Kristin Hannah is truly one of my favorite authors!! She has delivered yet another epic historical fiction novel that is well researched and well written. I love her style of writing and the different eras in history that she has written about.
This novel takes place during the Vietnam War, a war I barely know anything about. Kristin provided ample descriptions of the country and the interesting places involved in the story. The characters were all well developed with a lot of background information and descriptive explanations of what each one was about and what they were currently doing. Many many women served in Vietnam but none of them was really recognized as participants in the war or war heroes after they came back. The attitude across America was: "there were no women in the Vietnam war." When they returned, there was no welcome or any VA services offered to them for PTSD or problems readjusting to society. Literally, nothing even though all the female nurses and hospital staff suffered in the exact was as their male counterparts who were physically fighting the war. I really loved this book because it did not have the saddest ending possible like the last few books I have read from her. I was definitely glad about this.
The story centers on Frances (Frankie) McGrath a young girl in her late teens who is a part of a wealthy family in California. The book spans to entire decades of Frankie's life in an epic way covering all of her feelings and actions, why she does what she does and what makes her think the way she does. Honestly, I did not think it would be that interesting and I didn't actually start reading it until a few weeks after I started it...I was, however, completely wrong.
Frankie's brother enlisted in the army and eventually decides she wants to follow in his footsteps and attends nursing school and volunteers for the Army Nurse Corps. At his going away party, she meets his best friend Rye briefly in her father's office gazing at his hero's wall featuring photos of the men in her family who have fought in previous wars. Frankie wants to be a hero too. She does not want to stay home get married and have babies, which is what is the current expectation of her now. Her parents do not support her decision at all which is tough on her but she goes to Vietnam anyways.
On her first assignment, she is thrown into many nursing situations that she has not encountered before and has to learn quickly amid the daily incoming wounded and fighting nearby. She becomes great friends with her two nurse bunkmates, Barb and Ethel, who become her lifeline through her service and the rest of her life after the war as well. Frankie is faced with many life and death situations during her tours and has very quickly to adjust to even more when she is transferred to a MASH unit closer to the fighting.
She experiences close friendships, incredible love and excruciating loss over her two years in Vietnam. When she returns to the states, she is treated poorly, gets no support and is called a baby-killer among other names while also being spit upon. People do not welcome her back as a war hero. Even her parents are embarrassed over the face that she was in Vietnam. Her return to society is hard facing PTSD, terrible nightmares which soon lead to drinking and addiction to different pills, which is literally nearly the death of her.
She searches for meaning in her life filled with deep emotions, more hardships but also an amazing instinct to keep looking for a peace, and a place to belong in this new modern post-war society. Frankie truly has an amazing spirit, a strong sense of self, much courage, and she refuses to settle for anything less than a place where she belongs and can really help others. Her journey through this part of her life is full of pain, happiness, love, family and commitment to her beliefs.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys well-written, factual historical fiction. Kristin definitely put her heart and soul into Frankie's character, which takes the reader on quite a true to life journey telling her story,
Thanks so much to NG and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I obviously loved it!

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately even though I love kristin Hannah, this book was not for me. I had to DNF IT, The book was full of descriptions of wounds, blood and war. Yes, I should have anticipated that but I just couldn’t handle it . Too sad. Real world, yes, of course but I’d rather read something else right now.

"The Women" by Kristin Hannah is an absolute masterpiece. This novel weaves an intricate and emotionally charged tapestry of female friendships, resilience, and the enduring bonds that shape our lives. Hannah's storytelling is nothing short of brilliant, immersing readers in a world of complex characters and their intertwined destinies. It's a testament to the power of women, their strength, vulnerabilities, and unwavering support for one another. This book is a must-read, an emotional journey that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

A moving story of the love, strength, and courage of women who put themselves in harm's way to help others told from the viewpoint of a young woman of the 1960's. This was especially moving since I lived through a war that only politicans seemed to benefit from. We lost so many good Americans and the survivors of the Vietnam War are still suffering in many cases. How horrible to survive, come home (most damaged in some way) aqnd be despised by your own countrymen. An important book because many women have played similar roles in every war with next to no recognition.

