Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kristin Hannah has done it again. This heart wrenching book begins during the Vietnam War. Frankie wants more then anything to be on the heroes wall in her father's study. After completing nursing school she signs up to join the war and help wounded soldiers after her brother is killed in action. The war itself is only the first half of the book. The second half shows what happens to Frankie and other vets once they came home. There is PTSD, addiction, thoughts of suicide, depression, betrayal. Frankie can't seem to find her way back to who she was before the war, and also can't find her way out of her depression to create a new life.

A fantastic novel and highly recommended!

Wow. What an incredible book. Such a terribly heartbreaking and eye opening novel of women who sacrificed so much during the Vietnam war with so little recognition. Kristin Hannah tells the story of a female registered nurse wanting to bring honor to her country and family while only being met with shame. Yet the character’s passion for the purpose of her work is what keeps her going and what she returns to whenever she’s tempted to give up, whether on herself or others around her.

My only reservation is there were a couple parts that seemed unrealistic and came together too perfectly, but I suppose this is fiction so that’s allowed.

The Women

Thank you NetGalley for the free copy to read and review.

Kristin Hannah is probably one of my top 3 favorite authors and I can continue to say I’ve loved every book I’ve read from her. Did I cry? Yes I always do. Did I laugh? Yes I did. This is a story I have never read before which is what she does best. The Vietnam War was a war separated by the rest because the country did not support it OR the men. It was traumatizing to serve and even worse coming back. The stories I’ve heard from patients I’ve personally taken care of are devastating.

Kristin Hannah focused her book on the women who served as nurses and the traumas they carried with them afterwards. This is a POV I had not heard and one of the themes of the book was “women weren’t there” which is obviously not true. There is friendship, sadness, betrayal, trauma and recovery all throughout the storyline. The characters will make you cry, make you mad, make you proud and just make you FEEL!

This is not a quick beach read but it is a book I want to discuss with everyone once they read it….just so I can talk out the feelings it made me feel.

Any story written by Kristin Hannah is a powerful one. This one may be the most powerful yet. As the daughter of a Vietnam vet, I’ve never truly understood the criticism and anger that was directed toward the veterans of this war. This story captures not only these experiences, but details the horror the female nurses from the United States who served in Vietnam experienced both in war times and again when they returned home. They were not recognized as true veterans by many in the US. In The Women, we see the story of Frances, one of the toughest nurses I’ve ever heard about,,,,both during war times and after her return home. Her story will make you smile at times, but cry frequently. It’s a story that needs to be told and needs to be read.

In 1965 nursing student Frances decides to put her skills to immediate use and follow her brother to Vietnam. What follows is a story of women in harm's way for their country and family, and the aftermath of the trauma of war. Another beautiful story from master storyteller Kristin Hannah.

Kristin Hannah is so good at historical fiction. She is able to create characters that make the era come alive while teaching the reader about a point of history with more than "just the facts". This book is set in Vietnam and taught me about the role of women in the war. The smells and sounds of Vietnam jumped off the page into my reading chair - at times it was as if I could smell the wet and the mildew. This one will be wildly popular as it's very readable and a page-turner. At times, for me, it tried to do too much almost as if repeatedly trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. That said, you should read this one and then talk about it with others - it's a good read and one I'm so glad I received from the publisher.

Kristin Hannah has written a thought provoking novel of an army nurse who served in VietNam. When Frankie [Frances] returns home, she is beset with flashbacks. She goes to the VA office, where she is told there are no women inf VietNam and she is sent away. Frankie is dealing with many issues including her parents, death of her lover in VietNam, degrading of her nursing experience in VietNam when she returns stateside. Her two fellow VN nurses are her mainstay through these struggles.
Kristin Hannah has told this truth filled tale of a little written one of 'the women' in VietNam and how they were treated when returning stateside. Read and learn and hope this treatment doesn't still happen.

