THE WOMEN
rating: 5/5
genre: historical fiction

Kristin Hannah's 2024 release explores the often overlooked or marginalized stories of Vietnam War veterans, more specifically the US nurses who served their country overseas. Admittedly going into THE WOMEN I didn't know too much about the Vietnam war (even though I have family who served, which is extra embarrassing) and a lot of early readers expressed the same, so I would say this was a welcome new topic to explore. I had faith that KH would do this story justice, but it's hard to put into words just how. At the end all I can say is WOW. It feels wrong to say you enjoyed and loved a story filled with so much pain but truly... i did. I said this in my stories directly after finishing, but Hannah is a masterful story teller so even though the book is heavyyyy from cover to cover I absolutely devoured it.

Spanning almost a decade THE WOMEN follows Frankie McGrath from her home on Coronado Island to Vietnam as an army nurse and back again. Frankie's story in Vietnam is filled with growth, adaption, friendship, love, terror, joy, and pain but nothing could prepare Frankie for the America she returns to after deployment.

One of the reasons I love reading is because we are immersed into stories unlike our own. They're often thought provoking and grant us the ability to continue learning. THE WOMEN is a perfect example of this. I can't wait to read and learn more about this time period in US history and be able to converse more with those who experienced it first hand.

I feel very grateful to have received an advanced copy of The Women but unfortunately it was a miss for me.

I think Hannah excels at research in historical fiction but I've found her last book and this one included SO much research that it became overkill. In The Four Winds it was every bad thing that happened during the Dust Bowl happened to the family in her story. In The Women every bad aspect of the Vietnam War, whether it was in Vietnam or in the US, happened to the protagonist. At some point it becomes unbelievable and too cliche.

There is already tons of praise for this one so hopefully my humble opinion is the minority.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advanced digital galley.

Fantastic book! I really didn't expect any less. Kristin Hannah is such a great writer. You always feel that you are in the middle of what's happening, which this time is Vietnam and the aftermath. I found myself feeling so anxious at times. The medical tent scenes are heart-pounding and just terrifying. The sadness of coming home from Vietnam, especially for the women who served (there were no women in Nam).

Frankie McGrath is at the going away party for her brother Finley and his friend Rye, they are off to serve in Vietnam. Her father has a heroes wall with pictures of his family that has served our country when Rye tells her that women can be heroes too. Frankie has just gotten her nursing degree so she decides that moment to enlist. It all seems so naive when she gets there and is faced with the reality of saving lives, saying goodbye to young men who don't make it and being the last person they see. She is thrown right into having to do surgery on her own. She grows up fast. Frankie makes lifelong best friends. She falls in love while there too. It seems Rye is her true love and then he is shot down and presumed killed.

As bad as Vietnam was, coming home was not a joy either. Women weren't in Nam, so they say. Protests against the war are in full force and she is called a baby killer, murderer, spat on. This sends her in a long, slow spiral of pain and mental illness. A relationship gone bad pushes her over the edge.

You will find yourself on edge throughout the whole book. If you couldn't imagine the ravages of war before, you will find yourself wrapped up and sickened by it all. I have a friend who was a nurse in Vietnam and she had told me a few stories but now, to think of her dealing with what Frankie did, breaks my heart. My heart did break for Frankie.

Everyone should read this book and everything that Kristin Hannah writes. Perfection.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy for review.

This is a story about Frankie McGrath. She is a nurse that needs direction in her life. When a tragedy occurs in her family, she decides to join the military. The Vietnam War is going strong. She gets accepted to join the Army. The story is about her two tours in Vietnam and her return to the States after completing her tours.
The story is very heart wrenching and emotional.
The author lets us know what it was like to serve during this era. All who served deserve so much more then they received and to this day, not receiving.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5 stars.

Took me forever to get through this one between a busy month and a slow start to the book, BUT it’s a beautifully written, well-researched piece of historical fiction and clearly written by Hannah with a labor of love and care.

