I've read everything Kristin Hannah has written, and this is hands down her best yet. I listened to the authors note at the end about how she has wanted to tackle this topic for a long time, but knew she needed more writing experience. I don't know what this story would have been like for her in her early writing years, but it was a flawless story.

I struggled with how to rate this, though. The story itself felt like perfection to me. There is no happy spin that could be put on the Vietnam War, or the aftermath when the soldiers returned. There is no happy brush that it can be painted with. I knew this going in. But because life is hard anyway, l've taken a break from historical fiction. I've chosen uplifting happy books for my own mental health. And there really wasn't much that was uplifting or happy about this story. But it was a story that needed to be told, and she did it with perfection.

Women can be heroes - what a powerful message that I’m so glad was at the center of this book! I’ve loved Kristin Hannah for years and The Women was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases. This engrossing story of Vietnam War Army nurse Frankie definitely didn’t disappoint. I never learned about the Vietnam War in school, so I enjoyed getting a bit of the history through the eyes of Frankie and her fellow nurses. Frankie was lovable, relatable, and easy to root for, even when she made questionable choices. I expected more of the story to be set during the war, but Frankie’s journey after the war was just as moving and impactful. If you’ve loved Kristin Hannah’s other books, don’t wait to pick this one up! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for early access!

Bravo!! Kristin Hannah has given us a gift of a Vietnam story. Frankie, a young female nurse goes to the Vietnam war ill prepared for what lays ahead. She is mentored and becomes a force to reckon with in the field hospital. I imagine the operating room scenes were hard to write but the author is able to immerse us in that setting and we can feel all the emotions involved. The story continues for Frankie when she returns home. Like the majority of those returning she faces struggles and emotional devastation. For Frankie it is difficult to find help because she is a woman. The reader is with her every step of the way. Her story deserved to be told and I thought it was an honest portrayal of the time.

I can't remember a book that has given me such an emotional reaction and lasting thoughts. I thought the book was extraordinary! Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book. Thank you Kristin Hannah for gifting us with this story.

Words may not be able to express my thoughts on this book because it was so AMAZING and there are not enough stars to reflect my true thoughts. This book provided me with insight into what is why like to be a female nurse during the Vietnam War and how they were treated after the war. Although I had a general idea of how those who served in Vietnam were treated after the war, I never realized that female nurses because they didn't see combat were not considered true veterans of the war. This story also made so many of the aspects of the war real to me.

Frankie McGrath decides she wants to do her part during the Vietnam War by serving as a nurse. The story provides insight into her day-to-day experiences. It exemplifies her fear, the horrible working and living conditions, the exhaustion and the senseless deaths. The number of deaths Frankie and her fellow doctors and nurses saw on a regular basis were severely underreported by the U.S. government. Despite all of this, the story also exemplifies the amazing female friendships Frankie created in Vietnam and how those relationships sustained and supported Frankie after the war.

When Frankie returns from Vietnam, she struggles with the normalcy of life. She is angry with so many individuals, rarely sleeps because of the nightmares, and abuses alcohol and drugs to survive. Today we refer to this as PTSD but back then, Frankie wasn't eligible for any support from the Veterans Administration or others because "there were no women in Vietnam." If you didn't see combat, there was no reason you should have challenges or issues.

After the war, Frankie has several instances of her world falling apart and eventually, she hits rock bottom. Knowing all that Frankie went through, you can't help but root for her success and you will have to find out for yourself how things eventually turn out.

I love a story that focuses on history and provides me with insight beyond my current understanding. I also love when authors exemplify the role women have played in our history and the significant impact of their efforts. The female nurses in Vietnam were true unsung heroes.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.
#TheWomen #KristinHannah

Frances (Frankie) McGrath is a young woman who is inspired by her older brother, Finley, to join the military. She becomes an Army Nurse and is sent to Vietnam to help save the lives of the young men fighting in the war. We follow Frankie from her time spent serving her country and the aftermath of returning home during a tumultuous time in history.

