Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the finished copy of The Women in exchange for my honest review.

I am so late in writing this review because every time I tried to sit down to write my thoughts, I couldn’t put them into words. I have always loved Kristin Hannah’s books and The Nightingale and Winter Garden are two of my favorites, but this new one just might have topped them. I read this book back in February and have not stopped thinking about it…that’s how powerful it is. It’s one of those books that just doesn’t let go of you – and I implore you to pick it up…you won’t be sorry!

𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘦𝘴. ⁣
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Have you ever started a book & just known from the start that it was going to be one of your favorites, possibly a top contender for favorite of the year? That’s how I felt about this one as I read the first chapter…maybe before I even started it. ⁣
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I was lucky to see Kristin Hannah on tour and I purposely did not read the book beforehand. I wanted to hear her talk about the book and loved getting some insight into why she wrote it, some insight into the characters, and the challenges she had writing it. This really helped me get into the right headspace for this book because it’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one.⁣
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This book gutted me in the very best way. I felt such inspiration for Frankie & her fellow nurses for all they are doing while over on the ground during this war.⁣ The way the author crafts these characters, especially Frankie, makes her one of the most memorable characters ever. She’s tough and badass, yet also incredibly flawed. She’s also very inspiring to do what she does in this book. I’m not sure I would be able to take on what she does.

This is such an emotional, tough story to read, yet anytime I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. This one had me feeling all the feelings. It’s such a layered, complex story that needed to be told and I’m so glad that the author finally felt it was time to do so. And I only hope that everyone picks this one up.

Kristin Hannah has never let me down and this book just proves is. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Creative, descriptive, and well-written, author Kristin Hannah weaves another 5 star book!
I know many family and friends who have read this title and have been blow away by "The Women" and many read in one sitting!
Overall a wonderful read, thought provoking, & one I would suggest others dig into!

There is no doubt that this is my favorite book from Kristin Hannah to date. From the first page I was hooked. It was beautiful and sad. I don't know a lot of the history of the Vietnam War since my dad was only a child when it happened. I was astounded at how little recognition women received for their service and were made to feel ashamed for volunteering to save lives. It also bothered me that they weren't considered veterans because the didn't see combat but this novel shows they faced it everyday. I'm so glad we chose this novel for book club and I look forward to learning more about history and the parts that were left out.

Kristin Hannah did it again! I was so immersed in this book, I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to talk about with my book club.

The Women by Kristin Hannah is a masterpiece! 😍 It’s an emotional rollercoaster about fierce, unforgettable women navigating life’s battles with heart and courage. Prepare to be moved and inspired—Hannah’s storytelling is pure magic. 🌟

This was an amazing read, heartbreaking and so hard to read at times, but extremely well done. Shines a light on just one more aspect of the mishandling of our veterans after Vietnam. I have avid Kristin Hannah fans in my library, we have already read it for book club, and I have purchased the title for the library.

The year is 1966, and Frankie McGrath's brother, Finley, has just been sent to Vietnam to fight in the war. After he leaves, she decides that she also wants to try to make a difference with her life, so she enrolls in nursing school and later enlists in the Army. She becomes a combat nurse in Vietnam and the horrors she experiences there change her life forever. However, once returning home, she quickly realizes that the hostile reception of veterans (especially women stationed in Vietnam) is even harder to cope with than war itself. Somehow, despite infinite challenges that come her way, she must find a way to live in her new normal.

First of all, this is a deeply powerful novel. There are many popular historical fiction books written during other periods of time, such as World War II, but few are written about the Vietnam War, making this novel very unique. One of the things I like the most about Kristin Hannah's novels is that she makes it her mission to tell these stories from an important perspective that is typically overlooked (in this case, the women who served in Vietnam). While difficult to read at times, I think this is a novel that is important for a wide audience to read, because it contains critical history that is often less discussed than other events in American past. I also think it can help a lot of people empathize (at least partially) with veterans in their lives, especially those in Vietnam, who might otherwise be hesitant to discuss their experiences. The only thing I did not like about this book was the romantic aspect and the love interests. I think the book could have been just as good without these parts or at least with less of these parts. Overall, I am really glad this book exists and I would recommend it to just about anybody!

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was wonderful - I have enjoyed her other titles and this one did not disappoint.
I enjoyed the character development and the description of life during the war at home and abroad.
i look forward to her next book.

“Women can be heroes.” When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different path for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, Frankie impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. What comes next is the chaos of war and the unexpected trauma of coming home, portrayed by beloved author Kristin Hannah. Unlike Hannah's other novels, I found more telling rather than showing in this narrative, which was disappointing from an author of this caliber. Readers who are captivated by The Women should definitely check out Home Before Morning by Lynda Van Devanter (1947-2002), a memoir of the author’s experiences as a combat nurse in Vietnam. It’s an unforgettable book that really reveals how much of Kristin Hannah’s fiction is rooted in reality.

I didn't realize I had this on ARC and had gotten it from the library! I need to pay better attention to my ARCs and get caught up. Lovely book, just like all Hannah's work. Vietnam from a woman's perspective which puts a much needed new spin on this historical time which is often overlooked and underserved. Highly recommended as all of this author's books!

Is there ever a Kristin Hannah book that doesn't deliver? Started a little slowly, but definitely became engrossed easily.

This was an incredibly moving and obviously well researched novel that provides a much needed spotlight on an often overlooked population. Highly reocmmended.