It’s a powerful read, and though the major plot points are very predictable, the overall story hits you right in the heart nonetheless. I always love how Hannah’s books take you through a passage of time, and this was no exception - and it worked very well for this story, especially in terms of how she wrote about the Vietnam War and the after-effects on those who served. I honestly learned a lot, too, which I wasn’t expecting, but greatly appreciated.

Overall, a book I’m very glad to have read. Though I do believe it could have been cut down by about 100 pages (there was a LOT of filler — which is the main reason why I’m rounding down, as it was quite a slow read), it was still an incredibly written (and important, honestly) piece of historical fiction. Kristin Hannah does it again!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Kristin Hannah’s historical novels will no doubt love The Women. Her newest story centers around the Vietnam War and the nurses who gave of themselves, and how it affected their lives.

We see the different attitudes of civilians toward men and women participating in the war. Hannah graphically describes the suffering endured by both soldiers and those treating them and the political attitude toward the war. If felt on par with learning about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in her book The Four Winds.

We see Frankie McGrath’s brother being sent off to war with fanfare and the support of his family. In 1966 Frankie also decided to offer her services, so she joined and worked as a surgical nurse in Vietnam. While there she strikes up a lasting friendship with nurses Ethel and Barb. These characters, along with a Navy officer, her brother’s friend, and Farnkie’s parents, essentially make up the cast of characters.

As a civilian, I experienced many of the happenings of the war. However, I still learned a lot regarding the lives and treatment of nurses who served.

My Concerns
The depiction of the war in the first half of the book, set the scene for more to come, but it felt long and drawn out.

The second half moved quickly, but I didn’t feel emotionally involved with the characters or plot. And though I saw the kindness Frankie’s two nurse friends exhibited, I didn’t get a feel for who they were. They felt a little more one-dimensional.


Final Thoughts
This felt like a believable depiction of a family’s story regarding a very unpopular, complex war. While it was interesting and memorable, it wasn’t one of my favorite books by this author.

Should you read it? Absolutely. Once again, I’m in the minority. Most reviewers loved it.

I've really enjoyed Kristin Hannah's previous books, and The Women was no different! It took a little while for me to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down.

I absolutely loved the character of Frankie, who volunteered to become an Army combat nurse in Vietnam after her brother went to war. The story detailed both her time in Vietnam and her return to a very changed, very angry country. She struggled in both places and hit rock bottom numerous times, but her friends were there for her every step of the way. This book was so well written and engrossing that I read the entire 450+ thing in a day, and I can't wait to pass it on for others to read. A few parts were definitely a bit far fetched, but I thought the story of the women who served and were entirely forgotten by their country is so important and I'd highly, highly recommend this book. Can't wait to see what the author does next! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I absolutely adored Kristin Hannah's newest book, The Women. It follows Frankie, a young woman who volunteers as a nurse in the Vietnam War after experiencing a personal tragedy. I think everyone can relate to Frankie at different times of the book, from her feelings of inadequacy when starting out as a nurse, to frustration about not being taken seriously, to feeling left out, to heartbreak when she discovers someone she thought she knew was lying to her. Hannah is a master of making major historical events highly personal, and The Women is no exception. Even though my grandfather served in Vietnam, I didn't know much about the war, because as Hannah astutely points out throughout the book, no one wanted to hear about the war when veterans returned home. I felt a new level of grief reading this book, in the best possible way.

If you are a Kristin Hannah fan, you will love this one! It was well written and had an interesting subject - the Vietnam War and PTSD. It did not get 5 stars from me because I found the romance aspect to be too predictable.

This book was a masterpiece. I loved the characters, and the story, and I LOVE that the author did so much research for this book. Kristin Hannah is such an amazing author, she never disappoints.

Kristin Hannah has done it again! I knew little of the Vietnam War, but her book offered a first hand seat to the horrors of this war and the tragic way its vets were treated upon returning home. The fact that the women weren’t recognized for their service, even by our own government, was heartbreaking. A great story that also brought to the forefront terms like PTSD, agent orange, and other war terms.