What a moving and absolutely gorgeous tribute to the women who served in the Vietnam War, primarily as nurses. Frankie McGrath, newly minted RN and daughter of privilege from Coronado Island, follows her older brother, a Navy pilot, to serve in Vietnam. When she enlists as an Army nurse, Frankie is sheltered but motivated to do something meaningful in service to the world. She emerges from the war profoundly changed by the experiences she has endured, and she returns to a world that neither accepts nor understands her. Hannah is such a gifted writer–she creates a believable setting (time/place/atmosphere) and characters I really care about. I believe this is her best novel to date.

An absolutely brillant look at being a nurse in Vietnam and the difficulties and realities of re-entry into civilian life. Frankie McGrath enlists after her brother goes to Vietnam. Stunning, heartbreaking and redemptive.

The Women by Kristin Hannah is a book that you will want to read. It follows Frankie, a yong woman who wants to help her country durning the Vietnam War. All she wants to make her family proud of her and the sacrifices that she has made. As a newly graduated nurse, Frankie is unprepaired for life as a combat nurse. The horrors that she sees on a daily basis in the OR is unfathomable. Two tours seems like a million years for people who served their country. Frankie encounter a life long frienship with 2 of her fellow nurses, Barb and Ethal. Without them in her life Frankie would never survived. Frankie also finds and loses "the one" she is connected to during the war. Frankie's eyes finally open up when she returns home and finds that the troops aren't getting the support or respect that deserve. If you are going to read this book make sure that you have a box of tissues handy. I felt an overwhelming feeling of emotion while reading this one. As always Kristin Hannah does a wonderful job writing historical fiction. You will not be disappointed in The Women. It makes me want to learn more about the courages men and women who fought for not only during the war but has struggles adapting once they were back home. I was born in 1973 and no one in my family served in Vietnam however, my childhood friends we Vietnamise Americans. Their parents met in Vietnam when her dad served and they married over there. Two of their children were born over there during the war.

I love Kristin Hannah, but I couldn’t get into this one. I think I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for it. I’ll go back and give it another try at some point in the future.

I love and adore Kristin Hannah and this one did not disappoint. She has been an auto buy author for me for many years and I was so excited to be able to get to this story early.

KH has a way with tackling hard things in a beautiful way that will challenge and push your emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kristin Hannah is a master storyteller but man, does she put her main character through the wringer every single time... By the time I finished the book I was glad it was over and that Frankie wouldn't get her heart broken one more time.

This book has so many layers. While the story is mostly about Frankie, a young and naive girl from California, who enlists to serve as an army nurse in rural Vietnam, the destruction and horror she witnessed during her two tours and her romantic relationships; the book is also about how veterans were treated when they come back home, the ptsd, the substance abuse and addiction among veterans, the lack of support especially for women service members.

When Frankie comes back, noone believes that she served in Vietnam because the people did not know women went to war. She scrambles to get her life back together but she struggles. A lot. She has two best friends, both veteran nurses, who supports her but she constantly seeks validation and understanding from her parents who don't see her as a "hero" unlike the men in her family who served the country.

The first half is quite graphic because it sets in a army hospital in a war zone so make sure you have the stomach to read the surgery scenes. The second half is more about Frankie's struggles after she gets back, and on its own accord, could be triggering for some.

My reading experience with this book was a unique one. I've read the first 60% in one sitting on a flight over two months ago and the rest of the book last night. It is a good book, don't get me wrong. I can either blame my mood reading tendencies or KH's emotionally draining plots:) Take your pick!

Kristen Hannah never disappoints. I agree with so many of the 5 star reviews, I will not repeat the comments. For myself, it was a painful read, re-living the horrors of the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, a wake-up call to remind young readers about the sacrifices and heroism of both women and men who are still suffering today for our rights and our freedom. Thank you to the author for bringing this era to light.

In 2021, I went to D.C. I saw the Vietnam Women's Memorial, took photos, and spent a brief moment being proud. However, now I wish I could go back and sit longer with those women. The Women made me want to learn more about and do more for those who came before me.

I have had to sit with this review for a bit. I don't know if I can clearly explain my experience with this story. So, the below will likely be a bunch of ramblings.

If you have ever read a book by Kristin Hannah, then you know to keep the tissues handy. I don't know why I continue to read her stories when all she does is cause me emotional damage. I had so many feelings reading The Women. I was sad. I was angry and filled with rage. I was astounded and baffled, and for some unknown reason, I loved it all.

