War doesn’t interest me, so I hadn’t read much about the Vietnam, but as a fan of Hannah’s, I dove right in. Hannah did a masterful job of drawing her readers deep into the world of an army nurse. I appreciated her extensive research and the level of detail that she provided that built a war zone that I had known very little about. She focused on the women veterans of the war, and their struggles both during active battle and the aftermath, upon reentry into an unwelcoming America. I enjoyed the clever way she wove in music to evoke a sense of time and place throughout the story.

Frankie was a nurse striving to make a difference during wartime, hoping to earn a spot on her father’s “Wall of Heroes.” Through most of the book, I admired her brave and fierce spirit. But by the end of the book, she annoyed me. Henry was one of my favorite characters and I hated the way she deceived and dismissed him.

The book was very long and overly descriptive, and it would have been more impactful had it been tighter. I wish the secondary characters – Barb and Ethel – were more developed. They played a critical role in Frankie’s life, yet we knew almost nothing about them. Additionally, the book was very formulaic and predictable, and I was not surprised by any of the revelations.

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

This book was 5 stars for me. I cried so much, and learned a lot about the Vietnam war. I’m Vietnamese-American and both of my parents are from south Vietnam (Saigon). They were children (5 and 8) in 1965 where this book starts.

This book had such an interesting perspective from a military nurse, Frankie. It was a coming of age story, and we got to learn about what the women nurses did and the great impact they had. It also has a lot of healing from trauma and addiction. There aren’t many historical fiction books that I can think of besides this one that focused on the Vietnam war, but I am so happy I read this book.

As always, Kristin Hannah masterfully engages her readers in a story while simultaneously educating us on historical events and their impact. Before reading this, I knew very little about the Vietnam War and even less about the impact of women at this time. Every part of this book will stick with me and I will be thinking about Frankie and all of her accomplishments and struggles for years to come. My heart broke for her repeatedly but I was left hopeful for her and encouraged by the messages from this book. If Kristin Hannah writes it, I will read it. Always.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

Kristin Hannah does it again! The Women follows the story of Frankie, a young woman who decides to serve as a nurse in Vietnam. However, nothing is as she expects it to be, and she struggles through a lot. This book shed light on a part of history that I do not think it talked about nearly enough, and that is what nurses and other medical personnel had to deal with in times of war and returning home. Frankie was layered and complex, and you couldn't help but root for her. I flew through this book and I think it talks about very important issues that we still see today.

This wasn’t my favorite Kristen Hannah book, but it was still really good! I loved the story of the untold women of this war and get a deeper look on things I wasn’t aware about before. As always, Hannah transports you!

The Women is a story of the women who served in Vietnam, and the challenges they faced not only from the war itself but their families, communities, and even male military members.

Frankie McGrath left her upper middle class southern California life to serve her country as a nurse in Vietnam. The things she endured during the war were horrific, and her return home wasn't any easier. The story of her journey, and her fellow nurses, is engaging and runs the gamut of emotions and experiences.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m gonna be honest, I really didn’t enjoy The Women. I found the prose overwritten and overly descriptive. The plot was virtually non existent- it was just a series of descriptions of horrors and tragedies. When she comes home from war with still half of the book left, there was nothing driving the story forward except the character’s depression. The horrifying descriptions of war felt so over the top and unnecessary. It felt like the author was trying very hard to write a tearjerker so she pulls out every sad thing imaginable. Did we really have read about dead babies in detail on page three times??! Additionally, the characters are complete stereotypes. Everything is told not shown. The author literally writes “she was a good girl who followed the rules.” The writing felt amateurish. The “twists” were extremely contrived and unconvincing. This may be the last Kristin Hannah book I read.

How in the world can I possibly write a review that will do this beautiful book justice?! True to KH fashion, The Women had me feeling every emotion under the sun. Happiness, anger, fear, desperation, sadness, love… you name it.

I went into this book not knowing much about the Vietnam War, let alone the experiences that women had during this time. Frankie is now a new favorite character of mine - she is strong, resilient, and watching her grow throughout this story (as a person, AND as a nurse!) was incredible.

KH always does a great job of writing phenomenal support characters, but Barb and Ethel are by far the best. They are TRUE friends to Frankie. They made me think about my best friends & how very thankful I am to have them. 🤎

What an important story that KH has written. The heart of this story is truly about the women (true to the book’s title) who served in the war, but received none of the same recognition that the men received.

The Women will be a book I continue to think about for a long time.

The Women is so touching and emotional. Kristin Hannah has once again made me not only enjoy historical fiction but brought me to tears doing it. This story has so much in it - grief, trauma, family relations, expectations, dishonesty, sexism, ptsd, depression, loss, addiction & betrayal. My heart broke over and over for Frankie as I read this story. Absolutely beautiful - pure perfection!