The Women is historical fiction at its total best. A compelling story that keeps you turning pages, yet takes a deep dive into some very serious topics that have been overlooked by the genre at least for as long as I’ve been a reader.

Frankie McGrath lives a country club life in Southern California when her brother enlists and dies in Vietnam. Her family is military proud — his father’s office displays photos of all those who served their country. (He father could not serve and that is a sore point with him.). Instead of following the life she is meant for (marriage, children, golf), Frankie enlists as a nurse. Her parents are horrified.

We follow Frankie to Vietnam where she quickly is forced to deal with raw human suffering and broken bodies. As important as the Vietnam piece of the book is, Hannah takes us with Frankie as she returns home to a country divided where veterans are spit on and mental health treatment for veterans, especially women veterans, is basically non-existent. This really made me think about all of the soldiers who have come back from war and have not received adequate, or any, mental health treatment. I’m still thinking about this.

This book ties THE GREAT ALONE as my favorite Kristin Hannah book.

This is the fifth or sixth book by Kristin Hannah that I have read. Her ability to sweep you into a nearly forgotten time is singular. She can take you to the past in the same kind of way an old Hollywood movie can, except she can do so with just her beautiful words.

That being said, I wasn't sure what to expect with THE WOMEN because of my own personal bias with the American Military and my dad's history as a Vietnam veteran. I shouldn't have been so silly. THE WOMEN is just as good, if not better, than previous Hannah novels, and I got swept away like I do every time I read one of her books.

I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but I genuinely appreciated how shall we say, messy, the protagonist, Frankie, is. She endures A LOT as a young combat nurse, to put it mildly, and her character comes out far from unscathed. Her challenges with mental illness, addiction, and other fun life things make her all the more engaging. I loved spending 480 messy pages with her and all of the other amazing women in this story.

This is a powerful novel from a powerful storyteller. Keep the tissues close by and be prepared to gift this book to all the women in your life.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley, St Martins Press and the author Kristin Hannah.
I love Kristin Hannah's novels and this one did not disappoint.
Set during the Vietnam War, it's the story of the nurses and what they go through during this terrible war.
You both cannot stop reading and at the same time you need to because the pain you feel for the characters feels so real.
The love, heartache, death, pain they had to enduring during the war and especially when they came back home is heart-wrenching. This novel make you smile, ache, cry, mad.
Another winner for this wonderful author. My favorite of the year so far and ordered my copy
Highly recommend.
5 stars

It was her father’s wall of heroes that inspired Frankie McGrath to join the army. With her brother’s picture added to those ancestors who had served our country, she decided to use her nursing degree and follow him to Vietnam. Her father rejects her decision and before she leaves they receive notice of her brother's death. Frankie is unprepared for what she is thrown into in Nam. She makes it through with the help of two fellow nurses who became lifelong friends, bound by their experiences. With the help of one of the doctors she also hones her skills. She experiences love and loss and after a second tour she realizes that it is time to go home. Her mother’s letters often referred to the protests and opposition to the war back home. She is shocked to be spit on and called a baby killer. What hurts even more is her discovery that her father told everyone that she was studying in Florence rather than admitting that she was saving lives in Vietnam. It isn’t until she hits rock bottom that she finally finds help for her PTSD, which is only beginning to be recognized.

Kristin Hannah’s scenes in Vietnam are disturbingly realistic. From the operating rooms to the villagers devastated by napalm, she paints a heartbreaking picture of what the nurses faced. Upon returning there was little support from the VA. Frankie is told that no women served in the war since no women were assigned combat roles. She is a nurse who is dedicated to those who need help. By finding a way to help those women who served and creating her own wall of heroes she begins her own road to healing. Hannah has once again written a story that allows you to become emotionally involved with her characters. It is a beautiful tribute to the women who served and a story that I will revisit often. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book or my review.

