I expected this to be a really good book. It was even more. Ms. Hannah has taken a subject very few know much about and educated the reader about a very painful time for our country. I was thirteen when the Vietnam War ended. I was aware of the war but certainly never had the insight into what those who served went through, much less how traumatic it was for the women who served.

The story of Frankie's service as a nurse, her return home, and her resuling PTSD was deeply emotional and filled with despair. It was definitely not an easy story to read, but such an important story to read. It makes you stop and ponder your own beliefs about the war and those who served their country and were ridiculed for it. It made me stop and think about my husband's service in Afghanistan and his resulting PTSD (and yes, they really do wind up on the floor during nightmares). It makes me wish I had spent more time listening to him when he came home. This story has made me determined to listen to him more about his service and ask questions.

Thank you for this book, Ms. Hannah.

I listened to the amazing audio version of this book narrated by Julia Whelan (who did an amazing job) mixed with reading the book.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the gifted copies. All thoughts are my own.
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It’s 1965 and the world is changing. Frances “Frankie” McGrath has always had an idyllic life and had had her future set for her. But 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, having no idea how this decision will affect the course of the rest of her life. Frankie is thrown into the war and is immediately overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction. 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.

“Maybe happy now, happy for a moment, is all we really get. Happy forever seems like a shitload to ask in a world on fire.”

Wow, Kristin Hannah has done it once again. Kristin Hannah has been a long time favorite author of mine and each book of hers has wrecked me. I absolutely admire her ability to write about heavy subjects (domestic abuse, the Great Depression, women in the Vietnam War, etc.) and do it so eloquently. I always walk away from her books learning something. I loved this emotional historical fiction book about a part of the Vietnam War you don’t often hear much about. This book is powerful and will have you feeling joy, anger, pain and fear for what these women and men went through during and post-war. It’s evident the amount of research that went into writing this book and I really enjoyed the author’s note at the end of the book. This book is 450+ pages of heavy, war stories but is an incredible read that will certainly be one of my favorites of the year. Also, Julia Whelan narrates this one and it’s great on audio too (I bounced back and forth between listening and reading!) I always appreciate Julia's soothing voice and her differentiation of character voices!

I loved this book. Having grown up in the Viet Nam era, in a rather conservative household, there was a lot I didn't know and/or appreciate about what the soldiers, and particularly about the nurses in Viet Nam. I've read many good, insightful books recently about World War II; it is wonderful to have this book out there about the Viet Nam War. Kristin Hannah has once again written a wonderful book! Thank you for allowing me to have the opportunity to listen to this book.

Frankie McGrath was a naive young woman from Southern California who thought she could meet up with her brother while he was serving in Vietnam and make her father proud. What ensued was the stuff of history: combat, rejection by a nation, confusion, PTSD. Listening to this as an audiobook narrated by Julie Whelan added an extra layer of emotion to the story. Another home run by Kristin Hannah.

Kristin, you took my breath away. Favorite book of 2024 so far. Being the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran Navy medic, this book was personal to me. The research she had to have done to write this was phenomenal. Julia Whelan did a fantastic narration as always! High 5 stars!

Heartbreaking and intense but also uplifting and inspirational!

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but when it comes to Kristin Hannah I will read anything she writes. She is definitely one of my very favorite authors and I’m always THRILLED when a new book comes out.

When I read Kristin Hannah’s stories it’s easy to forget all the other things that usually crowd my busy mind. Her stories take me away and on top of being entertained, I learn things too.

The Women was story of resilience and sacrifice. Kristin Hannah often writes about inspiring women who have done amazing things and The Women is another example of that. The writing pulled me into the story immediately and refused to let go until I finished. 480 Pages felt like nothing.

The Women was a deeply compelling and impactful read that will likely stay with me for a very long time. This intense and emotional story was not always easy to read but I couldn’t put it down.

I had both the ebook and audiobook and both were excellent. The audiobook was narrated by Julia Whelan and was very well performed.

5 Stars!!!!

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

I adored this historical fiction novel set in the time of the Vietnam War. The women't side of the events that transpired and how they were treated was fascinating. Somehow this was my first Kristin Hannah novel, and it will not be my last! I was also given access to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan who is such a gifted narrator. I love everything she does!

