The Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
The Women: A Novel by Kristin HannahThe Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
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The Women: A Novel

by

Kristin Hannah

(Author)

4.7

-

108,768 ratings


A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times!

From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women―at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

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ISBN-10

1250178630

ISBN-13

978-1250178633

Print length

480 pages

Language

English

Publisher

St. Martin's Press

Publication date

February 06, 2024

Dimensions

6.65 x 1.45 x 9.55 inches

Item weight

1 pounds


Summary

The Women by Kristin Hannah is a gripping historical fiction novel that centers around the experiences of women during the Vietnam War, focusing particularly on the lives of female combat nurses.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over- whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

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Popular Highlights in this book

  • Thank God for girlfriends. In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the women.

    Highlighted by 4,294 Kindle readers

  • Maybe happy now, happy for a moment, is all we really get. Happy forever seems a shitload to ask in a world on fire.

    Highlighted by 3,971 Kindle readers

  • I imagine it would feel wonderful to be good at something that mattered. That is something that too many of the women of my generation didn’t consider.

    Highlighted by 3,372 Kindle readers


Product details

ASIN :

B0C1X97LW7

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4366 KB

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Editorial Reviews

"Hannah again shines her light on overlooked women in history" ―People Magazine (Book of the Week)

"Hannah is in top form here... Hannah’s real superpower is her ability to hook you along from catastrophe to catastrophe, sometimes peering between your fingers, because you simply cannot give up on her characters. She gathers women into the (Vietnam) experience with moving conviction." ―The New York Times

“The Women is historical fiction at its very best. So moving, so wrenching, and yet, in the end, uplifting. Brava! I loved The Nightingale and The Four Winds, but The Women is my favorite.” ―Nicholas D. Kristof, Pulitzer Prize–winning coauthor of Half the Sky

“One of the greatest storytellers of our time, Kristin Hannah, tackles one of the most cruel and despicable wars of the last century, the Vietnam War. The Women reveals the powerful contributions and horrific sacrifices of the American military nurses who served in a war whose agencies refused to acknowledge that they were even there. Perhaps no words can bring closure to a nation still ashamed of booing our returning heroes, but the heroine, Frances McGrath, stirs a deep, overdue compassion and tears for every single soldier―and especially the forgotten women who sacrificed so much. Never has a novel of war metamorphosed so profoundly into a story of the human heart.” ―Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing

“Stuns with sacrifice; uplifts with heroism . . . an important, long overdue tribute to the brave women nurses who served in Vietnam.” ―Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

"Hannah’s emotionally charged page-turner (after The Four Winds) centers on a young nurse whose life is changed by the Vietnam War. Before Frankie McGrath begins basic training for the Army in 1966, her older brother Finley is killed in action. Frankie excels as a surgical nurse in Vietnam and becomes close with fellow nurses Ethel and Barb. After Ethel’s tour ends, Frankie and Barb gets assigned to the base at Pleiku, near the Cambodian border, where some of the heaviest fighting occurs. There, she reunites with Navy officer Rye Walsh, Finley’s best friend, and they become lovers. When Frankie returns to the U.S., she’s met with indifference for her service from her parents, who are still grieving her brother’s death, and disdain from people who oppose the war. She leans on alcohol and drugs while struggling to acclimate to civilian life. Though the situations and dialogue can feel contrived (Rye, after announcing he’s re-upping, says to Frankie at the close of a chapter, “I’m not leaving my girl”), Hannah’s depictions of Frankie tending to wounded soldiers are urgent and eye-opening, and a reunion of the three nurses for Frankie’s benefit is poignantly told. Fans of women’s historicals will enjoy this magnetic wartime story." ―Publishers Weekly

"Many would say that the nurses who helped fight the Vietnam War were forgotten. Believe me, for those of us who were there, these women were never forgotten--and never will be. Kristin Hannah honors them with this novel." --Karl Marlantes, author of Matterhorn

"Hannah enjoys the authorial reach to educate legions of readers about the significant subjects she dramatizes. In doing so she demonstrates that, just like the women she writes about, she deserves to be recognized." -Minneapolis Star Tribune

