I really enjoyed Kristen Hannah's The Women. I found the characters well developed and each with their own story within the book. I love historical fiction books because you get a great story but also learn something about the time period/country/person/subject the book is based on. I was born in 1967 so I grew up after the Vietnam War and really knew nothing about the women who served in it. I enjoyed the story and learned quite a bit. I found this book reminiscent of her earlier book Home Front in some ways (both having the main character being women who served in a war and coming home to deal with the very emotional and difficult aftermath). I would definitely recommend this book. I would rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I give very few books 5 stars. I have to have been really impressed and be left thinking about the book or characters for a long time after reading it.

“𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝; 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞.”

The Women does an excellent job at highlighting an often overlooked piece of history: women's role in the Vietnam War.

Kristin Hannah's story of Frankie, a young nurse joining the Vietnam War, has been decades in the making, with Hannah first conceiving it in 1997. I will admit that I know very little about the Vietnam War, so getting to read any book that broaches it helps broaden my knowledge. Now having learned about it from a white-woman American perspective, I want to explore more from other perspectives. Frankie is a sympathetic character who goes through A LOT; I loved the relationships between she and her two bunkmate-nurses Ethel and Barb, and surgeon-doctor Jamie. Ethel and Barb offer much needed levity and support to Frankie, while Jamie not only offers teaching and encouragement, but also love. Hannah captures the feeling of how truly unprepared many were for this war, especially in relation to their training; it was interesting to see the skills so many learned in the moment, but how those same skills were not valued once returning home. I assumed most of the book would take place during the war, but I shouldn't have been surprised, knowing that Hannah loves to create fully developed storylines for her characters, that the story focuses as much on the difficult return home post-service, as it does the war itself. There were places that I found the narrative to be a bit repetitive, and I wondered if it needed to be as long as it was to still tell an effective story. I appreciate the work that Kristin Hannah put into creating the story, and I hope that it encourages others to seek out more about this time in history.

The Women captures the tension and messiness of the Vietnam War, while rightly acknowledging the important roles women had. If you like learning about the Vietnam War, this historical fiction is a good starting point. Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the ARC!

I knew this was going to be an emotional read and I waited way too long to read it. Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors and also a go-to when I see her books. She is the only author that made me realize I could enjoy historical fiction too. The Women dives deep into the center of Vietnam, the start of treating PTSD, and further emergence of women’s rights. Social class, racism, and addiction are also other aspects intertwined is this emotional ride. One of my best reads of 2024.

Kristin Hannah’s The Women is a breathtaking and powerful novel that I simply could not put down. The story follows Frances "Frankie" McGrath, a young nursing student in 1965 who dares to imagine a different future for herself after hearing the words, “Women can be heroes.” Raised in the sheltered, idyllic world of Southern California, Frankie is unaware of the horrors that lie ahead when she joins the Army Nurse Corps and heads to Vietnam.

The book takes us through the harrowing experiences of Frankie as she navigates the chaos and destruction of war, forming deep bonds with other nurses and soldiers. These friendships, as well as the hope and heartbreak that comes with them, made the story so deeply personal and moving.

But as much as this book is about war, it's also about coming home—coming back to a country that is divided and unsure how to honor its veterans. It is a poignant reminder of how women who served in Vietnam were often overlooked, despite their immense sacrifice. The characters, their bravery, and their journeys of self-discovery will stay with me long after finishing the book.

While I typically don’t gravitate toward historical fiction, Kristin Hannah is an auto-buy author for me. She has an incredible talent for weaving unforgettable characters and heartfelt stories that feel so real. The Women is no exception. It is a powerful testament to the strength of women, friendship, and the courage to do what’s right, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

This was my first Kristin Hannah book. It was an epic tale of a female nurse in Vietnam. I appreciated learning about how women served and supported the war efforts. The Vietnam War was controversial and I like that the author showed that side.

Frankie wasn't my favorite character. She was written as a person who got everything - all the men fell in love with her immediately, she had the best friends who always came through for her, and she was able to fall back into life (financially) after the war. In reality, that wasn't the case for many of the vets.

I was interested in learning more about Ethel and Barb. Barb in particular wasn't written honestly. Black people were not so widely accepted even during the war.

Overall, I'm glad I read this book. It kept my interest and gave me a better perspective of what my dad went through during his time in Vietnam. 3.5 rounded up.

This was great. I loved the story and the characters. I appreciated the journey of mental health and PTSD. Definitely a winner!!

Amazing. I felt like I was right there with her.
It was another’ subject I knew nothing about but sent me researching.

i was so excited to share this book with my grandmother. we took our time reading it together and it felt like a generational read. we really felt as though it bridged divides and we were so excited to be able to discuss it every week.

This book is beautifully written. The characters are very believable. The history seems very accurate as well. The book tended to drag some in the middle. I felt that it could have been shorter and a little less predictable but I am glad that I read it.

I finally read it! It was a tough read, yet I was totally captivated. I’ve definitely grown in my empathy for Vietnam vets and the women who served, and all who serve our country today. In addition to reading the book, I did also listen to the audio because of the narrator, Julia Whelan. 9/10

Beautiful, well written and absolutely amazing, as any KH book ever is. But, I need to personally stray away from historical fiction for awhile after reading one because they always make me so horribly sad!!!