I did enjoy the book, but it wasn't a 5 star read for me. This is my third book by Kristin Hannah so I think that made me predict certain events that happened and it took away that emotional impact for me. I do think this is a powerful book and shows a time many are not familiar with. It brings to light the women who served their country and the mistreatment and denial they faced upon their return. We see that change within Frankie as she experiences PTSD before it even had a name and she had nowhere to turn to for help. What I loved most from the book was, the found family and women empowerment represented. Frankie found a true & strong friendship with Barb and Ethel.

Kristin Hannah does it again with another moving, heart-wrenching novel shining a light on women in history. "The Women" is a beautiful tribute to the brave women nurses who served in Vietnam and is an important reminder that women can be heroes. This book will break your heart over and over again, but Hannah's incredible storytelling will keep you coming back for more. Frankie is an extraordinary heroine who you will root for through all of her ups and downs. Her story was not an easy one to read, but I am so glad I did. Can’t recommend enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness. I literally could not put this book down once I started. Kristin Hannah has done it again!

This was a completely heartbreaking story about the female nurses who served during the Vietnam War. I have never read a book from this era and learned so much from reading the account of these three women who served their country, but were completely forgotten and left to fend for themselves afterward.

I loved viewing this through Frankie's eyes, and her bond with Barb and Ethel was such a beautiful example of female friendship. Her love interests were interesting, but Frankie and her struggle were the true stars of the story.

This was a beautiful book that tackled so many difficult subjects with such care.

The Women by Kristin Hannah


true story... I am not done with this book yet because Kristin Hannah is a very tough author for me to read.
I know... she is going to rip out my heart and I won't even be 30% in the book. My first book by Hannah was " The Great Alone" it was such a heavy book I had to stop reading it and take a break...
Then I read "Four Winds" I can still feel the atmosphere of "The Great Depression" and the "Dust Bowl" with the dry crops and starving people. Hannah is very, very thorough in her research. She seems like the type of author who counts the grains of salt in the shaker before mentioning in her story.
"The Women" is a story set during the Vietnam War . She has counted the grains of salt... She does not miss one description. I have to stop and take a breath because it is very emotionaly heavy and heart wrenching.
I have not finished reading the book yet...but I will. I just can't read her in one sitting. Hannah gives me too much to think about and ponder. I did not give this book a fiver star because I don't trust Hannah...I am hoping that she doesnt rip my heart out and does right by Fankie.

I know her fans will absolutely love this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, author and publisher for a copy. These opinions are my own.

"The Women" is an amazing, important, thought-provoking, and deeply emotional story. I rarely cry when reading anymore, but there is no way I wasn't going to with this book. I am so pleased that Kristin Hannah told this story which really needed to be told. Thank you.

I am honored to have received this ARC, and I give my honest opinion voluntarily.

I LOVED this book! I didn’t want it to ever end. In The Women, we meet Frankie and her family. Her father is proud of the military service of the men in his family, including his son Finley. He can’t wait to add his picture to the Wall of Heroes in his office.

Frankie is expected to start dating and marry well. After getting the terrible news that Finley has DIA in Vietnam, Frankie enlists in the Army Nurse Corps and volunteers to deploy to Vietnam…against her family’s wishes!

The Women is so much more than war and the nurses in Vietnam. It’s about life, friendships, love and life after war. Frankie, Barb, and Ethel may come from different backgrounds, but they have a friendship that is like no other.

They take Frankie under their wings and love on her in a way that she’s never felt love before. Frankie has experienced a lot while at war, although not directly in combat, and the effects of what she experienced has followed her home.

Although at times Frankie irritated me, I felt her character was just so real. She has dealt with loss, grief, love, pain and all at such a young age. She coped how she knew best, but I feel like what she wanted the most, she couldn’t get from anyone or anything. She needed to be changed, from the inside.