This is my first Kristin Hannah book (yes, I live under a rock) and it will not be my last. A truly powerful story of the heroic women who served in Vietnam

Kristin Hannah has done it again. Her writing pulls you in from the very beginning and you can’t help but fall in love with the characters and learn history along the way. We have all heard the stories of the men but have you heard of the women who served?

Frankie is from a very proud patriotic military family. So when her brother Fin joins the military and is sent to Vietnam everyone could be more pleased. Frankie is so overwhelmed thinking what can she do and comes to answer why can’t I?

Vietnam is nothing what it is portrayed to be. The media is vastly fabricating this war. A story of survival becomes the day to day life. Being pushed physically and mentally. Of forming friendships that become family.

Will Frankie make her family proud? Does she come home and start a family like she always dreamed of?

When I see a book written by Kristin Hannah, there is no reluctance to read it. I have enjoyed so many of her stories and they normally come in as a 5-star read. This one was no exception. Contrary to all the WWII and WWI books I’ve read, very few have been about the Vietnam war. Her research and writing is stellar.

The first 50% of the book gives a true vision of the war experiences and the comradery that develops for the nurses and the soldiers. When Frankie comes back home, I was wondering what could fill in for the next 50%. I should not have questioned it; she proceeded to keep my attention and educate me on this time in the US. In the early 1970’s, in my teens, I lived in a rural area, oblivious to the riots and conflicts going on.

The way she told of Frankie’s trials and tribulations, bringing in PTSD was done very well. The military had not acknowledged or choose to ignore this fallout from war experiences of our men and women. Shellshock is what they called it; it was much worse. I highly recommend; it is a good read with a lot of education behind it. High 5 stars. Thank you, Ms. Hannah, for your time.

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with 5 stars..

The Women by Kristin Hannah is one woman’s story as she goes to war and must fight to have her and other women’s contributions in the war recognized. Twenty year old Frances “Frankie” McGrath is a nursing student who wants to make her family proud. So proud to be worthy of the heroes wall which serves as a memorial to the war heroes in the McGrath family. Someone tells her that even women can be heroes which brings a revelation, she will take her nursing skills to the war effort. She joins the Army Nurse Corps and she is not prepared for what she will encounter. With the help of her fellow nurses, Ethel and Barb, Frankie sees firsthand the chaos and destruction of war, the gamble of life and death. Little does she know that the war is just beginning as she heads home and finds a country even more divided, angry protesters as her contributions are essentially forgotten.
I have loved Kristin Hannah’s stories since I first picked up Firefly Lane (2008). The Women is a hard hitting, gut wrenching, emotional story that shines a light on the women who put their lives on the line to serve their country only to have their country deny they were even there. It is a story of friendships and courage under fire. Part 1 focuses on the war itself as Frankie is not prepared for the carnage. It is emotional and heartbreaking, filled with moments of gasps and plenty of tears. Part 2 focuses on her return home and her struggles to return to civilian life. I was shocked to learn that for the longest time, no one knew or no one would acknowledge that women served in Vietnam. It pains me to know that the male veterans were vilified and yet the women were ignored and forgotten. Overall, The Women is another amazing story from Kristin Hannah. I highly, highly recommend it.


The Women is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

KH has done it again with a spectacular historical fiction! It’s getting so difficult to pick a favorite of hers. I love how her books keep me locked in, only pausing to stop and look up information or photos.

Frankie is a beast. The war made her into a person she never thought she could be. She’s tough and strong, but broken in a way no one back home could understand. This book really opens your eyes to events I know I didn’t know about. Watching Frankie suffer after the war was heartbreaking. KH shines a light on the Vietnam vets showing readers what life was truly like for them coming home.

The friendships in this story were inspiring and I’m still left thinking about them. These women, strangers, truly became sisters. They were there for each other when no one else was, when no one would recognize they too fought in that war.