Once again Kristin Hannah has knocked it out of the park with her book The Women. Her level of storytelling and historical details create an incredible world that I didn't want to leave. The protagonist, Frances aka Frank, is such a layered and flawed and determined character. I hated having to finish the book and saying goodbye to her. The amount of research Kristin Hannah put into this story is clear and unprecedented. I felt like I was in 'Nam with Frank and the doctors as they worked to save lives. It wasn't only the details and the over-arching story line, it was the horrific and gruesome reality of what veterans experienced during that place in history. And the women ... oh, the women... It breaks my heart that women were pushed to the back and ignored when they experienced war trauma as well. This book got me thinking about things I have never thought about ... the women who served during the Vietnam war and their struggle in the aftermath. Frank's character arc is a long and painful one, but she does finally reach a place of self-awareness and healing that satisfied my reader soul. I commend Kristin Hannah for her depth of work with this book. It's one that should be read by many despite the hard-to-talk-about topics. The more we talk about those things, the more we heal. Bravo!

The Women by Kristin Hannah was definitely a good read.

I absolutely loved her previous book, The Four Winds, and was excited to read this one as well .
My only quibble with this book was the title.
The main character, Frances (Frankie) McGrath is a combat nurse in Vietnam.
While the story does also talk about 2 of her friend and describes a photo of the 3 of them where the caption is "The Women" I really feel the story is not about multiple women, but primarily about the MC.
This could have been titled 'Combat Nurse" or something similar, but I kept expecting the story to jump to center on one of the other women. (like a 3 part book where each woman has a story)

I really enjoyed the book, and it is beautifully written and very powerful, but I felt really distracted by the title.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Get ready to intensely experience every emotion throughout this fictional retelling of the forgotten women in Vietnam.
This book immediately captured my attention as :
1. Kristin Hannah is an auto-buy author for me
2. I'm a nurse! There are ways in which I'm bonded to my nursing friends that cannot be explained or replicated.
Let's get into it. About 10,000 American women enlisted throughout the various military branches as military intelligence, air traffic control, physicians, but most were stationed as nurses. These women worked tirelessly day and night, through bombings, monsoons, surrounded by death.
While all soldiers returning from the Vietnam war were greeted with hostility and were expected to quickly move on, many of the women were quickly excluded and forgotten, abandoned even by the VA for counseling as they weren't involved in combat". It is truly heartbreaking to read about how all soldiers were treated upon their return and the lack of resources (and understanding ) for treating PTSD. The DSM did not formally recognize PTSD as a disorder until 1980!! &
§ (Vietnam war ended in 1975).
Kristin Hannah reminds us exactly how important these women in returning soldiers home or providing comfort in the last moments of life through the female main character,
"Frankie" and her nurse friends. You'll be alongside the women in the army hospitals and upon return to the US, the journey arduous but ending with forgiveness, redemption, and self discovery.
This book reminds me so much of why I love reading: how it open a lens into another life to experience situations unlike your own, grapple with conflict you've never seen, empathize and walk away with a better understanding of human nature.
The amount of research that must have gone into this book to adequately portray these historical events with what little information is known to the public is enough for a five star review, but really the story speaks for itself and you're going to feel it all.
My sincerest thanks to NetGalley , St Martin’s Press, and Kristin Hannah for the eARC.

The master of historical fiction did it again. The Women has it all - perfectly flawed characters in vibrant settings. From Coronado Island to the Vietnam jungles to rugged Montana, various settings play a true role in The Women.

Frances “Frankie” McGrath decides she wants to be on the “heroes wall” in her dad’s study and enlists to serve as a nurse in the U.S. Army. Graphic descriptions of what active duty did to the soldiers and civilians in Vietnam pepper her tale of finding love, friendship, and her true calling in an unlikely setting. From active bombings to letting loose at the officer’s club, Hannah captured diverse experiences.

What shocked me was that so much of the book took place after the war ended. The reception of soldiers coming home was atrocious, the long-term impacts of chemicals used in battle slowly unspooled, and PTSD became an official diagnosis. However, many women who served in Vietnam faced the retort, “there were no women there.”

The Women includes some looks into how race and class played into who went to war and who was able to avoid it. I would’ve liked to see a bit more of a look into Frankie’s immense privilege and how it impacted her entire life.

It will pull you in and entertain while breaking your heart. I loved the music discussed throughout the book & can’t wait for the Spotify playlist.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of The Women. Kristin Hannah did it again, I LOVED every part of this book. I was never taught that much about Vietnam so this book was very enlightening for me. It was heartbreaking and I cried several times, but parts of it also warmed my heart. I will remember this book forever.