The amount of tears shed with this book were unreal. This one will stay with me for a very long time.

Thank you @kristinhannahauthor for writing such a phenomenal book and staying true to its roots. Your hard work and effort really shows! Our service women and men would be proud of your representation of such a time! Coming from a Vietnam Veteran’s daughter…thank you 🇺🇸

This was another perfect book by Kristin Hannah. The Vietnam War happened before my time and I was fascinated to learn about the role women played in the war. This book was not only educational thought provoking but also entertaining and heart-wrenching. This will definitely be one of my top reads of this year.

Kristin Hannah continues to be a must-buy author for me and she did not disappoint with this newest book.

The Women tells the tale of young Frankie, a nurse, who signs up to head overseas to work in the Vietnam War. We learn about her experiences and relationships along the way.

This book is a gut punch. It paints a great picture of the Vietnam War and sheds light on what happens at the hospitals. We also get to see the experiences of Frankie and her friends when they return home from the war. This book was very moving, incredibly informative, and historically accurate.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press, and Kristin Hannah for my ARC of The Women.

Wow, such a great read, although many times during my read I thought I wanted to quit, but couldn’t. I was younger than the main character, Frances and very naive during the Vietnam war years and the years after. No idea the treatment of women who served, not even acknowledged! The horrors of the war, page after page. The deaths, the indescribable experiences. Such a well researched and heartfelt read. Just amazing. This book will definitely stay in my thoughts for quite awhile!

A great story by an amazing author who knows how to latch on to our mind, body and soul. A page turner from beginning to the end. I highly recommend this story

PUB DAY REVIEW // THE WOMEN

🌟5/5

This book literally left me speechless. Easiest 5 star rating I’ve ever given! Hands down – this is one of the BEST books I have EVER had the pleasure of reading.

Historical Fiction is not a genre that I typically gravitate towards: BUT if Kristin Hannah writes it, I am going to read it!!!

This story was so powerful and I savored every second of it.

Frankie was a badass - but she also endured so much heartache. I shed a countless number of tears for the challenges she faced.

Her tenacity and resilience was so moving. I feel In love with her character so much and wanted to give her a huge hug to let her know she was not alone.

Going into this novel: I didn’t have any background knowledge on The Vietnam War. It was astonishing to me how women were dismissed. Like their presence (or hard work) meant nothing during the war. Even upon returning home, the trauma that women suffered was also disregarded.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the strong bond between Frankie, Barb & Ethel. Their friendship transcended the multitude of adversities that the trio collectivity faced.

This book was oh so beautifully written – you felt like you were being transported to the 1960s. It was so immersive and utterly mesmerizing.

Every single moment of this novel was impactful. Every page took you on a new journey in Frankie’s life.

SIMONE SAYS READ THIS IF YOU LIKE 👇🏻

🇻🇳historical fiction
🇻🇳badass fmc
🇻🇳strong female friendships
🇻🇳 emotionally beautiful reads

I am still in awe over this masterpiece - thank you to St, Martins Press and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

“All the pain, the loss, the lost, the shame.”

“…thrust back into a world where Vietnam veterans were supposed to be invisible, the women most of all.”

“Women can be heroes.”

“We were there.”

Kristin Hannah takes on the Vietnam War with a poignant pen. From the beginning, she pulled me into this era, capturing the overwhelming nature of the time. The first part focuses on Vietnam and the life of a combat nurse (Frankie) and the many casualties of war, both US and Vietnamese. The second part focuses on Frankie’s return home. I immediately wanted to read this book, because of the author, but also to read about an era less often covered in historical fiction.

I was deeply moved in many respects. The gritty, in your face descriptions of the kind of trauma witnessed as a combat nurse. It was intense. I was sickened but I do feel it added to the perspective. And then, the return home…no heroes welcome, no acknowledgement, no interest. To have gone through Vietnam and to return in a confused state of shame and be unsupported, was just staggering. The pain, the PTSD. The author does a tremendous job of capturing all the emotions. There were two things I hadn’t considered that really stuck with me: (1) the adamant denial that women were in Vietnam and (2) that they considered their time in Vietnam as “the best of times, the worst of times”. So much to unpack with those thoughts.