"a moving, gripping tale that pays tribute to the under-appreciated skill and courage of combat nurses." --Booklist, starred review

"Hannah tells the story of real but unsung heroes" --Washington Post

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Sample

One

CORONADO ISLAND, CALIFORNIA

MAY 1966

The walled and gated McGrath estate was a world unto itself, protected and private. On this twilit evening, the Tudor-style home’s mullioned windows glowed jewel-like amid the lush, landscaped grounds. Palm fronds swayed overhead; candles floated on the surface of the pool and golden lanterns hung from the branches of a large California live oak. Black-clad servers moved among the well-dressed crowd, carrying silver trays full of champagne, while a jazz trio played softly in the corner.

Twenty-year-old Frances Grace McGrath knew what was expected of her tonight. She was to be the very portrait of a well-bred young lady, smiling and serene; any untoward emotions were to be contained and concealed, borne in silence. The lessons Frankie had been taught at home and at church and at St. Bernadette’s Academy for Girls had instilled in her a rigorous sense of propriety. The unrest going on across the country these days, erupting on city streets and college campuses, was a distant and alien world to her, as incomprehensible as the conflict in faraway Vietnam.

She circulated among the guests, sipping an ice-cold Coca-Cola, trying to smile, stopping now and then to make small talk with her parents’ friends, hoping her worry didn’t show. All the while, her gaze searched the crowd for her brother, who was late to his own party.

Frankie idolized her older brother, Finley. They’d always been inseparable, a pair of black-haired, blue-eyed kids, less than two years apart in age, who’d spent the long California summers unsupervised by adults, riding their bikes from one end of sleepy Coronado Island to the other, rarely coming home before nightfall.

But now he was going where she couldn’t follow.

The roar of a car engine disturbed the quiet party; car horns honked loudly, in succession.

Frankie saw how her mother flinched at the noise. Bette McGrath hated anything showy or vulgar, and she certainly didn’t believe in announcing one’s presence by honking a horn.

Moments later, Finley banged through the back gate, his handsome face flushed, a lock of curly black hair fallen across his forehead. His best friend, Rye Walsh, had an arm around him, but neither looked too steady on his feet. They laughed drunkenly, held each other up, as more of their friends stumbled into the party behind them.

Dressed impeccably in a black sheath, with her hair in a regal updo, Mom moved toward the group of laughing young men and women. She wore the pearls her grandmother had bequeathed her, a subtle reminder that Bette McGrath had once been Bette Alexander, of the Newport Beach Alexanders. “Boys,” she said in her modulated charm-school voice. “How nice that you are finally here.”

Finley stumbled away from Rye, tried to straighten.

Dad motioned to the band and the music stopped. Suddenly the sounds of Coronado Island on a late spring night—the throaty purr of the ocean, the whisper of the palm fronds overhead, a dog barking down the street or on the beach—took over. Dad strode forward in his custom-made black suit, crisp white shirt, and black tie, holding a cigarette in one hand and a Manhattan in his other. With his close-cropped black hair and square jaw, he looked a little like an ex-boxer who’d hit the big time and learned how to dress well, which wasn’t too far off. Even among this handsome, well-dressed crowd, he and Mom stood out, radiated success. She was old money and had always been at the top of the social ladder; he had climbed his way up to stand confidently beside her.

“Friends, family, recent academy graduates,” Dad said in his booming voice. When Frankie was young, he’d still had a hint of an Irish accent, which he’d worked hard to eliminate. He often touted his own immigrant mythology, a story of bootstrapping and hard work. He rarely mentioned the good fortune and opportunity that had come with marrying the boss’s daughter, but everyone knew. They also knew that after the death of Mom’s parents, Dad had more than tripled their wealth with his zeal for developing California real estate.

He put an arm around his slender wife, drew her as close as she would allow in public. “We are grateful that you have come to help us say bon voyage to our son, Finley.” Dad smiled. “No more bailing him out of the Coronado police station at two A.M. after some ridiculous drag race.”

