Powerful. Perfect read for women’s history month! I was crying within the first 30 pages. Love reading about this part of history.

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!)

What can I say about The Women by Kristin Hannah? It was the fifth book I have read by the author and the first one I have given 5 stars. I enjoy her writing style that often takes really heavy subject matter and somehow, believably adds a soap-opera-esque quality that makes me want to keep reading through the heaviest times of character turmoil. The previous books I have read of Hannah's that this most closely compares to in tone are The Nightingale and The Great Alone. Why I gave them 4 stars vs the 5 star rating of The Women was simply due to how much I cared for the main character. Frankie started out naive and flawed and during the Vietnam War, she grew up in the worst way possible. The trauma these mobile nurses and doctors must have experienced just to go unrecognized when they returned home was infuriating, but believable. One piece of entertainment I related The Women to in my mind was The Pursuit of Happyness. Both were full of lives going through hard awful thing after hard awful thing...to the point where I wondered if I could take much more. But just when I genuinely started to get mad at how the author was beating the life out of the main character, some redemptive turns occurred that brought hope. I specifically adored the relationship that Frankie had with her nurse friends from the war. In addition, I think Frankie's parents were very well written, believable, and I adored the arc of the story of Frankie and her parents.

The Women was a difficult book to read, but I found myself buying copies of it for various people I thought would get something out of it. AND I can't stop talking about it. One of the best books I've read in the last couple years.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader copy. As with all of her books, Kristin Hannah brings you into a story and makes you feel a part of it. You see the scenery, smell the smells and feel the pain of the characters. Obviously, The Women is no different. I thought this book was amazing. I had never read a book set in the Vietnam War, as the historical fiction I read usually takes place during World War II. I am so glad I read this book. It was such an interesting perspective to take and one that I don't think most people think of.

As the book mentions, the last time America truly celebrated their Veterans coming home from war was World War II. Since then, there have been so many opposing views that we don't thank the soldiers enough who serve the country. To have the perspective of someone who was there and came home to such negative views was devastating to read and written so well.

I would, and will, recommend this to everyone. No matter what your view of that war was, this provides insight and details into what it was like to be there and what it was like to come home and truly opens your mind. I love that I always feel like i learn something when reading Kristin's books. I look forward to the next one.

Could not put this book down. Will be recommending to library patrons and adding to booklists. loved it.

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. High 5 stars!

What an affecting title is The Women! From start to finish, I didn't want to put it down. I was drawn into the story and was emotionally moved by Kristin Hannah's breathtaking descriptions and character development.
Frankie, Ethel, and Barb were joined in their patriotism, dedication, and courage while serving as nurses in Vietnam. They saw and experienced all the horrors of the war, but always put their work above their own needs and fears. Frankie is the center of the story, and in her youth and naivety, captures the heart of everyone . Her growth and maturity are inevitable in the midst of the chaos and danger of daily life in the jungle Army hospitals. Her heart for her patients is clearly shown and extraordinary. I dare anyone reading this book to not fall in love with Frankie just a bit .
Because of that, the book can at times be exasperating when Frankie begins to navigate life back home with seemingly every possible road block placed in her way. Her friends Ethel and Barb seem to be getting on with their lives, but each deals with the after effects of Vietnam in their own way continuing to support each other when no one else can.
Heartbreaking at times and yet inspiring, The Women personifies the story of the women who did serve in Vietnam. Their courage and dedication is rewarded with dismissal and encouragement to get back to normal as young women of the 70"s: meaning to find a husband and start a family. Putting things behind them is not so easy as portrayed in Frankie's story.
I remember seeing the Vietnam women's monument in DC some years ago. Kristin Hannah fills in the story of the dedicated women who served there supporting and saving the lives of other G.I.s: eight even giving their lives. They are veterans and heroes well deserving to have their stories told.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. I was so moved by Frankie's story and highly recommend The Women as an incredible read.

I've always been a huge fan of Kristin Hannah, and absolutely love everything she's written, but this may now be my VERY FAVORITE of all of her books. I can't stop thinking about this story, the characters, their experiences, the research that must have gone into the writing of this book - so many things! I don't often reread books, but I already feel like I need to read this one again. AMAZING!

This book had me going through the wringer. Frankie is a combat nurse that enlists herself into the army and is deployed to Vietnam. The way Kristen Hannah writes, makes you actually feel like you are there with her and the medical team - all the soldiers being killed and the heartbreak of losing friends and lovers in a blink of an eye is heart wrenching. Her friends Ethel and Barb are there for her through thick and thin - and it was lovely to see the different acts of love she receives from them and her family, despite the generational differences. However, Frankie is only bearable at times, and insufferable in others. She seemed to be exceptional as a nurse, but that’s all I really know about her. Her love life was also a disaster, but the ending made me give a side eye. Other than my disdain for Frankie, the book is so profound and detailed - I enjoyed reading about brave women who fought in this war who were largely ignored in history.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kristin Hannah always hits them out of the park. Set in Vietnam during the Vietnam War this is the story of a naive young woman who becomes a combat nurse. I probably would have given it a higher rating but like Four Winds I found that the heroine was just put through too much trauma where it almost became predictable.

SPOILER :


I couldn’t even get excited for the main character’s pregnancy because I just knew it wasn’t meant to last and I hated that!!!

I’d still recommend and I learned a lot about a subject I wasn’t as familiar with as I’d like to have been.

I absolutely loved this book. I love this authors work but don’t always love historical fiction. This showed a side of Vietnam that isn’t widely known and bridged several different genres that made the story extra compelling. Will be recommending!