Surprisingly, and I hate that this is the case, I’m not 100% sold on this book. It’s too long, there are too many incredible coincidences and stretches, it’s way too neatly wrapped up in the end, it gets melodramatic when it’s not necessary, the love interests are just awful and the main character was just unlikeable. For a book titled “the women”, I would have liked more stories of the women. I wanted more of her friends, Barbara and Ethyl. Definitely needed less of Rye (although I did get caught up in that drama, it really was an unnecessary side story.)

While there are aspects that bothered me, it was really emotionally gripping overall and will stay with me. Kristin Hannah is skilled at getting to the heart, and writing with a female lens. It’s not my favorite of her books, but worth a read. She shines light on the forgotten.

There are a million triggers in this book. It probably needs to come with warnings.

I know they are already looking at a movie based on this book…. That’s going to be amazing!

I both read the book and listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Julie Whalen was great as usual!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!! It was an honor to both read and listen to it.

** spoiler alert ** This one was quite a journey. I was hesitant to start it after not having the best time reading Hannah's Four Winds, but it has been on "most anticipated books" lists, and I figured I would give it a try. About halfway, I thought, "It's growing on me." But it didn't.

What I liked

• The book is well-researched. In her afterword, Hannah mentions she has been planning it since the 1990s.
• It is decently written and the descriptions of places and people work well. If you don't count how many times "concertina wire" is mentioned in the first chapters.
• The main idea of the book is to show the fate of women who went through the Vietnam War as nurses but did not get recognition or resources to cope with their trauma as men did.
• The main protagonist is a woman, joined by her two friends and fellow combat nurses.
• The book explores PTSD, mental health, trauma, and addiction.

What I did not care for

• Hannah's tone is preachy at times. I grew up In the Soviet Union and 1990s Russia, and as kids, we had to watch a lot of WW2 movies and read books about the war, discuss it in class, etc. It was the whole identity of my country then (and now, when they draw on that "patriotism" to invade a neighboring country.) The Women gave me that same feeling of trying to make me feel a certain way about the war while using the copy-paste recognizable clichés. "Women can be heroes, too!"
• The plot twists are predictable and too dramatic at times. He died! He died, too! This war takes everyone from her! Oh, this one is alive, but he is - gasp - a liar! Wait, this one is alive, too! Hannah should have gone 3 for 3 and resurrected the brother, too.
• Did you like MASH? You will probably enjoy this book then. I did watch it a lot as a kid (one of the Russian networks always had it on during the day, it seemed), and that's exactly what the Vietnam part of the book reminded me of.
• The character development is a bit spotty. We believe for half the book that Rye is her one and only love, only to find out that he is a liar and a cheat? The man we see returning to the US is vastly different from the pilot Frankie falls in love with. And I don't mean the trauma of captivity. The explanation we get is flimsy.
• The same goes for the brother - he is briefly outlined and only serves as an inspiration for Frankie to enlist and the hurting point in her relationship with her father. (her brother is the hero for fighting and swiftly dying in the war; she is a shame to her family for even going)
• There are some repetitions in text that I imagine might be fixed by finals edits but that still bothered me.

Overall - if you love Hannah's books and you are particularly interested in the Vietnam War, you will probably have a great time reading this book. If you don't care for war stories and have experience of reading her books and not enjoying them, you can safely skip this one, too.

THE WOMEN - KRISTIN HANNAH

5⭐
PLOT - Frankie McGrath one who is always for doing the right thing joins the army nurse corps to serve in Vietnam. But she isn't prepared and each day becomes a gamble of life and death for her. But that's not what was real battle for her..it's coming home to find a changed and divided America.