Kristin Hannah scores again with the story of "Frankie Mcgrath" set in the turbulent 1960's.
Frankie grew up in a wealthy family on Coronado Island, California. She strived to be a good daughter and was raised to become a traditional wife and mother. As her brother prepares to join the unpopular war in Vietnam, a friend tells her "girls can be heroes too" & it changes her life. Frankie gets her nursing degree and follows her brother to Vietnam, totally unprepared for the realities of life there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book , even as I learned about Vietnam and how Americans reacted to the war there. Hannah does a great job of immersing the reader in the era that she writes about. I was born in 1964 & Vietnam was in the background of every newscast as I grew up. I love how she uses the music & songs of the times to help us dive into the story. She also weaved racial issues, woman's rights, and so much more into the fabric of this book. Definitely read.

Awesome
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

Omg what a gorgeous novel! I am so lucky to have been able to read it so early! I cried, i smiled, it was breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreaking! Everyone needs to read this!! i learned so much about the Vietnam War i was not aware of!

"There were no women in Viet Nam". Frankie heard it time and again as she relived her time in Viet Nam as a nurse and the aftermath of the coming home to all of us who had no idea of the repugnance of this war. There was no diagnosis for PTSD when Frankie tried to put her life back together as a veteran of a war that was not a war and heroes who were not heroes. This book haunts me, but I am grateful for the story that was told.

Another Out of the Park Home Run for the Rock Star Author we know as Kristin Hannah. No synopsis necessary to encourage reading this piece of history, all but forgotten and yet so recent. I grew up in this era and so much of the story easily transported me to that time in our world and my life, yet I believe no matter the readers' age, it will have a profound effect on their psyche and heart. The creation of main character Frankie McGrath is phenomenal. Just Read it! So appreciate Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to ride this Magic Carpet ARC. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley. But all the opinions are my own.

I have read The Four Winds, Nightingale, and Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. I loved The Four Winds and Nightingale. Firefly Lane was a miss for me. So, I went into The Women wondering if it was going to be a hit or miss.

Let me tell you it was a hit for me! Once you start this book it does not get your claws out of you until long after you finish. I was entranced by the characters and the plot. I also loved that it was set in the 1960s. I feel a folly of many historical fiction novels is they are set during WWII. I personally have had enough of WWII novels.

Francis “Frankie” McGrath is an Army nurse in the Vietnam war. The things she goes through and sees has left a imprint on my heart. It shows the strength an resilience of women. I never wanted to leave Frankie and her story. I had a hard time finishing the book because I didn't want it to end.

Title: The Women
Author: Kristin Hannah
Pub Date: February 6, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ. THIS. BOOK. Add it to your TBR. Pre-order it. I am begging you. This book was so eye opening for me and I think this one will end up being my favorite book of the year. Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, and The Nightingale has always been one of my favorite books. I can honestly say that I think The Women may be my new favorite! I have never read a book that I loved but has made me so angry at the same time. To be clear, this writing style, storyline, pacing, etc., were all excellent. I found myself angry at the mistreatment of women who served our country and have been essentially forgotten. Never has a book invoked such strong feelings in me as this one did. I know this will be a book that I read again and I will not forget The Women!

Frankie McGrath has always been taught to believe that her job is to be a good housewife, raise well-mannered children, and keep a clean house. Frankie comes from a family of heroes. In fact, her father has an entire wall in his office dedicated to family history and the heroes who served their country. Besides wedding pictures, no women were included on the ‘heroes’ wall. It wasn’t until a going away party for her brother, who was set to ship off to serve in Vietnam, that her brothers’ friend told her “women can be heroes.” No one had ever told Frankie that before, and it never occurred to her that a woman could have a place on her father’s office for doing something heroic or important. On an impulse, Frankie joins the Army Nurse Corps to follow her brother and his path towards being a hero.

As an inexperienced nurse, Frankie finds herself drowning admits the chaos in Vietnam. She witnesses death after death and gruesome injuries, and is often the last person someone will talk to before taking their last breath. With long hours working in horrible conditions, Frankie comes to find Ethel and Barb, two women from completely different walks of life, who end up being the best support for Frankie and one another. While this book is partially focused on Frankie and her time in Vietnam, and all of the love and loss that she experienced while there, it also largely focuses on her time after returning home. The treatment by Frankie’s family, other veterans, members of the VA, and medical professionals was absolutely repulsive. The second half of the book focuses on Frankie and her experience with the lack of support for women veterans after Vietnam. The Women does have a few love stories that are a main focus, but this book is so much more than a love story. It is a coming of age novel that is beautifully written about a very difficult topic. It is raw and bold and it is memorable.

