AMAZING. BRILLIANT. POWERFUL. This book moved me to tears, I only discovered Kristin Hannah Recently, but she is now a favourite author of mine. This book moved me to tears.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Kristin Hannah's "The Women" is a poignant and timely exploration of the courage and sacrifice of women in the midst of war. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Vietnam War era, the novel follows the journey of Frances McGrath, a young nursing student who defies societal expectations to join the Army Nurse Corps and serve alongside her brother in the conflict. Through Hannah's masterful storytelling, readers are immersed in the harrowing realities of war, where every day brings new challenges and the bonds of friendship are tested in the face of unimaginable adversity. Yet, the true heart of the narrative lies in the aftermath of war, as Frankie and her fellow veterans grapple with the painful realities of returning home to a nation divided and a society that struggles to comprehend their experiences. With its richly drawn characters and powerful narrative, "The Women" is a compelling tribute to the resilience and heroism of women who have too often been overlooked in the annals of history.

This book is beautiful.

I don't have much knowledge about the Vietnam War as I'm not American nor do I have any knowledge about PTSD so I can't comment on how it's depicted in this story.

However, I could feel Frances' despair, her hopelessness, her pain and wanting to escape it all right in my gut.

This story was gut wrenching but also joyful at times. Her family bond, her friendship with Beth and Ethel and the few happy moments she had in Vietnam shows that yes, even in the darkest of days, there is still some light. And it's that light that we humans cling to and live for.

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

Title: The Women
Author: Kristin Hannah
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: 15th Feb 2024

This is honestly one of the easiest five star reviews I’ve ever given. This book is a historical fiction, following the story of Frankie, who serves in the Vietnam war as a surgical nurse after her brother was killed in action. Frankie longs for a place on her fathers Hero wall, but her dad, like so many others, don’t believe that women serving in the war are hero’s. Even worse, the American government led the public to believe that there were no women serving in Vietnam.

This book sent me on an emotional rollercoaster, I laughed, I cried & felt so much anger for the women of the war. A story of bravery, love, loss, friendship, grief & healing.

This story truly is compelling and powerful and I don’t think any review I could write could do it justice. During my career as an ODP, I have worked with several military doctors & nurses and I could not respect them more 🫶🏼

Wow! What a book. Rarely have I been so moved by a novel. This is probably my best read of 2024. I heartily recommend it and wish the author every success.

The Women
by Kristin Hannah

The verdict is practically unanimous on this, the latest work from a hugely successful author who is top of many readers' autobuy lists, but for me this novel is underwhelming.

There are 2 main reasons for this, the first being political. My distaste for the level of importance the military holds in American society cast a sceptical slant on the reading experience. That's not something I can blame on the author, but it definitely affected my emotional response and repelled me to the main character.

Secondly, having read several of this author's books, I can't help but notice how formulaic her writing is. I know that many readers appreciate her style, but the checklists are something I can't unsee anymore. Repetition, piling on of trauma after trauma, manipulation of sentiment.

I'm guessing the intention is that the reader feels so sorry for the unimaginable series of things that happen to Frankie, but I just saw a spoiled, attention seeker with a narcissistic ambition to be a hero. To make her father proud. And then one idiotic choice after another.

My biggest takeaway from this is the way returning vets were received. The disgust of the population at the war and by extension, the veterans, and their abandonment by the government who woefully and shamefully neglected their wellbeing having forced them into an unwinnable war which exposed them to so much depravity.

It's so sad to consider an entire system devoted to converting "patrotism" into canon fodder, and it's sadder still to see it still churning away.

This is a compelling story with a decent pace which I expect will be well received by her broad and devoted fan base.

Publication date: 15th February 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan for the eGalley

What is it about?
This book is set in the 1970s in the midst of the Vietnam War. The story follows Frankie as she enlists as a Nurse on the frontline following in her older brothers footsteps and determined to make her father proud.

We journey with Frankie through the shocks and devastation she is faced with on the frontline, as she gains and loses friends and is faced with a reality being skirted over in the west. Upon the end of her tour, Frankie is faced with a completely different America to the one she left behind and we watch her navigate the post war challenges with her new found understanding for the difficulties of others and the memory of all that she has seen.

My Thoughts
Like with all of Kristin Hannah's books I felt an instant connection to the characters, within a couple of chapters I was invested in families life and in particular the sibling relationship. I could visualise every aspect of their life, and the time in which they were living, it just felt so entirely absorbing and atmospheric. Of course like with any Kristin Hannah, heartbreak quickly ensued but the way I hurt so early into the story just shows the mastery of her writing.