There was a smattering of laughter. Everyone at this party knew the circuitous track Finley had taken to adulthood. From earliest memory, he had been a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften. People laughed at his jokes; girls followed him everywhere. Everyone loved Finley, but most agreed that he was a handful. He had been held back in fourth grade, more for constant mischievousness than anything else. He was sometimes disrespectful in church, and he liked the kind of girl who wore short skirts and carried cigarettes in her purse.

When the laughter ended, Dad went on: “A toast to Finley and his grand adventure. We are proud of you, son!”

Servers appeared with bottles of Dom Pérignon and poured more champagne; the tinkling sound of glass on glass filled the air. Guests surrounded Finley; men clapped him on the back in congratulations. Young women pressed forward, vying for his attention.

Dad motioned to the band, and music started up again.

Feeling left out, Frankie headed into the house, past the large kitchen, where the caterers were busily putting canapés on trays.

She ducked into her father’s office. It had been her favorite place as a child. Big tufted leather chairs, footstools, two walls of books, a massive desk. She flicked on the light. The room smelled of old leather and cigars, with a hint of expensive aftershave. Neatly organized stacks of building permits and architectural plans lay atop the desk.

One entire wall of the office was devoted to their family history. Framed photographs Mom had inherited from her parents and even a few Dad had brought with him from Ireland. There was a photo of Great-Grandfather McGrath, in his soldier’s uniform, saluting the camera. Alongside that photograph was a framed war medal that her Grandpa Francis had been awarded in the First World War. The photograph of her parents’ wedding was positioned between her grandfather Alexander’s framed Purple Heart and a newspaper clipping with a photo of the ship he’d served on coming into harbor at the end of the war.

There were no photographs of her father in uniform. To his great shame, he had been labeled 4-F and disqualified for military service. It was something he lamented in private, only to family, and only when he’d been drinking. After the war, he’d convinced Grandpa Alexander to begin building affordable housing in San Diego for returning veterans. Dad called it his contribution to the war effort, and it had been spectacularly successful. In conversation, he was always so “military-proud” that, in time, everyone on Coronado seemed to forget he hadn’t served. There were no photographs of his children, not yet. Her father believed that one had to earn their way onto this wall.

Frankie heard the door open quietly behind her, and someone said, “Oh. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to intrude.”

She turned and saw Rye Walsh standing in the doorway. He held a cocktail in one hand and a pack of Old Gold cigarettes in the other. No doubt he’d been looking for a quiet place to smoke.

“I’m hiding from the party,” she said. “I don’t feel much like celebrating, it seems.”

He left the door open behind him. “I was doing the same thing, I guess. You probably don’t remember me—”

“Joseph Ryerson Walsh; goes by Rye. Like the whiskey,” Frankie said, trying to smile. It was how he’d introduced himself to her last summer. “Why are you hiding out? You and Fin are thick as thieves. You both love a good party.”

As he neared, her heart did a queer little stutter. He’d had that effect on her from their first meeting, but they’d never really spoken. She didn’t know what to say to him now, when she felt a little bereft. Lonely.

“I’m going to miss him,” he said quietly.

She felt the sting of tears and turned quickly away, faced the wall of memorabilia; he moved in beside her. They stared up at the family photos and mementos. Men in uniforms, women in wedding dresses, medals for valor and injury, a triangle-folded and framed American flag that had been given to her paternal grandmother.

“How come there are no pictures of women up here, except for the wedding pictures?” Rye asked.

“It’s a heroes’ wall. To honor the sacrifices our family has made in service of the country.”

He lit a cigarette. “Women can be heroes.”

Frankie laughed.

“What’s funny about that?”

She turned to him, wiped the tears from her eyes. “I … well … you don’t mean…”

“Yeah,” he said, looking down at her. She couldn’t remember a man ever looking at her in such a way, so intensely. It made her catch her breath. “I mean it, Frankie. It’s 1966. The whole world is changing.”

Hours later, when the guests had begun to make their polite exits, Frankie found herself still thinking about Rye, and what he’d said.

Women can be heroes.

