As always, Hannah takes a moment in history and writes a beautiful story that both informs and entertains. I cried three specific moments in this story and it is one I will think about for a while to come. This is the story of Frankie, who decides to join the fight in Vietnam because of her family history with military and the kind words spoken to her at a party, inspiring her to take charge of her life. The story follows Frankie through trauma, adventure, love, pain, heartbreak and all the emotions in between. I loved this book and I feel like this is one of Hannah's best works. The way she shed light on this part of history is done with much care and detail. Definitely one of the best books I have read this year.

Excellent! I was engaged from chapter one and learned so much about women in Vietnam. Another 5 star book from Kristin Hannah.

What a powerful book. There are not many, if any, historical fiction books set during the Vietnam War let alone any about the women who served our country in the war. I am a fan of Kristin Hannah so as soon as I heard about this book I knew I had to read it. It was a well written and heavy book. This story will definitely stay with me for quite some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All words and opinions are my own.

Having recently finished “The Women" by Kristin Hannah, I am happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!

“Women can be heroes.”

… and this book was full of them.

This was a story that grabbed a hold of me and filled me with words that opened all my senses to the environment. I was with Frankie for EVERY moment of this story.

Not that this matters to most, but it does to me, and I wanted to include it in this review.
Ms. Hannah and I share the same birthday; month, day and year. What this means to me is that our memories of this time in history may be in line with each other. As children, we saw and heard what our parents, schools and communities may have brought to our attention. Considering the subject was the Vietnam War I don’t remember much being shared with me at all. I was outdoors riding my banana seat bike, having fun playing until the street lights came on with neighborhood friends, not watching the evening news with Walter Cronkite.

The extensive research that Ms. Hannah brings to her stories, this one in particular, has opened my eyes to so many things that I never knew. It has left me with an understanding of a time and place that was only possible because she wanted to know more, and because she cared enough to thank one particular Colonel for his service. This book was “a true labor of love” and will now have a space in my heart as well.

One can always count on a Kristin Hannah novel to break your heart. The Women is no exception. The main character, Frankie, from a well-to-do military family in the San Diego area enlists as a nurse for the Vietnam War. What she finds there is not what she expected. This novel is a journey and follows Frankie during the war and after she comes home. Hannah covers a lot of ground and captures the complicated times so well. The pages may be tear-stained, and I definitely sobbed more than once, but I loved it.

This novel about the combat nurses in the Vietnam War- and the soldiers, airforce, and navy men - was heartbreaking. The main character's story brought the Vietnam War and its aftermath into sharp focus.

This was a heart-wrenching story about a young woman who joined the Army Nurse Corps and served in a Evac Hospital in Vietnam. Her story during and after her time served broke my heart many times over.. But it was also a beautifully written story that kept me turning the pages!!

A big Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me a complimentary digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Kristin Hannah has written a home run! Six out of five stars! She states in the authors notes that this idea of writing about the women in Vietnam set with her for thirty years, but she didn't feel she was ready as a writer to address it properly when she was younger. I'm glad she waited, because it's a phenomenal read about a not-too-distant part of our history, and especially the women who were forgotten in this war.

I can only imagine the research that went into writing about Frankie's experiences in Vietnam. I knew a couple of people a decade older than me that went to Vietnam, and they never wanted to talk about it. A certain look would come across their face when the place was mentioned. Now I more fully understand why. As a nurse, some of the scenes Frankie is thrust into are horrifying reading, but I believe it's necessary to educate ourselves to everything, even the horrors of wars.

I felt educated by this story, as I was just a young teen when it ended. The emphasis placed on how these people were greeted on their return and shamed was very sad. Although I don't remember that personally, being brought up in a household that supported the government's efforts, it makes me so sad that first they were drafted and given no choice in the matter (in many cases), then vilified when they came home.

I loved everything about this book and story, but I will address a couple of complaints I saw on other people's reviews. Frankie was hit with horrible event after horrible event, to the point I thought, will she ever get a break? But she was the character the author chose to show all the hardships the soldiers endured, both in Vietnam and on their return, and it didn't really bother me.

The chapters about the POWs were heartbreaking. I clearly remember the scene described in the book where the POWs finally came home. AT the time, my family gathered around our box television set watching as one by one the emaciated men would come down the plane steps, then run to their perfectly coiffed wife and children for an embrace. At the time I thought, what a happy ending. I didn't know that for many of them, the trauma would continue to haunt their lives.

I have been to the Hanoi Hilton and I saw the bamboo cage where John McCain knelt for five years of his life. He could have been released, because his father was a big deal in the US military. But he refused to leave his men. This ordinary man, who horrendous circumstances turned into a hero, deserved all our respect, and those who have defiled his service and called him a loser deserve our contempt. After reading The Women, this had even more impact on me. Have tissues at the ready when you read this.

Thank you to Kristin Hannah, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC. I highly recommend this book and congratulations to the author!