“The Women” by Kristin Hannah is an intimate historical drama that transports readers to the tumultuous era of the Vietnam War. The novel follows twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath, who dares to imagine a different future for herself when her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam. As an Army Nurse Corps member, Frankie faces the chaos and destruction of war, forming deep friendships with fellow soldiers. But the real battle awaits her back home—a changed and divided America that wants to forget Vietnam. This richly drawn story celebrates the courage and sacrifice of women who put themselves in harm’s way

Frankie McGrath is born to a generation that considered its WWII war veterans heroes. After her brother leaves for Vietnam, she too enlists and is not met with the pride she was expecting, but shock, disappointment, and repulsion - a foretaste of what she will experience when she returns. Her friendships both during the war and after are what sustains her.

This book had me in tears and Julia Whelan captured all of it so well, especially the tone and urgency in many places. I will listen to anything she narrates. Growing up post-Vietnam war, I was not aware of the shame that the soldiers faced returning home instead of the parades they saw the generation before. All I really knew going into this book were historical facts and snippets from movies like Forrest Gump.

TW:
Graphic injuries
War
Racism
Miscarriage

What I liked about this book:
*The close female friendships
*The lighthearted breaks with the parties and trips
*The "thank you" at the end of the book - it broke me

What I disliked:
*Without spoilers, there was a relationship between a therapist and a potential patient that felt like advantage was taken.
*I saw the "twists" coming - were they too convenient? Am I super intuitive? Probably neither.

This book is for lovers of:
*historical fiction
*Kristin Hannah
*Julia Whelan
*female friendships
*women's fiction
*Crying buckets - but in a good way

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Frankie loved looking at her fathers Wall of Heroes.
Pictures of the men in her family who served their Country, soon Frankie's brothers picture will be up there as well.
As Frankie's family prepares for her brothers deployment a single sentence said to Frankie will change the course of her life.
"Women can be Heroes
"With this in mind Frankie enlists, joining the Army Nurse Corp, determined to make it onto her Fathers Wall of Heroes.

I have been trying to write this review for almost a month now.
I love Kristin Hannah, she is probably my favourite female author, a definite auto buy author, I recommend her books like I'm getting paid for it.
Yet somehow this book caught me off guard.
It burrowed under my skin and has been living there for the past three weeks.

I loved this book, I am already predicting that this will be my favourite read of 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 Stars
Happy publication to Kristin Hannah and The Women! Thank you to @kristinhannahauthor, St. Martin’s Press ( @stmartinspress ), Macmillan Audio ( @macmillan.audio ), and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read and listen to the book for an honest review!

St. Martin’s Press provided me with a physical copy of the book and a tote bag. A Macmillan Audio provided me with the audiobook.

📅 February 6, 2024 was the pub date for The Women. 📅

🎧 The narrators🎙️for the audiobook are Julia Whelan and Kristin Hannah. 🎧

Oh Kristin Hannah, dear, you did it again! You honestly never disappoint or cease to amaze me! For this reason and more, you are an auto-buy author for me. You are a wizard with words. You research your subject matter so well. And, you bring your characters to life on the page. You highlight strong women throughout history and inspire women across the world to make a difference. You have helped influence my love for historical fiction. Have I fangirled too much?

The Women was easily a five-star read for me, much like The Nightingale and The Great Alone!

St. Martin’s Press describes the book perfectly by saying, “Women can be heroes, too….Raised in an idyllic Coronado home by conservative parents, 20-year-old Frankie McGrath bears these words and is immediately inspired to join the Army Nurse Corp—following in the footsteps of the men in her family who served. Overwhelmed by the devastation and destruction of war, Frankie eventually returns home to a politically divided America, and a world she no longer knows. An inclusive look at a war that changed this country, The Women shows, through the eyes of one memorable heroine, the extraordinary idealism and courage that defined a generation.