No one had ever said such a thing to her. Not her teachers at St. Bernadette’s, not her parents. Not even Finley. Why had it never occurred to Frankie that a girl, a woman, could have a place on her father’s office wall for doing something heroic or important, that a woman could invent something or discover something or be a nurse on the battlefield, could literally save lives?

The idea of it was like an earthquake, an upending of her sheltered view of the world, of herself. She’d been told for years, by the nuns, by her teachers, by her mother, that nursing was an excellent profession for a woman.

Teacher. Nurse. Secretary. These were acceptable futures for a girl like her. Only last week her mother had listened to Frankie talk about her struggles in upper-level biology and said gently, Who cares about frogs, Frances? You’re only going to be a nurse until you get married. And by the way, it’s time you start thinking about that. Quit rushing through your classes and slow down. Who cares if you graduate early? You need to date more. Frankie had been taught to believe that her job was to be a good housewife, to raise well-mannered children and keep a lovely home. In her Catholic high school, they’d spent days learning how to iron buttonholes to perfection, how to precisely fold a napkin, how to set an elegant table. At the San Diego College for Women, there wasn’t much rebellion among her classmates and friends. Girls laughed about working for their MRS degree. Even her own choice of nursing as a degree hadn’t required much introspection; all she’d really focused on was getting good grades and making her parents proud.

As the musicians packed up their instruments and the waiters began clearing away the empty glasses, Frankie flipped off her sandals and left the yard and wandered across empty Ocean Boulevard, the wide, paved street that separated her parents’ house from the beach.

The golden sand of Coronado Beach stretched out in front of her. Off to the left was the famous Hotel del Coronado and to the right was the large Naval Air Station North Island, which had recently been recognized as the Birthplace of Naval Aviation.

A cool night breeze plucked at her bouffant chin-length bob, but it was no match for the layer of Aqua Net that kept every strand in place.

She sat down in the cool sand, looped her arms around her bent knees, and stared out at the waves. A full moon hung overhead. Not far away, a beach bonfire glowed orange; the smell of smoke drifted on the night air.

How did a woman go about opening up her world? How did one begin a journey when no invitation had been issued? It was easy for Finley; the path had been laid out for him. He was to do what all the McGrath and Alexander men did: serve his country with honor and then take over the family real estate business. No one had ever suggested any future for Frankie beyond marriage and motherhood.

She heard laughter behind her, the sound of running feet. A young blond woman took off her shoes at the water’s edge and splashed into the surf. Rye followed her, laughing, not even bothering to take off his shoes. Someone sang “Walk Like a Man” off-key.

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About the authors

Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her newest novel, The Women, about the nurses who served in the Vietnam war, will be released on February 6, 2024.

The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore's bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.

In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.

In 2015, The Nightingale became an international blockbuster and was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People's Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.

The Nightingale is currently in pre-production at Tri Star. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.

A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.

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Reviews

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

108,768 global ratings

Avonna

Avonna

5

Highly Recommend!

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024

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THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah is an absolute tour de force women’s fiction story that gives the reader an immersive look into the lives of military nurses during the Vietnam War and their various struggles on the front and on their return stateside. While the story features three women, the focus is on the coming-of-age story of one young nurse from Southern California.

Frances “Frankie” McGrath has led an idyllic middle class conservative life growing up and running free with her older brother on Coronado Island. Her brother goes to Vietnam after graduating from the Naval Academy, while Frankie is graduated from nursing school, but she wants more. She enlists in the Army Nurse Corps to be overseas with her brother.

Completely unprepared for the chaos, she is trained and helped by both her roommates. Every day brings new horror and terror, but also moments of hope and friendships that will last well past the war. Frankie soon becomes a vital member of the surgical trauma team.

When she returns home, she finds an America in upheaval and a family and unable to help her cope or even understand her trauma. Her friends always come to help when called, but Frankie has psychological wounds that must be faced on her own before she can really find peace.

This story elicits every emotion, and I was immersed in every scene from the horrors of war to emotional breakdowns and PTSD to redemption. The research is evident with the major conflicts of the times being as present in the story as the personal reactions of the main characters. Being from a family with many males who have served in every war, it pained me deeply when Frankie had so much trouble being recognized by the VA and other male combat soldiers, unless they had received care from the nurses overseas. I watched this war every night on the news while in junior high and high school and while my family wanted peace, I never hated the soldiers for serving, but I know now that many did, and it only added to their trauma returning home. Ms. Hannah brought these characters to life on the page as well as every location and time period.

