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.

Absolutely amazing, and heartbreaking at the same time. They never teach about the women who served during Vietnam. Heck, my history classes all skimmed over this war. It was eye opening to read this fictional story of one woman’s account of what she experienced both in and after the war, and to realize this was what women actually went through just made me sad. Once again, Kristen Hannah has created a historical novel that is a must read! This will definitely be high on my recommendation list!

I’m a sucker for a well written FMC (female main character), and Kristin Hannah has that down to an art form. I also appreciate that she’s not afraid of putting her readers through an emotional gauntlet. Highly recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of historical-fiction, but who is burnt out on WWII books. There’s not a lot out there on the Vietnam War, and even less highlighting the contributions of the women who served. That alone should put this pretty high up on your TBR list.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Frances McGrath grew up with the "Heroes Wall" in her father's den--an illustration of the men of the family who had served in the military during wars. Reminded by her brother's friend, Rye, that women can be heroes too, Frances volunteers to serve as a nurse in Vietnam. But nothing has prepared her for what she will see and experience. As her nursing skills improve, she recognizes her own contributions and volunteers for a second term.

When she returns to the US, instead of a hero's welcome, she is treated as a pariah. Her wealthy, conservative father told people she was studying in Florence, and steadfastly refuses to add her to his heroes wall. Her mother is too caught up in her country club life and worrying about what people will think to realize how much help her daughter needs.

As someone who grew up during the Vietnam War--too young to understand what was going on and mystified over the divisions it created (and living with a family member with undiagnosed PTSD from WWII)--this novel was so illuminating and really resonated. I admit it was not always easy to read with its unrelenting realism but it was well worth the effort. The ending seemed a bit abrupt after the long buildup and managed to be happyish. I would have liked to see what happened with Frankie and the vet she is unexpectedly reunited with at the dedication of the Wall in Washington, DC. #KristinHannah #NetGalley

Kristin Hannah delivers again! The Women follows Frankie McGrath, a 20 year old nursing student, raised in Southern California. Shortly after her brother is sent to Vietnam for the war, Frankie joins the Army Nurse Corps and is sent there herself.

Frankie is very green and couldn’t have prepared for what she got herself into, but in time, finds her way, forming bonds with others serving in Vietnam. She does what she can to help, but it’s overwhelming and her experience includes deep loss.

When she returns to the US, Frankie is shocked by the lack of support for military personnel and the war, even from her own family. It was infuriating to read how many times Frankie was dismissed by men, veteran organizations, and others, especially with, “There weren’t women in Vietnam.” Imagine seeing horrific scenes in person, full of death, trying to help and being disregarded or silenced when trying to enlighten others who have no idea about you went through. Frankie didn’t always make good decisions once she returned home but I was rooting for her.

I know very little about the Vietnam war and had no idea about the disdain and lack of support in the US during that time. This story was informative in that regard, and sad to hear what Frankie and others experienced upon returning home.

In true KH fashion, The Women is a powerful story shining a light on an often forgotten but essential group of women — 4.5 stars

Unpopular opinion time…I know Kristin Hannah is a beloved author, but this one didn’t really work for me. 😬 This was my first time reading one of her books and I can’t say it made me excited to pick up another one of hers.

WHAT I LIKED
🪖 This was the first historical fiction novel I’ve read about the Vietnam War and I appreciated the focus Hannah put on veterans, especially female veterans, and how their service and sacrifice was not always appreciated by the American public. It gave me a new perspective on the Vietnam War and the years following it.
🪖 I also liked the emphasis on female friendship and how Frankie and her fellow nurses, Barb and Ethel, lifted each other up, during and after the war.
🪖 The final chapter was really moving and I, for the most part, felt like it was a great full circle moment for Frankie and the other characters.

WHAT I DISLIKED
🪖 The entire story felt very shallow. It was almost as if Hannah was working off a checklist of historical events/plot points she needed to slot in at various places, which resulted in a lot of jumping around without really exploring what was happening. This lack of depth made it harder for the emotional moments to really hit.
🪖 The shallowness was compounded by repetitiveness. I think some of the repetition was intentional, but it bogged the story down in some places.
🪖 From the minute she sets foot in Vietnam, Frankie has men falling all over her. Why I don’t know as there is no explanation for this. Not much is said about who Frankie is beyond why she enlisted and, as a result, the romance was really forced because there was no clear reason as to why Frankie and her various suitors would be a good couple.
🪖 So much telling instead of showing!!!!!
🪖 Lots of plot points felt very convenient and unbelievable. No spoilers, but there is something absolutely bonkers that happens, not once, but TWICE, that had me asking why, since these events didn’t add much to the plot.


The Women is out now. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Frankie McGrath, who became a nurse, enlisted in the Army, and served in Vietnam during the war, is a heartwarming and engaging one. Beautifully written and seemingly very well researched, this novel hauntingly portrays the women who served in this war, most of whom have never been given the recognition they so much deserved. And, although a few of the happenings along the way definitely stretched the willing suspension of disbelief (and seemed just a bit too incredulous), this was a totally absorbing read and a real page-turner. I definitely enjoyed it.

Kristin Hannah does it again! This book was so good - informative and heart wrenching! This take place during and after Vietnam and delves into the atrocities the soldiers and the women who served as nurses went thru - during the war and upon their return to the US. Such a great book!

These characters stayed with me and made me appreciate even more our service men and women. Especially women. Somewhat predictable in parts but the overall novel overcomes that with its character development and research evident in the era and setting. Well paced with action and a few love stories. Vietnam era women's rights narrative is relative today. Hannah fans rejoice along with historical fiction fans as there is a great book to embrace!

Cop provided by the publisher and NetGalley

“The war no one wants to remember.”

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5) Kristin Hannah is the queen of bringing historical fiction to life. She has the ability to make it sincere and personal making the reader feel as if they’ve lived it.

The Women is no different. Starting in 1965 at the beginning of the Vietnam war, Hannah guides us through Frankie’s life where she sees her brother signing up to fight, then makes the life-altering decision to sign up herself as a nurse.

While Vietnam tends to be a less-talked about war, I’ve always been intrigued by the details, the atrocities and the United States role. This story filled me with details I was not aware of and expanded my need to know more.

One of the things I love about Hannah is the continuation of the story long after it feels it should have ended. She gives us the details of after the war and what the vets went through. Having this come from a female veterans perspective was redefining to all information I’ve read before.

“The world changes for men. For women it stays pretty much the same.”

The shocking differences of how women were treated vs. men when they returned was astonishing. They were not treated as heroes but as killers and many were shunned.

My only complaint is the book length. While all those details are crucial to understanding the depth of the story, it did tend to weigh on being too long. Would I take any of those details out? Absolutely not. I just found myself feeling like the book had finished when it hadn’t. Kristin Hannah continues to be a favorite historical fiction writer with deeply moving stories and she will always be an auto-buy author for me.

AUDIO REVIEW: Well done! What a nice surprise to have my favorite narrator, Julia Whelan. She always makes the story so enjoyable!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the copies!

The book releases February 6, 2024.