As soon as Frankie enlisted and went off to war, I knew I needed to strap in for even more heartbreak but I didn’t anticipate to feel the intense emotions that I felt. Once she arrived at the camp I felt as though I could feel the weight of the new world she had stepped into, the stark contrast between life there and how everything was going along as normal in the west and the absolute turmoil that Frankie felt being thrown into the deep end. The way that everything transpired within the camp honestly had me transfixed, from the devastating events, to the slithers of joy and hope but overarchingly the irreplaceable relationships that were formed.

Of course I have never been faced with a situation even similar to what Frankie faced however from an outside perspective the meteoric speed of her growth in response to all she was facing felt so real. We watched her transform not only through her exposure to war and death but also in her emotional maturity as the service men and women joined hands to support each other through such terrible times. The imagery was just insanely well done, I felt as though I saw every thing that happened through her eyes.

This is the first time that I have read a book set in war where so much of the plot continues once the MC is home and I thought it added a really important narrative to the story. The difficulties that Frankie faced were just heartbreaking and her anguish was demonstrated so clearly. I knew so little about the issues women faced following their return from the Vietnamese war and this book shone a whole new light on the challenges faced when coming home. I expected the PTSD symptoms, the flashbacks and nightmares. I expected the difficulty to adapt back to a life that felt so shallow, what I didn’t expect was the disbelief in the fact she had gone to war, the impact on the support formed by this lack of belief and how much harder it made everything else.

The friendships in this book were my absolute favourite, they are the definition of true friends but not without faults or limitations. They felt so real and their connections so pure.

*Spoilers Ahead*
I cannot review this book without mentioning Rye- argh!!! My disappointment in him left me feeling infuriated, lying once was not enough but instead he had to lead Frankie completely astray twice! When I learnt about him being married initially I thought it was a bi-product of the environment they were in, the chances of survival being so low and it almost feeling like an alternative reality that had led him to lie to her but when he did it again when she was so vulnerable I just felt pure rage. I was reading almost behind my hands as I could see what was about to unfold.

The way this book ended was beautiful, I was in tears when Frankie's parents appeared at the memorial, after everything Frankie had been through, her father providing that acknowledgement and validation just warmed my heart. When he said "You think I feel guilty for urging my son to go to war? I do, it’s a thing I live with…But I feel more guilt about how I treated my daughter when she came home" I honestly felt it in my chest. She finally got the validation she needed.

Overall I absolutely loved this book, it is definitely up there as one of my favourite Kristin Hannah books (which is a big statement from me given how much I have loved some of her others). The connection I felt to the characters and the story it told are something I know I will think about for a long time.

What a book. I read a lot of historical fiction but I was sucked in here from start to finish. I have never read anything fiction or non that is based in the Vietnam war and wow. I think I felt every emotion with Frankie throughout this book. I couldn’t put it down. No doubt in my mind on the 5 stars here. Only downside is how do I pick up what to read next.

Women didn't serve in Vietnam or so the politicians wanted everyone to believe.
Frances “Frankie” McGrath is twenty years old and a nurse when she volunteers to serve in Vietnam. Her brother has recently been killed in action.
She then experiences sights and sounds which will stay with her and shape her life for years to come.
She makes friends which will last a lifetime and also realise that love and loss go hand in hand.
This book made me cry and realise that women are heroes even if it is not always acknowledged or appreciated at times.

I wholeheartedly thank the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this book in return for a fair review. The straplines on the hardcover contains the words - Stuns, Uplifts, Astonishing, Compelling, Powerful - everyone of which I totally agree with. I find it hard to imagine that any other book will take its place as "book of 2024" for me. I have read a number of great books about Vietnam and this ranks with all of them. I do not think any other book as made me so angry as this one did. The book starts very quickly, our hero [a carefully chosen word] enlists and within a few pages we are right on the front line, living with the nurses in a field hospital. The author conveys the horrors of war brilliantly and once we are grasped she never lets go. I was a bit surprised when she came home at about the halfway mark of the book. But coming home is only the step into another version of the hell she had endured over there. "There were no women in Vietnam" becomes a refrain and her parents pretending she was in Florence, Italy is not yet the final straw for her. The three lead characters are wonderful, but lesser characters are also clearly delineated. I really loved "The Four Winds" - This is even better, Highly recommended

This is an amazing book. Very few books move me to tears in the way that this one did. It starts in California where Frankie knows that her well to do parents expect her to marry well and look decorative.
Frankie wants more from life and follows her brother to Vietnam after training to be a nurse. I want to give no spoilers but the reaction of her parents to her going to Vietnam is so different to the way they react to their heroic son.
The next bit of the book describing the war in Vietnam is quite harrowing but the characters are so well depicted and Frankie meets her soul mates as well as a number of lonely men who fall for her.
Frankie doesn’t get a hero’s welcome when she returns home and no one helps her with her post traumatic stress disorder.
Frankie’s problems are by no means over but it is her soul mate girlfriends who are there for her and not her parents.
This should be compulsory reading in schools to see the pointlessness of war.
The ending is satisfactory and I highly recommend this book. Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy.