This was easily one of my favorite books of 2024! The way Kristin Hannah can write is spectacular. You couldn’t help but love the main character and want to read this book as quickly as possible. All the stars for this one!

I loved this so much! Great mix of history, hope, feminism, romance, and heartbreak. This is a new favorite for me.

This book 100 percent lives up to all its praise and hype. You can tell how much care Kristin Hannah put into this story, and the stories of all the women who served in Vietnam. It does an incredble job at tackling topics like grief, PTSD, and addiction. Sadly, before reading this, I wasn't fully aware of these incredible women who served their country and were treated as invisible upon returning home, so this opened my eyes.

Kristin Hannah's writing has a way of fully immersing you into a world, and I could clearly imagine everything like a movie in my head. I like how she incorporated the mention of music and specific songs to reall put you into the time period.

Wow! What an emotional, page gripping read. I enjoy historical fiction, but I mostly steered away from "real life" fiction especially war stories. This book had me reading long into the night and every free moment I had. I've read a few other books by Kristin Hannah, but mostly contemporary. I've definitely been missing out. The Nightingale is now on my TBR. As a young student I learned about the Vietnam war, watched movies, but this book is a whole other experience from the medical side and the lives lost and saved. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me have the opportunity to read this unforgettable story. Frankie is a character that will stick with me for a long time.

I have only read Kristin Hannah's newest (and buzziest) reads, but there is a reason that she is so widely loved and acclaimed. I actually put off reading The Women for almost a full year both because I was looking forward to it so much and because I knew it would be sad! And I was correct-- it was worth the wait and also so heartbreaking! I appreciate Hannah's willingness to write so candidly about difficult situations and scenarios; she doesn't shy away from taking the easy road out of a topic in the story. I will admit that I don't think I've ever read a historical fiction set during the Vietnam War, and that I don't know a ton about the war itself beyond surface level knowledge and/or preconceived notions. Reading a historical fiction set during this time but from the perspective of a female protagonist was eye-opening. I had no idea that for so long many people, including veterans that fought in the same war, were in denial that women served over there as well. I personally have very mixed feelings toward warfare in that I do not support warfare at all but do think that the treatment of veterans should be better, and I really liked that Hannah fully addressed the horrors of how America treats its veterans. There is a lot of heavy material within this story, but at its core, it is still such a wonderful read due to the complexity of Frankie as a character and of the beauty in her sisterhood with Ethel and Barb. I appreciated the diversity of characters and how Hannah truly wrote about all sides and experiences of being an Army member and veteran during this time. There is a lot of food for thought here, and reading it definitely made me want to do more research on the history of this time period. It was not my personal favorite Kristin Hannah book simply because I don't love war stories as a whole, and I did think parts of the romance were a bit melodramatic. However, if you are a fan of her writing, this is another slam dunk and a story that will stick with me for a long time to come.


I received an ARC of this book last year thanks to NetGalley, Kristin Hannah, and St. Martin's Press!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy.

If there is one thing I’ve learned about Kristin Hannah‘s books it’s that she’ll put your heart back together in the end, but first she’s gonna shatter it to a million pieces! I haven’t read all of her backlist, but I’ve read more than a handful, and let me tell you … this one hurts, y’all! Probably more than her others.

After surviving reading through Frankie’s account of the Vietnam War in part one, I thought part two would lead us into some more positive storytelling terrain. But in some ways, the heartbreak found there was even heavier … or maybe it’s because it just kept piling on.

This story was powerful, moving, heart wrenching, inspiring, eye-opening … the list goes on. I will recommend it as a top book of my year without a shadow of a doubt, but I will certainly recommend reading with caution. There are content and trigger warnings galore.

This is a story of a Vietnam nurse — her experiences during the war and coming home afterwards. All topics hit extremely deep, and there is nothing that poor Frankie doesn’t endure. (See additional details below.)

CW:
death (descriptive war scenes on page, including children), miscarriage, infidelity, attempted suicide

The Women - well done. I loved Kristin Hannah’s take on women in Vietnam. “There were no women in war”. Another tear jerker and true embodiment of every emotion. I can’t say enough good things about Hannah’s work and research. She covers topics of racism, discrimination, romance, deceit, grief, therapy, mental health. You name it, this books got it and it was very well done. I’ll read anything she writes.

The easiest five stars ever. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. Kristin Hannah just has a way with words. She understands how to take a complex theme and make an interesting, digestible story. I read the second half of this book on a plane ride.. and I do not recommend. I was an emotional wreck.

Being a nurse myself, this book hit me hard. Reading about Frankie's journey as an Army nurse in Vietnam.. it really made me reflect on myself and what I would have done if I lived at this time (spoiler alert.. I don't know if I could have done it). But I felt to connected to Frankie and her friends. I also learned to much about the war. My grandfather was a fighter pilot in the war so I grew up hearing about the Vietnam war but there was still so much I didn't know. I am very grateful I read this book because it lead to some very great conversations with my grandfather.

This book was absolutely phenomenal and I would recommend to absolutely everyone.

absolutely amazing book by Kristin Hannah! She never disappoints! This book really captivated me and I felt for these women. Highly recommend!