even if the world wasn’t quite ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words. We were there.”

The Women follows Francis “Frankie” McGrath along a span of nearly 20 years. We experience wartime with Frankie as an Army combat nurse, sometimes gruesome, and it feels oh-so-real. We have a front row seat to Frankie’s fierce friendships with Barb & Ethel and the trio’s work, families, passions, love, loss, and despair. It seems a lot of people don’t know about the women of the Vietnam War, and with Frankie’s pride and perseverance, she is here to tell their story.

Kristin Hannah is a master of descriptions, her words can fill your head with clear images. Every detail is laid out for us. Hannah has a way with making each character come to life on the pages. There are many in this novel so perfectly woven in and out of Frankie’s life. Hannah takes us on a journey to get to know Frankie so intimately, and because of this, this is a character and book that will stick with me for a very long time.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced listening copy.

Another great book by Kristin Hannah. This book is about women in the Vietnam War. Conflicted main character with PTSD after returning from war. Had to maneuver war, love, friendship while at war. Also had to deal with the negative consequences of societal frustration with this war. The love story was a bit predictable at the end.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the narration on this book! Julia Whelan does a fantastic job voicing the characters and I enjoyed the ending note from author Kristin Hannah! The story itself is incredibly touching and so well developed, I felt like I was right there in Vietnam with Frankie! If you like historical fiction and stories of love and war, be sure to check this book out!

This books was clearly well researched and written thoughtfully. The characters were vibrant and flawed in a very realistic way. Hannah does a beautiful job pulling me in to feel all of the complicated emotions right along with her characters.

Once again, Kristin Hannah has done it. A historical fiction piece that is riveting, interesting and made me feel. I loved that I expected the story to go on a certain path and each time I wasn’t sure I liked where it was going, the story turned revealing exactly what the book needed. Five star read and top 10 of the year, for sure!

The Women ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publishing Date February 6th 2024
“Women can be heros.”
“We don’t really talk about it. The war no one wants to remember.”

War. Love. Heartbreak. Addiction. Women.

What an absolutely beautiful novel. This could be my favorite I’ve read in quite some time & I do believe it will be in the top books of 2024. This is told through the eyes of Frankie, an Army Nurse who served in Vietnam. This story takes you through her enlisting, her time in country and her life when she returns to the US.

This book had me crying in heartbreak, crying in happiness and laughing along with the good times - which there were many of as well.

Look to pick this one up February 6th ❤️

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press & Kristin Hannah for the audio version of this novel.

Kristin Hannah’s The Women is an incredibly thought provoking and beautiful tribute to the women who served in Vietnam. It’s not an easy read as Hannah minces no words in her descriptions of war violence, war injuries, and the suffering that Veterans continued to endure in the aftermath of the war when they came home, not just the horrific way Veterans were treated to but the lasting effects of PTSD, drug abuse, alcoholism, homelessness, suicide, and health issues from exposure to agent orange. Hannah’s depiction is brutal and honest. The strength, bravery and courage these women exhibited was inspiring and the bond that was forged between this tight knit group of Army Nurses and their enduring friendship was beautiful.

I listened to the audiobook that was read by Julia Whelan and she truly brought these characters to life, giving them the dignity, honor and respect they deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook that is due to publish 06FEB2024. The opinions above are my own and it’s my pleasure to leave an honest review.

Kristin Hannah and Julia Whelan do it again..
I'll start off by saying I'm huge fans of both of their work. I feel they both do such a thurough job in anything they complete.

The Women was about Frances “Frankie” McGrath who follows her brothers path in joining the Vietnam war and becomes an Army Nurse. War is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends, coming home is a whole different battle. This is a story of one woman who went to war, but it also serves as a beacon for all women who put themselves in danger and whose devotion to their country and sacrifices are all too frequently overlooked.

Throughout the book I was SO angry for Frankie when people were constantly telling her "women weren't in Vietnam". When she was begging for help and she was told to basically get over it, that she wasn't a man who fought in the war. I wanted to reach through the book, give her a hug and help her in any way I can.

This story is moving and heart-wrenching and I'm so incredibly grateful to have the chance to listen to this phenomenal audiobook early. Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press!

Oh this book! It is an emotional roller coaster, such an impactful look at the Women who went to Vietnam, mostly as nurses but also a little bit about the Donut Dollies. "There weren't any women in Vietnam" is often stated throughout the book and is a painful reminder of how they were treated after serving their country, suffering from PTSD, medical issues, miscarriages and not given the recognition they deserved and truly needed to move on with their lives. This is the best book I've read this year.. and I read a lot of good books! I don't think I've cried this much since Kristin Hannah's last book.