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.

Wow, a very powerful book that takes you inside the Vietnam war through the eyes of a young woman from a long line of soldiers who enlists as a nurse, because someone told her 'women can be heroes too'. The first person account of what these nurses saw and felt everyday is riveting. There's love and betrayal from family, lovers and the government. If you know how men were discarded when they came home from this war, if they came home, imagine it 100x worse for the women.

Once again Kristin Hannah tied my heart up in a tight knot and then destroyed it.

A must read if you don’t mind crying at least 15-20x.

Women have served as nurses in war since the beginning of time & while their role was *vital*, they have never been seen as equivalent to the roles of men. Women still are rarely seen as equals. Just look at well- spoken Nikki Haley vs Trump in the polls- people would rather vote for absolute chaos than a woman.

Kristin Hannah did an excellent job portraying this gender disparity through Frankie’s story, as well as a painting a realistic picture of PTSD. Choosing the Vietnam war was a bit ironic because it was actually the first war where male nurses were used. I understand why she chose it though; it was the first war the US lost & political leaders were real quick to shove it away out of embarrassment & shame- that’s the American way!

I thoroughly enjoyed & appreciated that she highlighted on the strength & role of female friendships. I made my best friends through nursing & wouldn’t have changed that experience for the world.

Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An incredibly powerful, intensely moving book. I cried A LOT. Impecably researched. I am still thinking about it days later and have recommended to many friends and colleagues already.

Kristin Hannah does not disappoint. This was my 5th book by her and it ranks as one of my favourites. Frankie, a wealthy young woman who's future is to marry well and continue in her mothers footsteps as a dutiful daughter, wife, mother, etc. At her brother's going away party, for his navy pilot deployment to Vietnam, someone tells her "Women can be heroes". This sends her following in her brother's footsteps on her own journey of discovery, loss and pain. Stationed as a conflict nurse Frankie is thrown head first into life in 'Nam. She forms fierce friendships, engages in big love and of course suffers great loss.

I really enjoyed the half of the book set in Vietnam. It was fast paced and so very emotional. In true KH style, the queen of emotive writing, she will have your heart in in your stomach at every turn. While I understand the trauma of life after war and the understanding of PTSD and other post war disorders and illnesses, this part of the book was a bit slower. I fully recommend this to any historical fiction fan. It is a very interesting time period and this book tries to focus on a number of issues.

I loved all the musical references and the characters. You can't help but to be engrossed in Frankie's story and those of her fellow nurses and Vietnam vets.

We were there.

I was around 10 or 11 years old at the height of the Vietnam War. Old enough to feel that it was wrong, old enough to wish that I could protest it, but too young to be able to do anything. Too young to really understand what was going on.

When I thought of the Vietnam War, I thought about boys going over. Boys who didn’t want to fight. Boys, anxiously watching the draft, like my cousins. I had no idea there were women, nurses, who went over their voluntarily. Voluntarily to help their country, to help the boys and the men that were fighting. Women, who didn’t necessarily think the war was right, but felt the need to help.

This book was amazing and such an eye-opener. I couldn’t put it down, from the very first word to the very last word. We follow Frankie McGrath, who strives to be a hero on her father’s wall - only to find that her father only thinks men can be heroes.

In Vietnam, there was no time to ease yourself into it, you are literally thrown into the fire from day one. The book truly captures the feel of the chaos, the heartache, the hopelessness, the hopefulness. It also captures the friendships that develop. People thrown together who may not live to see tomorrow. You celebrate when you can, grieve when you can, and go on.

Then you come home and face a whole new war at home. Again, the book captures the feeling of coming home to a country that doesn’t value what you did. The after-effects of war, heightened by the world you return to.

Loved everything about this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for sending me a widget for this book.

This book is book very much follows Kristin Hannah's style of historical fiction to make you cry. The Women follows Frankie as she enlists to become a nurse so that she can be close to her brother who is currently fighting in Vietnam. Not shockingly, being a combat nurse is unlike anything Frankie could have prepared for, even if she wasn't fresh off graduation.

While I did enjoy this book, I found it to be a little long. There was so much story to tell, that I feel some parts were well developed and others, not so much. Some parts moved a little slow but I found the overall payoff worth it. 4 Stars.

I have loved everything that I have read by Kristin Hannah and "The Women" was no different. Kristin Hannah takes readers on a journey through eras of history with likeable characters. I found myself immediately swept into this story as we follow Frankie who enters the Vietnam War as a nurse. Not only do we see details of what life might have been like in these camps and on the frontlines, we are also taken through the struggles that were faced upon returning. Kristin Hannah took me through a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings as I read this book. I couldn't help but want to root for Frankie and her found family as they navigated their way through the story. I couldn't put this book down! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Th hype you’ve heard about this book is without a doubt, well deserved and accurate. Out of all the Kristin Hannah books I’ve read, this one was so different in terms of her writing style. I loved it! It felt more modern, as she was writing about real history, in comparison to her other books. There were times I found myself laughing out loud and hurting for all of the characters. The depiction of loss was so vivid that I felt it was happening to me personally. I appreciated how Kristin Hannah gave each female character a distinct path to illustrate that we are all individuals with our unique stories to tell. This book is a physical reminder that there is healing after loss and with the support of the right people there is hope through life’s trials. If you are looking for a book to make you laugh, cry, and encourage you, don’t sleep on this one for very long. You will thoroughly enjoy it.