I highly recommend this gripping and memorable women’s fiction!

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7 people found this helpful

Stay At Home Shopper

Stay At Home Shopper

5

⭐️⭐️⭐️100 STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024

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No one, and I do mean NO ONE, weaves a story together into a beautiful tapestry quite like Kristin Hannah. I’ve been looking forward to this book’s release for months simply because I know this about the author. Every single one of her books I’ve read has taken me on an incredible journey to another time that has left me reeling in some unimaginable way. And this one did not disappoint. I completely devoured it over the past two days.

I am grateful for the hours upon hours of research, including what must have been riveting first-person accounts from women and men who were there to experience this time in history, that Kristin Hannah undoubtedly dedicated into creating this beautiful masterpiece of a story. She makes it feel real. Genuine. Meaningful. And it deserves 100 stars, at least.

Why?

It’s absolutely brimming with palpable emotion. Every laugh, every tear, every dream, every struggle, every love, every fear, every sorrow, and every heartbreak felt by Frankie was real and raw and untethered within me. It was the best kind of connection a reader can possibly feel with a character.

It’s absolutely brimming with a part of history that I simply did not know, was never taught in school — the Vietnam War era. The vivid description of Frankie’s time as an Army nurse “in country” was brutal and horrific and utterly shocking, which made it all the more believable and relatable. My heart pounded through the mortar attacks and constant gunfire and bombings. My ears echoed with the thwump, thwump, thwump of the helicopters bringing push after push of wounded soldiers in for emergency treatment. My eyes burned with the imprint of gushing blood and severed limbs and eviscerated bodies of those wounded, terrified, crying soldiers. Some were saved. Most were lost. All were important. And my heart broke every time Frankie held a dying soldier’s hand, promising to write to his wife. Or his girlfriend. Or his sister. Or his mom.

It’s absolutely brimming with the shameful reality that our Vietnam Veterans faced when they returned home from duty. Spat on. Ridiculed. Jeered at. Hated. By their fellow Americans, no less. They were heroes, but they were treated as second-class citizens. Peons. It’s appalling and unfathomable to me.

Finally, it’s absolutely brimming with strong, heroic, kick-a$$ women. Women who shared a life-altering experience that was the best time of their lives. And the worst time of their lives. Women who had to fight to be seen upon their return stateside. Women who had earned a place at the heroes’ table, but were repeatedly rejected and dismissed by society. Women who had to forge their own new paths and relearn their place in the world around them. Women who, through it all, formed an unbreakable bond of friendship — a sisterhood — that crossed all the boundaries and lasted all the years of their lives. #TheWomen

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158 people found this helpful

Kristin Guthrie

Kristin Guthrie

5

Such an amazing and beautiful book!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024

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This book is WORTH the hype!! In this book, Kristin Hannah takes us on a journey with Frances (Frankie) McGrath, who decides she is going to join the military as a nurse and go over to Vietnam to serve her country. She joins the army, goes to bootcamp, and then she’s sent over to start working. It’s a huge shock to her. She meets Ethel and Barb, who are her roommates and show her the ropes. But the one was one thing to deal with, coming home after was another difficult situation. Turned away by the VA when she asks for help, Frankie doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings and nightmares. Discouraged after she is constantly told that women weren’t in Vietnam, and seeing all of the protests against the Vietnam war, she tries to find her way.

I don’t even know where to begin this review. Hannah illustrates what it was like to be a women at the time – that they were supposed to get married and have babies. She also illustrates just exactly it was like to be a woman to decided to enter the military to help out. Not thought of as a real veteran. It’s heartbreaking how women during that time were treated. These women (and men) are really inspiring. They were selfless and brave. They had so much courage. I wish I could be half of what they were.