While this book is a good read for anyone who doesn't already understand the horrors of the Vietnam War, as a history teacher, I found it a tough read. I felt that the nonstop death and carnage needed to be better balanced out by compelling relationships between the characters. To me, the love stories in particular felt very surface level. It felt like the men were choosing Frankie and she had little say in it. And her attraction to them seemed based purely on physical chemistry and the attention they gave her. It was difficult for me to feel drawn into these romances in a way that balanced out the depressing nature of the rest of the narrative.

4.5 stars!

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, so I feel like I need to explain when I give a book of hers less than 5 stars. Don't get me wrong; I loved this book! This is probably my favorite of hers after The Great Alone, though I haven't yet read them all. I need to trust my historical fiction authors because yes, it's fiction, but I also learn so much from these books. I trust Kristin Hannah and her research. I feel like I learned a lot about the Vietnam War through the eyes of these women and I hope to learn more in the future.

Critiques: I felt a bit disconnected from Frankie. Why does every man fall in love with her? It seems a bit unlikely. It also felt like every tragedy was thrown at this character to see how much she could stand. It became tiresome, which could be why I felt disconnected from her. There were some plot twists that I didn't buy and a situation with her medical team that bothered me.

I loved following the women during and after the war. It was messy for Frankie at times and the story showed the challenges of being a veteran. Loved the female friendships, complex family dynamic, quick pacing, and flawed characters. I teared up at the end in true Kristin Hannah fashion. Highly recommend this book!

After Frances's (Frankie) brother is killed in Vietnam, she is determined to go there and finish what he started. Her family was full of military men and she decided that if all that was left was a woman, a woman would go. Frankie became a nurse and was in Vietnam in surgical theatres at age twenty-one. She was shocked at the wounds and the constant death, the napalm burns and the amputations. By the time she came home two years later, her memory was full of scenes she couldn't forget.

One of the worst was the paper that her fiance's father gave her when she went to visit him after her return. Rye was supposed to be coming home twenty-three days after her but instead his father handed her the telegram that announced his death in a helicopter that was shot down. Along with the nightmares and memories, this was too much for Frankie and she entered a spin that lasted for years. By the time she found help, she was addicted to both pills and alcohol.

As she recovered from addiction, she was told she had to find a new passion. She found it in helping other women who had been to Vietnam. Many people believed no women had been there but there were nurses, Red Cross volunteers, administrative staff and in all, over ten thousand women are estimated to have been in Vietnam during the war.

This was my first Kristin Hannah book. I can tell that much research went into this and I also didn't realize how many women served in Vietnam. I was in high school during the war and remember the march on Washington. My first year in college I remember the night of the draft lottery where numbers were drawn and young men discovered if they would be drafted or not. I remember how poorly our soldiers were treated upon their return and how controversial the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. was. Along with the war, Hannah also explores the romantic lives of Frankie and her best friends, both of whom returned before she did. This book is recommended for readers of historical and women's fiction.

I have the absolute pleasure to see @kristinhannahauthor speak last week about her latest book, The Women. She had been one of my favorite authors since I read Winter Garden way back in 2010. I really enjoyed getting to hear about her writing process and how she became an author. But I especially loved her personal connection to the Vietnam era that inspired her to write this novel.

The Women follows Frankie, a young, naive woman who wants to make her family proud to become a nurse in the army and serve in the Vietnam war. She is an excellent nurse and feels it’s her calling to signup for a second tour. When this is over, she heads home as a war hero. But she arrives back in California to a much different world. She’s disrespected and treated poorly after she sacrificed her life for her country. She’s repeatedly told that there were no women in Vietnam.

Due to the atrocities she saw while she was “in country” she develops what is now commonly known as has PTSD. It wasn’t treated or even diagnosed in the 1970s. The book goes in depth to show what a soldier really goes through after returning to civilian life.

This is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read and I was truly fascinated with the Vietnam era. Kristin is a tremendous writer that makes you feel like you were right there in Frankie’s surgical room or drinking with Barb and Ethel at the O Club. This is also a time period I feel is often overlooked in high school history classes so it was good to learn more about this lack in my own knowledge.

This is a must read for any and all people. Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted ebook and I will treasure my autographed copy I received while attending Kristin’s event.

It's a hard read but extremely well done. Again and again, my heart hurt for Frankie and her friends. A good resource for educating ourselves on the reality of the VietNam War.

Thanks to Kristin Hannah for shining a bright light on the women who served in Vietnam. This novel contains so much fuel for thought, and it enlightened me on so many topics surrounding the war.
Side note- I found the book jacket and the inside cover pages to be classic and beautiful , a fitting tribute to the women - and men - who gave so much of themselves.

Beautiful story and lovely storytelling. It got a little long and felt like it was dragging partway through, but I quickly got over that feeling. While war is a difficult subject and it was not always easy to read, I can honestly say I loved my experience with this book.

I am a huge fan of Kristin Hannah. Her words are powerful. Her descriptions make you picture almost being there. I love how raw and honest this book was. I know my generation knows of the Vietnam war and how horrible it was on both sides since we are far out from its days. We have all learned in history class the horrible effects of war on not only our soldiers but on the citizens and innocent in Vietnam. Even today I know several veterans of that war who feel like they never came back to who they were before the war. By tackling the subject of women in Vietnam this was a hard perspective to write on. Being in healthcare and wanting to work in trauma myself I was very drawn to Frankie. She felt as if I would have been her friend. Detailing not only her struggles mentally but with substance abuse was such a strong and brave choice. The people who went over there came back with so much more than physical wounds. I absolutely loved loved loved this book!!