And the audiobook narration by the inimitable Julia Whelan.. I have no words! She is the absolute best narrator to do this book justice. I really really appreciated that the audiobook also contained an introduction, and Afterword and Acknowledgements sections narrated by the Kristin Hannah herself. I usually listen to audiobooks but also check out the book or ebook from the library so I don't miss out on these sections, but it's even more meaningful hearing them in her own voice.

I also highly recommend watching or listening to Kristin Hannah's appearance on the 200th episode of the Friends and Fiction podcast, which is also available on their YouTube channel and Facebook group, it contains lots of great insights and discussion.

THE WOMEN
Kristin Hannah

THE WOMEN is Kristin Hannah’s latest piece of historical fiction, this time focusing on the women who served in the Vietnam War.

In THE WOMEN we are following Frances (Frankie) McGrath, a Vietnam combat nurse. We follow Frankie through every war, every love, and everything that felt like both.

Told in part through letters between Frankie and her friends over the years. Frankie sharing parts of her life she felt able to disclose, withholding everything else. Others wanting her to move on- her unable to.

Let's talk about a few of the things I thought were exceptional in THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah.

Kristin Hannah builds attachment to characters swiftly and fluidly, and it feels effortless. The writing is exceptional and extremely easy to read. It is historical but not the boring historical fiction you’re used to. The story is fascinating and feels like a much-needed change in the topic of conversation.

The forgotten women of Vietnam are the needed reminder that we are living history. That every breath taken today will be a moment in time written about tomorrow. THE WOMEN is challenging and rewarding and one of the best pieces of historical fiction I have read lately. I recommend it to fans of the genre and those wanting to jump in feet first.

I was thankfully provided an audiobook copy and my exceptional reading experience was due in part to Julia Whelan’s performance. She shines with Hannah’s material.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies!

THE WOMEN comes out on February 6, 2024, and is available for pre-order where books are sold.

THE WOMEN…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kristin Hannah really is a master storyteller! This is the first story I've ever read that put the women serving in Vietnam at the forefront. As much sacrifice and turmoil that they faced, they came home to utter disrespect and disregard for their service. It was abhorrent. I'm glad the heroine faced her struggles and didn't have a clear-cut happy ending. It was real and raw - another winner from the author.

“For a woman in love you have the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“The last best place.”

“He’s here. I feel him.”
“I always feel him.”

“The Women” is everything I want in my historical fiction. Hannah did her work entwining historical moments in our country’s history while creating fictional characters that I absolutely loved. The trio of friends — Frankie, Barb and Ethel — were such a wonderful reminder of how it’s important to lean into friendships, how it’s okay to not be okay, that asking for help doesn’t make you weak.

As a reader, I do think you have to believe in kismet for some of the connections in this novel, and if you’re willing to do so, you’ll be absolutely moved by the story Hannah weaves.

✨ 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 ✨

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕪 𝕂𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟 ℍ𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕙, ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴊᴜʟɪᴀ ᴡʜᴇʟᴀɴ
ꫝⅈડ𝕥ꪮ𝕣ⅈᥴꪖꪶ ᠻⅈᥴ𝕥ⅈꪮꪀ • ꪜⅈꫀ𝕥ꪀꪖꪑ ᭙ꪖ𝕣 • ꪶꪮꪜꫀ ડ𝕥ꪮ𝕣ꪗ
𝘈𝘓𝘊 • 𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: 6 𝘍𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This is a war story. Devastatingly heart-wrenching, this book deserves & needs to be read.

Told through the eyes of Frankie, a volunteer Army nurse, The Women tells the stories of friendship, of love, of heartbreak, and of hope. The first half of the novel takes place on the front-lines through the bloodiest, grimmest battles in Vietnam; the second half is just as disturbing: in the aftermath of the war, navigating reintegration into a society that neither acknowledges their bravery nor recognizes their trauma. We get to experience what happens when you are invisible, your very existence erased. This novel claps back: "We were there.”

Julia Whelan does an outstanding job narrating Frankie's character as well as those of nurses hailing from various other parts of the US with different accents. I highly recommend audio format for this book [which I also reviewed as a digital ARC previously].

I can see this book getting banned in places for its unflattering portrayal of the US government's Vietnam War policies. The lies told to the public by then-POTUS (LBJ, Nixon) and their administrations are eerily familiar when juxtaposed against the rhetoric heard from current war zone frontlines and politicians.

Also jarring: in the timeline of the book, in 1972 contraception becomes legalized for unmarried women [in a Supreme Court decision]. Frightening that we are now plummeting backwards in time for women's rights.

Kristin Hannah has tackled an immensely difficult topical area and done it with finesse and grace. A must read. This book releases Feb 6, in just over a week!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @MacmillanAudio for granting me a copy of the ALC.