Hannah did a wonderful job describing what it was like in Vietnam for the men and women who served in their various roles. I honestly felt that I was right there along side of each of the characters. It felt scary. They never knew if that day was going to be their last, but they kept moving forward doing what was expected of them. Frankie saw some difficult situations in the hospital working as a nurse, ones that I don’t think I could ever handle.

Hannah also did a wonderful job with dealing with all of the after effects of war after a soldier/nurse comes home, especially at that time. How women were turned away from getting help, and everything that they go through in those days and years ahead.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure about this book. But it’s wonderful; it’s beautiful; it’s a must read.

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15 people found this helpful

B. Burnham

B. Burnham

5

Excellent!

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024

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The Women by Kristin Hannah was the April selection of my book club which focuses on novels featuring interesting women, usually within the historical fiction genre. The women noted by the title were US Army nurses serving in Vietnam. The story revolves around one in particular, and Hannah puts her through the ringer! We found the political and cultural context of the book interesting. All of our members were born in the 1960s, but were too young to actually know what was going on in the adult life of our country. All I remember is watching Walter Cronkite sharing the death toll of our servicemen. This book takes the reader into the dangerous world of the women who no one wanted to admit actually went to Vietnam. While many returning veterans were treated horribly, the women who risked their lives to provide healing and comfort, were also hit with abysmal treatment by the Veterans Administration. The book was definitely an eye-opener. Beautifully written, it does not shy away from the graphic side of the war, nor the obstacles and problems for those who came home. The Women is an excellent book club choice — we had a really great discussion. Please note that this novel was published for the general market. All adult warnings are included.

Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience Adults.

(I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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Jill Hinton Wolfe

Jill Hinton Wolfe

4

A Riveting Tale of Courage and Change

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024

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In her latest masterpiece, “The Women,” Kristin Hannah once again proves her prowess in weaving narratives that resonate deeply with the human spirit. Known for her powerful storytelling in acclaimed works like “The Nightingale” and “The Four Winds,” Hannah embarks on an ambitious journey through the tumultuous era of the 1960s, presenting an intimate yet expansive portrait of a nation at the brink of transformation.

At the heart of this novel is Frances "Frankie" McGrath, a character whose development from a sheltered, idealistic nursing student into a battle-hardened Army nurse symbolizes the tumultuous era she inhabits. Frankie’s journey is a revelation, a testament to the untold stories of women who dared to step into the fray of conflict, challenging the societal norms of their time. The transformation she undergoes, fueled by the stark realities of the Vietnam War, is written with such authenticity and emotional depth that you cannot help but feel intimately connected to her struggles, triumphs, and inevitable moments of despair.

“The Women” is not just Frankie’s story; it is an ode to the countless women who, like her, ventured into the heart of darkness, armed with little more than their courage and a steadfast commitment to healing. Hannah’s portrayal of war’s chaos, the bonds forged and broken in the crucible of conflict, and the arduous journey of reintegration into a society that seems to have moved on without them is both heart-wrenching and enlightening.

What sets this novel apart is Hannah’s ability to capture the essence of an era—the music, the mood, the whirlwind of social change—and distill it through the experiences of her characters. Frankie’s return home to a divided America, her struggle to reconcile the person she has become with the nation she thought she knew, is a powerful commentary on the cost of war and the resilience of the human spirit.

While “The Women” is undeniably a work of fiction, its roots in the real-life experiences of female veterans lend it a compelling authenticity. Hannah’s meticulous research and her compassionate storytelling ensure that the novel is not only a tribute to the women of Vietnam but to all women who have faced the horrors of war with unwavering bravery.

In giving “The Women” a four-star rating, I (a female US Army veteran myself) do so with the utmost respect for Kristin Hannah’s craftsmanship and her dedication to shedding light on the often-overlooked contributions of women in war. If there is any critique to be had, it lies in wanting more—the novel, at times, leaves the reader yearning for deeper explorations into the lives of its secondary characters, each of whom could easily be the protagonist of their own compelling tale.

Ultimately, “The Women” is a profound, moving novel that not only entertains but enlightens, reminding us of the enduring strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of a pivotal moment in American history through the eyes of those who lived it.

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