If you love historical fiction, you’ll LOVE The Women…guaranteed! If you aren’t a fan of historical fiction but open to learning more about women’s influence during the Vietnam War, listen to the audiobook. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Title: The Women
Author: Kristin Hannah
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: February 6, 2024

I received a complimentary ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Enlightening • Vivid • Memorable

📖 S Y N O P S I S

When twenty-year-old nursing student, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on California’s idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different path for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the young men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed America. Frankie will also discover the true value of female friendship and the heartbreak that love can cause.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The Women may have just been my most anticipated book releasing in 2024, so of course my expectations were sky high. I hadn't read the synopsis, wanting to go in blind - basically all I knew was it was going to be a story of women's involvement in the Vietnam war. I also tried to avoid seeing or hearing too much ahead of time because I knew it would have an impact on my experience.

Told in two distinct parts; firstly on the ground in Vietnam during the war, and then Frankie's life upon her return to the U.S; this book started out very strong. Part II felt like everything I have come to love about Kristin Hannah's work. It's quite obvious she has done her research in order to craft such a compelling narrative from the perspective of a female nurse. The war scenes were graphic and gruesome, at times I honestly felt like I was right there with them. The female friendships Frankie developed were one of the real strengths.

With that said, Part II had an entirely different tone to me, verging more on women's fiction. While I appreciated getting to learn about the brutal realities many veterans (particularly women) came home to, the narrative could have easily explored a broader scope of situations. The lack of respect, the generational divide, the mental anguish, the attempt to get help and lack of acknowledgement of women being in Vietnam were all important aspects in the second half.

My main issue is the book would have been so much better without the romance. I understand the harsh realties of war often lead to impulsive and unlikely scenarios, but it was overdone. It seemed that every male character that looked at Frankie fell in love with her and vice versa. Maybe this was the reality of war, heck I don't know, but it wasn't happening to the other female characters. The romance bogged the story down and contributed to it feeling overly long.

Additionally, 'The Women' is a deceiving title as I'd have expected to get multiple perspectives allowing for a broader picture of the experiences of women during this time period. It was likely the author's intent to raise awareness of their role, but I think she missed a real opportunity to tell multiple stories (even fictionalized ones).

The audiobook, narrated by Julia Whalen, is very well done. There's a reason she's one of the top (and one of my favourite) narrators, as she has the ability of bringing the characters and the story to life. Her pacing and tone created a sense of tension as I listened to the war scenes. I didn't notice as much of this in Part II, but it may have been because I was already withdrawing from the story.

How the story ends at the unveiling of the monument in Washington was a little too much for my taste (especially given the earlier airplane disembarkment scene), and was the real tipping point in my rating.

The Women doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of war and contains many of Kristin Hannah's signature moments, yet for me, it didn't have the same emotional impact as several of her other historical fiction books (i.e. The Nightingale & Winter Garden. Unfortunately, it won't be making it onto my favourite Kristin Hannah books, and will fall well short of being on my
2024 favourites list come December. Regardless, I will continue to pick up whatever she writes because I just know she has another book in her that will give me all the feels.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Kristin Hannah devotees
• readers who like women MC in war stories

⚠️ CW: war, violence, torture, confinement, blood, vomit, medical content, medical trauma, injury/injury detail, death, child death, sibling death, grief, mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, PTSD, drug use, drug abuse, addiction, alcohol, alcoholism, sexual content, pregnancy, miscarriage, toxic relationship, infidelity, sexism, misogyny, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, car accident, cursing, infertility

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"The women had a story to tell even if the world wasn't quite yet ready to hear it. And their story began with three simple worlds - we were there."

"Maybe happy now, happy for a moment, is all we really get. Happy forever seems a shitload to ask in a world on fire."

"She didn't believe in 'soldiering on' anymore and knew that trying to forget trauma only gave grim memories a fecund soil in which to grow."

Another captivating Kristin Hannah book! I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy it with it being based around the military, but gave it a try since I love all her other books. I was hooked from the beginning! Such a wonderful story that surprised me a few times even when I thought I knew what was coming. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this before release.

Great story. Sometimes hard to hear the content but that is also what made it believable. This book all of the things that make a great book. We had romance we had action we had suspense. We had great pacing. Another hit for the author.