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a brilliant incredibly powerful book #TheWomen is….I absolutely loved it.

Set during and after the Vietnam War, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a young newly qualified nurse signs up to the Army Nurse Corps to do her bit for her country and to follow in her brother’s footsteps. As inexperienced as the young men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, and the unexpected trauma of returning home to a changed American. Frankie also discovers the true value of female friendships and the heartbreak that love can cause.

I was gripped from the first page. It takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions.
I loved how the book was in two parts. First part follows Frankie’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam and the second part focuses on her return home to America. It was just so powerful and informative. I learned a lot about the Vietnam War and the aftermath I never knew.
I could not put this book down, definitely a page turner.
The journey that Frankie went on to be recognised as a hero/woman of war had me in tears, especially the end chapters. I liked all the characters which are all well developed, and are so believable and relatable. I loved the friendship and bond that developed between Frankie, Barb and Ethel, her fellow nurses. It was just beautiful and to see how they had each others back and supported each other through.

The Women is just brilliant. It explores so many topics including patriotism, hope, female friendships, betrayal, love, PTSD, addiction and death. The story is so well written and the topics dealt with beautifully. It’s descriptive and so vivid. The story just flows so well.

Overall, it’s a powerful, thought provoking and emotional engrossing story and one I will remember. This book is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2024. Highly recommend The Women by @KristinHannah

With thanks to #NetGallery and #PanMacMillan for an eARC of #TheWomen in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 15 February 2024.

Oh wow- what a story! This is the tv programme M*A*S*H* without the comedy. Hard-hitting, raw, terrifying even- the writer's description of life in an army casualty hospital during the Vietnam War are searing and vivid. The bravery of the troops and medics including nurses, was incredible. The authors detailed research really shines through ......I learnt so much about the war and the life experiences by those who were there. I was completely gripped by this story and could not put the book down.
I loved Frankie, the young innocent who finds herself suddenly in the middle of blood, guts and war who has to quickly adapt to the hell she finds herself in. Her close friendship with fellow nurses Barb and Ethel highlights the support of women by women shown throughout the story. And then the fight for veterans to be recognised for their service. The fight for them to find themselves in a very different world and to survive. This is a story based on fact, and is all the more poignant for it. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this book is a must read! I cannot recommend it highly enough. Wow, wow, wow!!

I LOVE historical fiction and I LOVE Kristin Hannah novels. So I have been such a keen bean to read this one and boy it didn’t disappoint.

We meet Frankie, a young newly qualified Nurse off to care in the Vietnam war. We explore the relationships she makes, the life time bonds formed and the impact of war on her relationship with her parents.

This is an untold story of the heroism of women like Frankie saving lives in the war. Coming home, trying to adjust, coming home to a country that wanted to forget about Vietnam let alone acknowledge the part that women played in the war.

As with every Hannah book, no character is safe, so I read this with anxiety and anticipation throughout. I was invested in all the characters, even the ones really flawed you had an understanding of why and a bit of sympathy which comes from Hannah’s ability to write and weave a story so beautifully.

I had no idea about the Vietnam war, I can only imagine the horrors faced by those out there and their loved ones back home.

This book is exceptional, a story of courage, resilience, trauma and healing. An absolute must read, just be prepared for the emotional journey 📚❤️

The Women by Kristin Hannah is a riveting portrayal of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Initially daunting with its vivid depictions of war, the narrative gradually unfolds to reveal the profound effects of conflict on the lives of women. Through meticulous research, Hannah offers a poignant exploration of PTSD and resilience in the face of adversity. Her storytelling captivates, offering readers both historical insight and emotional depth. A challenging yet essential read for anyone interested in understanding the human experience during wartime.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for approving the digital copy in exchange of honest review!

This story contains so much that it is hard to pick out standout moments. In the beginning it's very much focused on Vietnam and is a very graphic, difficult read at times. At one point I wondered how it could sustain this for the whole book but it grows into something even more special. The toll the war takes, the losses long the way and the friendships that stand the test of time and trials are all wonderfully done. Frankie is a great character but often it is the characters around her who let us see the sum of her parts - her mother, the men she loves and of course Ethel and Barb, who are both brilliant characters in their own right. I learned a lot from this story but at no point did I feel like I was being lectured on history; I felt I was living it. A hard read at times but highly recommended.