Read If you Like Books About:
🚁Historical Fiction
🚁Female Friendship
🚁Mental Health Representation
🚁Women and Their Role in the Vietnam War
🚁Forgiveness

I love historical fiction, but have not read a lot that has focused on the Vietnam War. I can say that I learned so much from this book and I have found a new time period that I want to read more about. Hannah provides a list of recommended reading at the end of the book, and I will definitely be checking those books out because I WANT to read more.

Favorite Quotes:

“Women can be heroes.”

“No fear, McGrath. You can do this.”

“The war no one wants to remember.”

“You know, I wasn’t afraid to go to war, and I should have been. I am afraid to go to the memorial, and I shouldn’t be. People made us think we’d done something wrong, shameful, didn’t they? We were forgotten; all of us Vietnam vets, but the women most of all.”

“Maybe, like so many things, it began simply with words. Speaking up, standing in the sunlight, coming together, demanding honesty and truth. Taking pride. The women had a story to hell, even if the world wasn’t quite ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words. We were there.”

Posted on Instagram - Currently Reading - September 9, 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
Posted on Goodreads on September 13, 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Mini Review - December 2023 http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- February 6, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on February 6, 2024
**-will post on designated date

While reading ‘The Women,’ I learned some things about the Vietnam War: the political upheaval, the war protests, sexism, the pivotal roles women played during the conflict, that nurses weren’t recognized as veterans, and the unfortunate challenges they all faced upon returning home. I love books that not only teach me something but provide an emotional punch! That’s a 5⭐️ read for me. As with her other books, ‘The Women’ is well-researched and well-written…and it just took a hold of me. Besides the beautiful writing, the characters are fully fleshed out and felt real. Main character, Frankie, was relatable, and her friendships with Ethel and Barb were a high point for me. I felt that Hannah showcased the strength of female friendship and how these women supported and counted on each other really well. I couldn’t help rooting for them, and I definitely cried with them. I also enjoyed the references to music; it added another authentic backdrop to the setting!
Going out on a limb here (not really!), this will be THE book of 2024.”

My favorite Kristin Hannah book. Do you ever feel like you need a mental health day after reading one of her books? I definitely did after this one.

There are so many deep subjects in her books. So many discussions you want to have with your book club, veterans, people in your life. I loved this book. I will recommend it to my library patrons. I love that it brings light to those women who served in Vietnam War. The sacrifices our military made and the repercussions from their service. This book takes time to process and think about.


I know that I will read this book again once it is out. I love how immersed you are in the characters and their lives.

This definitely needs to be on your TBR list.

Oh my... this was extraordinary! Hannah knows how to write the most engaging historical fiction books and "The Women" does not disappoint. I was so wrapped up in this story that I felt sad and like I was reading a memoir of my best friends life. It's that personal of a writing style. You don't need to be a fan of history to enjoy this book. You just have to want a great book to read. I'll never forget this book!

I would like to thank St. Martins Press, Net Galley, and Kristin Hannah for this early read.

I have so many emotions going on right now about this book. I will start by saying it was well written. I appreciate an author who researches and uses actual stories to create her own story. I loved learning about the Vietnam War and the hood, bad, and ugly that came with it. (Maybe I am a history junkie after all? Or maybe Kristin Hannah is a queen at writing).

The Women is a book about a nurse who serves in the Vietnam War. The first part tells about her journey to get to Vietnam and while in Vietnam. The 2nd part mostly captivates the horrific return that most women and vets alike faced when returning from Vietnam. It’s despicable at best.

So not only do we get to see that, but we also follow Frances love life through the book as well. Now, this is where I really just wanted to throw my kindle across the room. Not only does this woman face harsh situations but the love life she faces also makes me wanna kick someone (I’ll leave him unnamed so there’s no spoilers) in the face…hard….several times.

I had SOOOOOOOOO many emotions through this book.

The Women by Kristen Hannah is a historical fiction novel that is very challenging to read because the subject is the trauma incurred by the nurses and doctors who served during the Vietnam War. Along with the soldiers returning from the war, the doctors and nurses were also unwelcomed by a country tired of a war that no one believed in and a government that lied to them. The nurses who didn’t technically serve in combat were completely ignored by the country and the Veteran’s Administration. These nurses came home traumatized because they were always in harm’s way in addition to the horror they witnessed on a daily basis caring for severely wounded soldiers.

This is a story about “Frankie” McGrath, a surgical Army nurse, stationed in some of the worst fighting areas of Vietnam. The novel follows Frankie’s time in Vietnam, her dysfunctional family, and her two best friends who served with her as war time nurses. The book highlights the horrors of war, the lives lost, and lives destroyed or permanently altered by the living through a war. It’s a well told powerful story but not an easy read for anyone.