Kristin Hannah masterfully weaves a tale of courage, sacrifice, and friendship against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. The story follows Frankie McGrath, a young nursing student who joins the Army Nurse Corps to follow in her brother’s footsteps. As she faces the chaos and destruction of war, she forms deep bonds with fellow nurses and soldiers. But the real battle lies in coming home to a changed America, where the sacrifices of women like Frankie are often forgotten. A poignant and powerful novel that sheds light on an overlooked chapter of history.

🎧 Julia Whelan does an excellent job of narrating The Women by Kristin Hannah. Her voice is calm and fluid during the reading, and she infuses it with emotion when needed. Whelan’s varied vocal stylings for different characters make it easy to distinguish who is speaking. I’d highly recommend listening to other audiobooks narrated by Julia.

This was superb liaren and I don’t even think my review will do this book justice, Set in the Vietnam War where American women to Vietnam as nurses to help the injured soldiers. One such woman is Frances Mc Grath. It’s an emotional listen but it will grip you like a vice from the very start.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

I was really amped up to read this book based on all the positive reviews but I found it falling short early on and did not finish this. While I'm sure the book delved later on into the horrors of the war, its racism domestically and in Vietnam, etc. etc., I found the white saviorism, enthusiasm for war, and lack of critical anti-colonial thinking in the early parts of the book hard to get past. Again, while I'm sure some of this would have resolved, I was disappointed by the prevalence of this at the beginning. The writing is compelling and pulls you in, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to stick with this.

In a Nutshell: Expected far more from my very first Kristin Hannah book. 😔 Loved the intent, liked the content, disliked the writing. This is, as is obvious, an outlier review.

Plot Preview:
1966, Coronado Island. Twenty-year-old Frances McGrath, known to all as ‘Frankie’, belongs to a wealthy family of navy veterans. At the send-off party for her elder brother who has enlisted for Vietnam, someone tells her, “Women can be heroes, too.” This sparks a desire in Frankie’s mind to serve her country through the armed forces, something she never considered before.
As the only corps willing to take a freshly-graduated nurse is the army, Frankie, against her family’s wishes, registers with the Army Nurse Corps and sets off to Vietnam. There, she sees the true picture of war, where every day is a fight for survival. But will this struggle end with the end of the war? With war protestors becoming stronger by the day, the Vietnam veterans might not be coming home to the open arms of their country. What lies ahead?
The story comes to us in Frankie’s third person perspective.

Bookish Yays:
😊 The intent deserves credit: to focus on the women veterans of the war, to depict what women can do, even if they aren’t allowed to.
😊 The war-related scenes are as gruesome as expected. Felt like I was right there in the war zone with Frankie.
😊 The focus on the importance of and the struggles faced by nurses and the secondary treatment they are given compared to doctors.
😊 The details about the mental struggles and health issues faced by returning veterans, which went much beyond typically shown in fiction.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 Frankie starts as a great character. Even when she is a naïve fresher, she has the right approach towards her work. But as the book progresses, her decisions start turning more and more impulsive and short-sighted. I don’t mind books with unlikeable characters as they add a nuance of realism to the story, but in this case, Frankie’s behaviour, especially in the second half, was more frustrating than understandable.
😐 The Vietnam war is not called the ‘American War’ by Vietnam without a reason. I appreciate the author’s decision to highlight even the American atrocities and the lies spun by American politicians. Though these negatives are not covered in as much detail as I would have liked, they are still enough to shed light on the truth. However, the depiction of the American troops in Vietnam is white-saviour in approach for the most way, focussing more on the medical aid offered by the Americans to the locals than talking about why the locals needed the aid in the first place.
😐 Most war books stop at the end of the war without showing the aftermath. That is one aspect in which this novel excelled; it went much beyond the timeline of the war and shows the reception of the Americans to the returning veterans, and the protests. However, the depiction of these events seems a bit exaggerated. I am obviously not privy to what happened in 1970s America, but I find it hard to believe that not even one person knew about women serving in Vietnam, or that not a single person showed sympathy to Frankie’s mental situation. The author’s note mentions that women veterans often met with dismissal, but ‘often’ doesn’t equate to ‘always.’ The balance is missing.
😐 Frankie’s downward spiral in the second half is, in one way, a good creative call as it shows us the darker side of PTSD. However, the events get tedious and repetitive after a while. Plus, the hyper-drama level is way too high in this section.
😐 While there are some interesting secondary characters in the book, they barely get proper detailing. Most of what we know about their background is the little we get from passing references in conversations. Many characters disappear without a trace as soon as their purpose is served in the plot. The one I am most curious about is the senior nurse who greets Frankie on her arrival in Vietnam. What happened to her? There were at least three skilled nurses that we know of (Ethel, Barb, and the senior nurse), but we hardly get to see them in action. Why does Frankie have to be the one to save the day, every time? The character decisions also induce much eyerolling. Whenever there is a party, the nurses drop everything and rush off, without asking or informing anyone. How is that possible in the army?
😐 For the first time ever, I, a big fan of author’s notes, have mixed feelings about the note in this novel. I appreciate the clarity the author provides about her intention behind this book and her research sources. Two issues, though: 1. She has no first-hand experience of Vietnam (which is very evident in her writing about its weather), and 2. She said that she wanted to change the place names and war unit details for ease of writing, but changed her mind only after veterans told her not to. I find it very odd that an accomplished writer of historical fiction even considered falsifying factual details just for making her task easier.