MY THOUGHTS -
This book is PHENOMENAL. Kristin Hannah has outdone herself yet again. The first half to almost 2/3 Rd book will pull you apart/ rip you to pieces then will slowly piece everything together.
Her intense research and depth on this important historical event is very evident and you will be invested throughout the story.
Even if you dnt read historical fiction this one shouldn't be miss at any cost!!
A favourite of mine in 2024 !

Kristin Hannah does it again! Not that I'm surprised, she is an incredible author.

The Women tells the tale of young Frankie, a nurse, who signs up to head overseas to work as a nurse in the Vietnam War. We learn about her experiences and relationships along the way.

What can I say? This book is an absolute gut punch. it paints a great picture of the Vietnam war and sheds light on a side of war that we don't often think about - what happens at the hospitals. We also get to see the experiences of Frankie and her friends when they return home from the war. This book was very moving, while also being incredibly informative. The characters Hannah creates are realistic, the kind of characters you really root for.

I finished this book feeling like I lived a whole different life. I was transported to the experiences of Frankie and her friends and feel forever changed from having read this book.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publishers for my ARC of The Women.

i enthusiastically rate this a perfect 5/5.

Review will be posted on 2/7/24

Frankie McGrath lives a sheltered life in California until her beloved brother, Finley, enlists in the Vietnam War. Her family finds out he was killed in action, and this inspires Frankie to join the Army as a nurse as she went to school for nursing. Even though she is extremely unqualified as a combat nurse, the Army takes her on as they need volunteers and she joins basic training in 1966. Her world is turned upside down. Once she gets to Vietnam, things are pretty dire and definitely not what she is used to, but she is determined to help. After some time getting acclimated to the filthy conditions, the upsetting injuries, the constant threat of combat, and life in Vietnam, she befriends Ethel and Barb, who are also nurses. Frankie starts to prove herself and eventually gets transferred to Pleiku, which is where the heavy combat is. Frankie learns even more about what it's like to be a surgical nurse and then she runs into Rye Walsh, her brother's friend. Sparks fly between them, but can a wartime romance translate to something real if they make it back home? The Women by Kristin Hannah is a tough historical novel to read as the war was so upsetting, but it's an important story that highlights women's roles during the war, which is oftentimes forgotten.

Frankie is a likable character in The Women and I found myself rooting for her from the start. She enters Vietnam extremely sheltered and by the time she is done, she is a different person. Unfortunately, the war broke her in ways that I'm sure many veterans can relate to. She tried to get acclimated to civilian life, but really struggled with her PTSD, not to mention her upsetting reception once she returned home. After WWII, servicemen were revered, but that wasn't the case after Vietnam. People were protesting the war, they treated her poorly upon her return, and even her parents were cold as they never recovered from Finley's death. The worst part was many people would say to her that women didn't go to Vietnam, even though she told them they did as nurses and she saw upsetting things. Frankie, like many women who served during the Vietnam War, deserves respect and deserves to have their stories told. Even though The Women was hard to read at times, I am glad I did as it's important to remember what many soldiers, including female nurses, sacrificed.

Hannah did such a good job bringing Vietnam to life in The Women. I can't say I've ever read a book that takes place at Vietnam during the war and while I am familiar with the basics of the war, she honed in on all the important parts which in turn made such a memorable tale. More often than not, I had to put the book down to take a break, because it's very heavy at times. Poor Frankie couldn't catch a break and on top of it, Vietnam is a literal nightmare. It made me sad that veterans, especially women, didn't have the support that they needed after the war, and that is another aspect of the story that Hannah did a great job highlighting. My only issue with The Women was the character development. I wish it was a little less surface level and I wish Hannah dug a little deeper for some of the characters; however, I still enjoyed it.

So, are you a fan of Kristin Hannah? Is The Women on your TBR list? Which of Hannah's novels is your favorite? Mine is still The Nightingale; however, The Women and Frankie's story will stay with me for quite some time. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.