Aaaah!! This is absolutely KH at her finest. For sure the KH I fell in love with so many years ago. The Women is her signature writing style, her unmatched characters, and her unique ability to draw such emotion from her readers.
This story is absolutely heart wrenching. It will play on every emotion you can have as a reader and leave your imagination on overdrive. Consider it a very visceral read.
This was a period of history that I was never taught much about. I appreciate a book that makes me learn and gets me talking and Googling because I wanted to know more. I find the rolls women play in war so fascinating, and this book was no exception. I, admittedly, had never given much thought to the medical side of war but this book forced me to pause and consider what others go through on the front lines, not just those fighting.
The back half of the book was more of a focus on the mental health of Frankie once she returned from Vietnam. It explored the repercussions of not being a recognized vet, because she was a woman. It was heartbreaking and so frustrating to read about her struggles. She was a fierce woman who ended up broken by society, and her own family. You cannot help but have a tender heart for her and what she goes through.
The only reason I had to take a star off was because there were periods where the book felt very repetitive, and could maybe have been shortened a smidge. And the ending was too “perfect” for me. I would have preferred a bit of a more open ended, and messier outcome.
Other than those it was an absolute blockbuster and I highly recommend picking it up if you haven’t already.

There were women in Vietnam and this is their story, well a part of it anyway. They were treated as if they were never there and struggled to access resources other Vietnam Vets were.
This is the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, Army Nurse and the experiences of her and her veteran friends, their joys, struggles and experiences.
This book was impossible for me to put down and a rare 5 star for me.

I started recommending this book to other people two chapters in… it is absolutely fantastic! It was written so beautifully, and I could put myself in the book and the pages because of how descriptive it is. This is one that will stay with me for a while. Love, love , loved it! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader!

One of the most moving novels I've ever read. I felt as though I walked along side the main character. Real, raw, emotional. Brilliant writing.

Thank you to St, Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Women via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!


Historical Fiction. Frankie comes from a wealthy family in Coronado, CA who values patriotism and service to your country above everything. When Frankie’s brother ships out to Vietnam, Frankie decides to follow his footsteps and enlists in the Army as a nurse. Shortly after her brother is killed in action, and Frankie can’t help but feel she’s made a huge mistake. Once she gets to Vietnam, she hits the ground running and becomes an excellent nurse while bearing witness to injuries and death and forms bonds with her fellow nurses and first loves. But when Frankie comes back to the states, she doesn’t get a heroes welcome and is shamed by her family, friends, and anyone else who didn’t serve in Vietnam.

While this was a liiiittle too long for me and a bit cliched in parts, overall I found it interesting. Kristin Hannah brings to light not only the stories of Vietnam vets, who were spit on and called baby killers for a war many of them were drafted into and received little support after surviving, but also to the women who were in Vietnam, who I didn’t know were such an integral part of the war and who were shunned not only by their families/neighbors but male vets as well. She does a great job of depicting PTSD and addiction, both of which were not well known about or treated in the 70s. I also need to go through and create a playlist of all the music mentioned throughout because there are some BANGERS.

I really do enjoy historical fiction pieces such as this one. The Women is mainly about one woman and her side character friends and how they are navigating the return home from their duty in Vietnam. Frankie was a nurse in Vietnam and returns home to the country's taunts and her own family's views that she was not an active member in Vietnam because nurses didn't see combat. The story was engaging and captivating. I felt like it was a longer book, but there was a steady flow that led you from one event to the next. It was a story about love, loss, family, friends, careers, addiction, disorders, coping and any other heavy topic you could probably think of. Hannah writes in a way that moves you and makes you feel part of the story, close to the characters.

I knew going into the book that it was going to be hard to read. The little I knew about the Vietnam War was always difficult to process. When you drop characters, especially a naive girl like Frankie, into the middle of the war, it's bound to be a strong learning curve for those characters. Frankie lived up to the challenge and throughout all of the brutal and graphic injuries she dealt with as a nurse, she thrived.

When Frankie got home and faced not only the vitriol of the public for the soldiers, but also the total disregard from her parents of what she had been through, it lead to major upheaval and heartbreak in her life. Thank goodness for the lifelong friends she made in Ethel and Barb, who understand exactly what went though and were there for her through her obvious PTSD.

Hannah shines a light on what the veterans actually went though in a war that was largely misrepresented to the American public. She is a masterful and realistic storyteller..

Absolutely fantastic heart-breaking soul searching book I've read in a long time. Kristin Hannah does a brilliant job of telling the story of Frankie, a Vietnam War nurse, who goes over totally unprepared for what she is about to encounter and comes home a totally different person, how the whole experience affects her, from the soldiers she tries to save to the love that she lost to the way that she is treated when she finally returns home. Frankie is an awesome main character, with guts and bravado, and you will fall for her instantly. You will rip through this book and it will leave you thinking about it for days. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

This story absolutely transported me to the 60s. I was going on with my life, feeling like I needed to get back to Vietnam, back to the story. I came into this book not knowing much about the Vietnam War, but it was clear this was a labor of love by Hannah. There were a few times in the story that I got frustrated with Frankie's privilege. The discussion of race and class was more or less glossed over, but I eventually accepted that this just wasn't the story to discuss those issues. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed, but it ended in a satisfying way. This was my first Kristin Hannah book, and I'll definitely read another!

I would recommend Kristin Hannah's new book, The Women. She is one of my favorite authors. Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

This was an excellent book about women serving in the Vietnam war and the way they were treated when they returned. The portrayal of PTSD felt really honest.

You can never go wrong with Kristin Hannah. She took a very difficult subject and tackled it in the most eloquent, heart-wrenching, mesmerizing way possible. The subject of Vietnam is not an easy one. This story gutted me yet left me feeling hope and happiness through it all. Frankie's life is one that so many Vietnam vets had to survive through. It brought to life the real-life struggles our vets came home to. Thank you so much, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this fantastic story. My favorite book so far this year. 5 stars.