Bookish Nays:
😣 The writing was the biggest disappointment. This book is much overwritten. At 470+ pages, I thought we would hear multiple women’s perspectives and experiences in the war. But unlike what the title suggests, “The Women” is mainly the story of only one WOMAN – Frankie. Moreover, there is too much of telling in the writing. Every single outfit worn by Frankie and the others is described in elaborate detail. Actions are narrated step by step. Every now and then, we see the time mentioned in army style – “At 20:15” – as if to remind us that Frankie is now a military member. The foreshadowing is too blatant. One phrase that comes up multiple times is “How long had it been since…”. The worst of it was the character resurrections – yes, plural! The effect is repetitive and annoying.
😣 The romance is cheesy and unappealing. Every single guy who has a proper role in the story falls in love with Frankie. We are expected to believe that this is common during the war time because of the low number of American women around, but in that case, how come Ethel and Barb and the other nurses didn’t have anyone falling for them? As it is, I don’t like romance popping in non-romance books, but it is even worse when the writing is so corny and the situations so lopsided. The lack of appeal in the male characters doesn’t help.
😣 There is not a single Vietnamese character of importance in the whole book. Moreover, the representation of Vietnam is, as expected, focussed on the problems: rats, malaria, heat, lack of potable water,… Though the Americans enjoy water-skiing and swimming and so on in the local lakes, the beauty of the location is rarely described. The funniest to me was the finger-pointing at Vietnam’s monsoon for causing Frankie’s travel bag to stay musty and stink even eight years later. Sorry! But if your travel bag is odoriferous, it’s probably because you haven’t washed it, ever. Don’t blame the monsoon!

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at almost 15 hours, is narrated by the inimitable Julia Whelan. Need I say anything more? Everyone who knows audiobooks knows that she is among the best narrators. If you still want to try this book, the audio version is definitely a fabulous way to check it out, especially considering its length.

All in all, I do appreciate the author’s efforts and the intention that made her write this book. I even liked certain aspects of the storyline, and loved learning about the nurses who gave so much to the fruitless war. But the writing and the plot development were not to my liking. The problems are exacerbated in the audio version as it feels like an endless journey through monotonous situations.

As is evident from the current rating on Goodreads, mine is very much an outlier opinion. Most other readers have not just loved the book but are positively gushing about it. So please go through their reviews before taking a final call. If you are the kind of reader who prioritises sentiments over plot and writing, you might love this novel way more than I did.

2.25 stars.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Women”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

Content warning; War-related brutalities and deaths, infidelity, miscarriage, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, PTSD, gender discrimination, racial discrimination.

This is easily one of the best books I've read in a long time. This book made me laugh, cry, and yearn for more. This captivating story really gives readers a fictional tale into possible life stories from female Vietnam War veterans. I didn't want this novel to end, and I'm forever grateful that I read this book.

Wow, so impressive. This novel was absolutely heart breaking. Beautifully written characters that will leave a lasting impression.