The Women by Kristin Hannah
I give this book 5 stars.

‘Women can be heroes, too’. When twenty-year-old nursing student, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, hears these unexpected words, she impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps.
As green and inexperienced as the young 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 America. Frankie will also discover the true value of female friendship and the heartbreak that love can cause.

This is without a doubt my favourite Kristin Hannah book!
Emotional,insightful and immensely powerful,I could not put this one down for the life of me l was left with the biggest book hangover ever!
Detailing the real horrors of those serving in the Vietnam war and dealing with their return afterwards this intense story is brought to life between the covers by the vivid prose of Frankie.The author poignantly journeys you full circle sucking you in completely with her detailed storytelling.Pivotal friendships play a huge part,as does love,the sacrifices,endurance and bravery of all the (women) unsung heroes who signed up voluntarily and the dehabilitating impact to return to normal afterwards.Its tragic the cover ups by the government of what was really going on, the little help offered especially to the women and recognition for the important role they played and people’s attitudes generally towards veterans coming home.l really don’t have the words to do justice for this incredible story or how it made me feel while reading it. Even if historical fiction isn’t your thing l can’t recommend this one highly enough!
With thanks to Netgalley,Kristin Hannah and
Pan MacMillan for my chance to read and review this book.

I am not sure I can do this book justice in a review and five stars is not enough. The story is set during the Vietnam War and is the story of a young woman, Frankie, who signs up to be a nurse in the conflict. She is barely trained and not prepared for what will greet her. It is a steep learning curve for her and an even bigger shock returning to an America that hates her and the men fighting over in Nam. This is a superbly written book which has obviously been well researched, Kristen Hannah doesn't hold anything back and the story is gritty, doesn't hold anything back and is an emotional rollercoaster.

The characters are well-developed and really relatable, although not always likeable. The emotions, heartbreaks, anger and confusion come across on every page, bringing the characters to life. It was so realistic I felt at times that I was there with them.

This book is hard-hitting and holds nothing back, it's extremely emotional and I frequently cried, and sobbed in fact, for Frankie and what she was going through. This book will make one of my top reads for 2024 and I highly recommend reading it, but do have tissues available.

The eagerly awaited new novel from historical fiction queen Kristin Hannah is here.

Set during and after the Vietnam War, we meet Frances “Frankie” McGrath, an idealistic young woman who signs up to the Army Nurse Corps to do her bit for her country and to follow in her brother’s footsteps; a soldier already fighting in Vietnam.
Frankie, however is utterly unprepared for the chaos and horror of the war she lands into; she has to quickly learn better nursing skills, and how to survive each day there without dying or losing her mind. She makes lifelong friends along the way, dabbles in some wartime romance and becomes what can only be described as a kick-ass nurse. I’m talking doing tracheotomies and surgical suturing herself. Impressive.

Once she finishes her tour she returns home to a vastly different America, however. People have become very anti-war, thanks to the war crimes the US government have been committing against the Vietnamese people, and the amount of young men dying every day in service to their country. Frankie struggles with PTSD from everything she’s witnessed but can’t get help as she’s repeatedly told “there were no women in Vietnam”. She and her colleagues were effectively removed from the history books. And so she begins to spiral from there.

Hannah does an incredible job of highlighting the vital work these women did; ministering to both injured soldiers and Vietnamese civilians alike.
They, like many soldiers were treated horrifically on their return home; but the stories of the nurses who came back are rarely heard about, and as a nurse myself, I love that she wrote this book to highlight their experiences.
I found it an engaging and engrossing read, I had finished it in a couple of days and it’s a long enough book at 480 pages.
I would warn that there are graphic descriptions of injuries and medical procedures, so if that’s not your thing you might be better off avoiding this one.
As with her other books, at times the language veers too far into sentimentality for me but Hannah always steers it back on track.

If you enjoy historical fiction, in particular focusing on the role of women, I think this will be the book for you.

Wow. What a book. This is my favourite story I've read in a long time. You know it's good when you get to the end of a (pretty long) novel and think...noooo, what happens to her next?! This really had me gripped by the 1960s backdrop and I loved the unusual setting of the Vietnam War. Sometimes the writing style did seem to border on the tell, rather than show, and it felt like the author was filling me in on a note of historical importance, but that didn't detract from the amazing story telling.

Thank you so much to the publisher and the author, and to NetGalley for the advance copy of this amazing book.