I have posted this review on Amazon, Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4bw6GCr3_e/?igsh=MnNsc2hkbHJmeDMx

And Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5982987659

This is the second book I have read from Kristin Hannah and the second one I have loved. I was drawn in immediately and didn’t want to put it down. So many emotions, tearing up, happiness, disappointment, disbelief and joy all wrapped up in an amazing story. I have already recommended to numerous customers and will continue doing so. Five stars without a doubt!

Title: The Women
Author: Kristin Hannah
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In "The Women" by Kristin Hannah, readers are transported into the lives of women whose friendship weathers the storms of life's challenges. Set against the backdrop of Vietnam, Hannah weaves a narrative that is both tender and compelling, exploring the depths of female friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.

Women can be heroes. When she hears that Frances “Frankie” McGrath decides she knows what she is supposed to do. Without the support of her family Frankie rushes off to join the war effort hoping to also be stationed near her brother. Nothing could have prepared her for the turn her life was going to take.

This may have upended The Great Alone as my favorite Kristin Hannah book. Frankie is completely unforgettable. You feel like you are with her every step of the way. She is so badass but also human. I think that is the best part about her. The female friendships were definitely what I was here for. This book is as uplifting as it was completely heartbreaking. Make sure you bring the tissues.

The book is fast paced! It was so hard to put it down at times. It definitely doesn’t seem over 400 pages.

A super shout out for all of the research and historical digging that needed to go into this book. I absolutely loved that while it was fiction, there were so many elements of truth and reality weaved throughout the entire story. Things I had never known or had heard about definitely peaked my interest.

And we can all admit that Kristin Hannah definitely knows how to end a book. Crying like a baby is putting it lightly. This is a book everyone should read. Do yourself a favor and get it today.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of historical fiction are no stranger to Kristin Hannah. I first fell in love with her writing with “The Nightingale” and when “The Women” was announced, there was no doubt I needed to read it.

In her recent novels, Hannah focuses on a historic event and/or time period which is how she shines. “The Women” tells the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, an Army nurse who serves in Vietnam.

Frankie grew up on an island in California to a family with a proud military background. When she attends her brother Finley’s going away party before he ships out to Vietnam, she has a pivotal conversation with Finley’s friend Rye who reminds her that women can be heroes too.

She decides to enlist to be with her brother and to hopefully earn a spot on the “heroes wall” in her father’s office. Frankie knew she wanted to help people and trained to be a nurse.

When she arrives in Vietnam, Frankie learns quickly that she’s in over her head, especially when she experiences her first mass casualty.

Her roommates, Barb and Ethel, quickly take her under their wing and she develops thicker skin and saves the lives of hundreds of soldiers.

The first half of the book that covers Frankie’s time in Vietnam was the most compelling. It is clear that Hannah spent ample time researching veteran experiences, culture, geography and military terms in order to tell the story as accurately as possible, even though the characters are made up.

Hannah wasn’t afraid to show the ugly sides of war. She touches on napalm attacks, men who lose appendages and civilians who suffered terrible deaths.

When her service is up, she is afraid to go back to “normal” life and leave behind her time in Vietnam where she made a difference.

About midway through, Frankie comes home to an unforgiving world, a culture of people who not only hate the war, but call Vietnam veterans “baby killers” and refuse to believe there were women serving there. Even her parents are ashamed of her service and lied about where she was in order to protect their reputation.

Frankie suffers with post traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction, among many other struggles.

About three-fourths of the way through, I got irritated with the drama involving the men in her life. It started reading like the plot of a Lifetime movie.

Luckily, this period was short-lived and it was just a minor plot that didn’t add or take away from the overall theme.

Hannah takes readers through Frankie’s journey of healing and again, isn’t afraid to touch on the harsh topics like suicide.

Despite the small patch of irritation, the book was well-researched, beautifully written and compelling while still maintaining an important message: That women can be and are heroes too.

I encourage anyone to pick up “The Women” and similar books as they are a way to learn about the past while still immersing themselves in a compelling story.

When I read what this book was about, I was not excited about it. Similarly, I was not excited about the plot of The Great Alone or The Four Winds but if those books have taught me anything, it's that I will love anything Kristin Hannah writes. The way she brings a world to life and makes the women so layered and complex is truly something to marvel at. I just couldn't get enough of Frances.

As per usual, Kristin Hannah absolutely destroys all of our emotions in every way. This book was simply unbelievable. It is powerful, raw, terrifying, sad and a little heartwarming just to keep us going. I ugly cried way too many times while reading this book.

The Women follows a Vietnam Veteran who served as a nurse, then returned home to find absolutely no support for female veterans. That’s really all you need to know about this book, and I highly suggest you read it soon.

If you have a chance to listen to this book on audio, definitely check it out as the amazing Julia Whelan is the narrator. I read most of it, but listened at parts just to get the Whelan experience.