The Writing
Hannah's writing always works for me. I may not always like her story. I struggle considerably with her contemporary works. The Nightingale and Winter Garden are two of my favorite books. Yet, The Great Alone was a complete miss for me, and I struggled to care about any of the characters in The Four Winds. But I like her narrative style, her sentence structure, and the simplicity of her writing. Her sentences are often short and clipped but pack deep emotion. This remains true in The Women.

Atmosphere
I don't know much about Vietnam. I was born a few years after it ended, and other than what I learned in school, I have never really read up on the subject. However, what I do know is the impact the war had on people. My dad is a Vietnam vet, and while he doesn't talk too much about what happened, it has left a visible and lasting toll. He cannot sit in a restaurant without facing all exit points. Loud noises, like fireworks, are a horrifying experience for him. Growing up, it was devasting to watch. I felt like Hannah captured this. The whole time I read this, I kept thinking Dad does that. If even an ounce of what is in this book is true, I can't imagine how anyone ever recovers from a war, soldier or citizen alike.

I could visualize the world Hannah built, from the clothing and the hairstyles to the locations. I was transported to the era, standing side-by-side with Francis (our main character), struggling, fighting, grieving, and laughing.

Characters
I think what I like most about Hannah's books are her characters. If I connect with them, then I am hooked. While we only follow Francis, Hannah deftly tells the story of The Women who went to war and those who stayed behind. Hannah is known for destroying her characters. She makes them suffer unbelievable heartache, and then she makes them suffer again.

Francis will stay with me for a long time. She does some of the most frustrating things I have ever seen a character do. I wanted to slap her and shake her at so many points. However, since I have first-hand experience with a vet, I understood, and no matter how many times she tried to blow up her entire life, I kept rooting for her. I wanted her to succeed. I wanted her to find her way in a world she no longer knew how to live in.

Through Francis' eyes, we learn about the horrors of war, including the aftermath, which told the nurses who risked their lives to save soldiers that they didn't matter, that they weren't good enough and that something was wrong with them. It was heartbreaking to read.

Plot
Hannah makes a few plot choices that frustrated me. Unfortunately, I can't say more without spoiling portions of the story. Since I have read so many of Hannah's works, I expected them. I sat there waiting for them and cringed when they occurred. Despite these things, I still loved this book. Maybe expecting them helped me get over it. However, I can see many readers not used to Hannah's writing being annoyed by her choices.

Overall, if you are a fan of Hannah's historical fiction, you will love this. Just don't forget the tissues.

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

Kristin Hannah does it again. The Women sucked me in right from the start. It’s amazing to hear about the women who served in the Vietnam War. I really felt for Frankie. Another fantastic book. A must read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Kristin Hannah for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

My favorite genre is probably historical fiction and a large number of historical fiction novels are center around war, especially WWII. It seems in recent years, we have begun to hear a lot about the important roles women played in these wars. Kristin Hannah’s new historical fiction novel, The Women, also centers around a war, the Vietnam war. I, personally, haven’t come across many historical factions about the Vietnam war so I was very intrigued by this one. I had high hopes when I started this book and it far exceeded all of my expectations. It was phenomenal!

The Women is the story of the young women who served as Army nurses in Vietnam. Frankie is one of these young women who severs two tours of duty in Vietnam. The first half of the book is about her time in-country while the second half describes her struggles upon returning home. The negative reception from just about everyone as a returning Vietnam vet and the effect of PTSD, just about brings her to her knees. The story concludes at the dedication of the Vietnam War Memorial in DC.

My favorite Kristin Hannah novel is Nightingale but I think this new one, The Women, is even better. I felt she truly captured the mood of that era, the struggles, the violence, the civil unrest, the country’s mistrust of the government, the shame of a nation for turning their backs on their returning vets. I would highly recommend this book to all readers, If you one read one book this year, this is the one to read.