I'm the first to admit that The Women isn't my normal read. I've tried Kristin Hannah in the past and qualified it as too forced emotionally. But when everyone started talking about this book and how it impacted them, I decided to give it a try. This book is a triumph. It sheds light on a portion of the historical web that is the Vietnam War, along with forcing the impact that women had on the war and how they were overlooked onto center stage. I love following the story of a normal woman who is faced with adversity, becomes strong and impactful in the face of the hell of war, but falls victim to the demons that haunt her when she returns to the deceptive calm of peacetime. This book is remarkable and will help women around the world see themselves in the struggles that veterans face. Frankie is love and warmth and strength and frailty and just so unerringly human. The writing is wonderful, the pace is even and strong, and the voice is unflinchingly honest.

really enjoyed this story as I always do when it comes to KH. I didn't love some of the decisions made by the main character. I also felt the first half was a tiny bit disconnected from the second half but I get it. Overall a very emotional story

If you love human interest stories and historical fiction, this book is for you. Another historical novel written by Kristen Hannah and she does not disappoint.

Frankie (Francis) decides to enlist in the Army during the Vietnam War after her brother Finley is killed in action. Ms. Hannah writes about the world that Frankie sees and how she deals with her life after being sent back home. We see how her family as well as the public react to Vietnam vets and the "hidden" vets like the nurses that saw action during the war.

A great novel written by a great author who knows how to incorporate history and human interest.

I've really enjoyed every book I've read by Kristin Hannah and this was no exception. I love how she is able to just suck you back in history and make you understand character's motives and feel for them even if you would make a difference decision if you were in their shoes. I really related to the main character of this book because she is so stubborn and wants nothing more than to prove people wrong about her, she was told "only women get to serve in the military in this family" and basically said "screw you, I can do anything I put my mind to" which was very honorable. Kristin Hannah does an incredible job making the mental illnesses portrayed in her novels super real. This book takes place during the Vietnam War and obviously, people who see the combat like this are going to be experiencing symptoms of PTSD (which was still so new when this book is set), and the author did an incredible job showing how debilitating this disorder can be while also realistically how it could affect someone. Overall, I had a really good time and it's only not a 5 star because it didn't make me cry like some of her other books.

Women can be heroes too. Kristin Hannah strikes again with her women forward, main character vibes. This story is important for veterans, for women that are veterans, and for women in general. She illustrated how women are responsible for so many aspects of life in society; being a mother, making a man happy while having a job, and conducting oneself as a constructive person in society. One choice can throw of the plans you have for what society determines a successful life, and women are expected to navigate it with grace.

The main character, Frankie, went through more tragedies than anyone should in a lifetime. Which made the story hard to believe for me, though I know in reality it is some peoples reality. Hannah does a good job at portraying how PTSD might look from inside someones brain, and the daily challenges they have with their inner self. Another gripe I have with the story line is how quickly Frankie fell in love with Jamie and Rye, although the contrast in their love stories painted a good picture. It also wasn't super believable with Rye AND Jamie coming back to life, why didn't Finley get to come home? I am an OR Nurse so I did connect to that aspect of Frankie's story, though I have not done a life saving procedure in a war setting or without a licensed surgeon.

As always, Kristin Hannah comes back to the concept that a woman is strong in herself and her girlfriends/sisters without a man by her side. This I LOVE! This book may not be my most favorite she has written, but it is a still a powerful message to women. You can be a "hero' too.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book thanks to Kristin Hannah, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite historical fiction authors! I have never read one of her books that I didn’t like and this one is truly one of my favorites. The Women is such a fantastic book, so well written and it is obvious how much research had gone into telling this story.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction or even those who don’t. In my opinion it is truly a must read - there was so much that I was so unaware of during this time period in our history. While things are slowly changing, it was such a tragic time for us as humans, as American’s and especially us as women. Frankie is such a strong, amazing FMC. Though she had a lot of crappy things happen to her throughout her life, she really did make the best of it all. She was such an inspiration to so many and it was nice to see that she was able to get a happy ending.

I truly went on an emotional roller coaster with this one. Make sure to have a box of tissues near while reading this gem! I was so mad at so many of the men in this book. Not to mention the junk support system that these heroic women had to endure. I absolutely hated that they were not seen as being part of this war or valuable enough to seek the help they needed when they got home. It is such a tragedy.

I was excited to see that this book will be made into a movie. I hope it is as fantastic as this book to educate more people of the inequalities & mistreatment of the women who worked in hospitals, ER’s, operating rooms, etc during the war.

CW: Graphic war scenes, cheating, violence, mental health trauma/PTSD, drug & alcohol abuse.

Thank you to @NetGalley, @stmartinspress & @kristinhannahauthor for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.