Kristin Hannah has had the idea for a book about Vietnam War nurses since shortly after the war’s end, and finally she decided that she was ready and the time was right for readers to accept such a story. Having seen the brutal effects of war on American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians alike and having worked to save lives when so many casualties were set aside to die due to their irreparable wounds, many nurses, just like the soldiers, suffered from emotional trauma. In the days before PTSD had a name, nurses seeking help from the VA were regularly turned away, told there were no women in Vietnam. Noncombatants didn’t count.

Such is the basis of Hannah’s The Women. Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a recent nursing school graduate from a wealthy California family, enlists with the hope of being near her beloved older brother Finley, who is following the family’s male tradition of serving in the U.S. Navy. Rather than being assigned to a large Saigon hospital far from combat as expected, Frankie finds herself much nearer the fighting. When Frankie proves woefully unprepared for the first mass casualty incident, her experienced nursing roommates, Ethel from Virginia and Barb from small-town Georgia, teach her how to survive life assigned to the Army’s 36th Evac Hospital.

Slightly less than half the novel chronicles the horrors and the happier moments of Frankie’s two tours in Vietnam, including her relationships with Jamie and Rye, men who steal her heart. Hannah spends the remainder of the book on Frankie’s life after returning to a divided homeland, characterized by anti-war protests and the rejection of Vietnam vets as “baby killers.” Shunned by society, including her own parents, Frankie struggles to readjust and cope with her memories of those she has lost. Readers will find the second half of the book as captivating as the first, and perhaps more important. Centered on Frankie but including not only subsequent meetings with Ethel and Beth, but also introducing other Vietnam nurses facing similar problems coping with their military experience and adjusting to civilian life. Spanning the years from 1966-1982, The Women is a must for readers interested Vietnam or in thoroughly researched historical fiction.

At times, I found the writing somewhat “preachy,” perhaps because I was old enough during the Vietnam War era to be aware of much of what Hannah describes. Certainly, the divided nation, student protests, draft card burnings, and animosity many Americans exhibited toward returning vets were a part of my early university experience. Similarly, as an undergraduate writing tutor for several young men newly returned from the ongoing war, I was privy to a few of their stories, whether written in essays or conveyed during a tutoring session as they needed to talk. However, I’m aware that most readers will be younger than I. The majority will have been born years, if not decades, after the war. What struck me as overdone and preachy will likely prove helpful, even necessary, for such readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader copy of this important historic novel. Kristin Hannah brings the era and its human tragedies and hardships to life.

4.5/5

Shared on GoodReads and will be shared on Barnes & Noble as the release date approaches.

Frankie, a female nurse, impulsively joins the Army to serve in the Vietnam War like her brother. This decision has far-reaching consequences for the rest of her life.

I haven't read a Kristin Hannah book in several years. As soon as I heard about The Women, I had to get a copy. It didn't disappoint! Kristin Hannah described this book as a tribute to the unsung women serving in Vietnam. Hannah showed us their bravery, struggles, and sacrifice for this country while highlighting how their service was often unrecognized or discounted. I commend Hannah for her ability to help us better understand this difficult and pivotal time in our country's history.

I loved Frankie. She is idealistic and flawed yet so real and relatable at the same time. Frankie's fellow Vietnam nurses, Ethel and Barb, hold a special place in my heart. Everyone should be so lucky to have friends like them. Their enduring friendship gets each other through unimaginable times.

While this book is about Vietnam and its aftermath, there are so many timely insights. I will continue to think about these tidbits for a long time.

I had a couple of quibbles with the book. However, these things didn't dampen my overall enjoyment of this impactful and emotional story. Set aside some time and grab some tissues, because you won't want to put this book down.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book.

When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.

Everything written by Kristin Hannah is gold. I love her writing, I love her characters. I love the history she imbues into her stories with so much research and detail. I will read anything she writes.

The Women is beyond gold, it is a diamond. I've read many a historical novel about war. This one made me feel like I lived it. You will live through the trauma with Frankie, suffer and drown in it. Bring your tissues. What a tribute to unrecognized veterans, to the unseen heroes. Kristin Hannah has done it again. This will be one of the biggest releases of 2024. I couldn't put it down. Beautiful. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!