Kristin Hannah's upcoming release, "The Women," is a poignant journey through the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War, seen through the eyes of twenty-year-old nursing student Frances McGrath. Raised in the idyllic setting of California's Coronado Island, Frankie's world is suddenly turned upside down by the chaos of war. Inspired by her brother's service in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurses Corps, embarking on a journey that will test her resilience and challenge her perceptions of heroism.

"The Women" offers a deeply emotional and informative journey through the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War, skilfully weaving together themes of sisterhood, found family, and the devastating impact of PTSD. Hannah's narrative is both heart-breaking and captivating, drawing readers into Frankie's evolution from a sheltered young woman to a resilient surgical nurse grappling with the harsh realities of war. The bond formed between Frankie and her fellow nurses, Ethel and Barb, serves as a beacon of hope amidst the turmoil of battle.

What sets "The Women" apart is its informative exploration of both sides of the Vietnam War debate. Through Frankie's experiences, readers gain insight into the complexities of the conflict, shedding light on the sacrifices and struggles faced by those on the front lines. Moreover, Hannah's portrayal of PTSD is both poignant and powerful, offering a raw and authentic depiction of the psychological toll of war. Frankie's journey towards healing serves as a poignant reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of trauma.

Overall, "The Women" is a great read that combines emotional storytelling you can expect from Kristin Hannah with insightful exploration of historical events. Her focus on sisterhood, found family, and the portrayal of PTSD adds depth and complexity to the narrative, making it a compelling and thought-provoking novel. I didn’t find is as emotional as some of the other books by the same author, but enjoyed it immensely nevertheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC copy of ‘The Women’.

Headlines:
War in two halves
Invalidation of womens' experiences
Overcoming trauma

The Women charts a story I've never really thought much about before, probably because I'm not from the US, it occured before my birth and my terms of reference are classic films about the Vietnam war. I certainly hadn't thought about womens' experiences of this catastrophic war. There's no preaching in this read but Hannah did a superb job of highlighting the experiences of women, black men and women, PTSD and the ridiculous politics of the time. I could not put this book down.

Frankie was the protagonist at the heart of this story, a young registered nurse who volunteered as an army nurse, having little idea of what she was letting herself in for. She made two friends for life in Barb and Ethel. The narrative of the first half of this book had a brutality and rawness of words. There was anatomical gore, which I could handle thanks to my professional stomach and I appreciated that this aspect wasn't dumbed down; it had huge impact. Alongside the physicality of war, was an ever-present spotlight on how Frankie and others were impacted psychologically.

The second half of the book was important, because war wasn't over when the tour was. Frankie battled just to be able to exist with her losses, the trauma she was experiencing everyday and the disenfranchisement of her experiences from society and family. Frankie was a chaotic mess, very understandably and I actually found the second half of the book just as tense as the first half, just in a different way.

Love and loss were inexpicably linked in this story. My heart broke on a number of occasions for Frankie. The foreshadowing at some early parts in the book stayed with me as I read and I was not particularly surprised at some events but I was at others. I will leave those thoughts there for readers to discover for themselves.

This was a full tension, full angst ride of a read but full to the brim of feelings. I cried near the beginning and I cried at the end seeing some sense of validation for these women. Such a powerful read that I highly recommend.

Thank you PanMacmillan for the review copy.

Superb, stunning, powerful. Those 3 words are really not enough praise for this book.

You start to read and find that you have lost a couple of hours at a time. So engrossing and thought provoking.

Women in Vietnam were not , are not talked about, but as this book shows the band of friendship made whilst working in the most arduous conditions, shines above everything.

Outstanding writing, superb.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

What a powerful story, I had no idea about the fight that women went through when they returned to America from the Vietnam war. The first part of the book was harrowing in its depiction of what the hospital and aid stations were like during the war but the treatment of veterans when they returned was awful. I’m so glad that this book has been able to shine a light on the untold story of the women who went to war.

Kristin Hannah certainly knows how to take a sledgehammer to your heart and she is NOT afraid to do it.

Hannah's reads are so powerful and harrowing that I can forgive a few negatives, like here I think the major plot points of the story are quite predictable-- yet they still hit me like a ton of bricks, their impact not lessened by the fact I'd seen them coming. Maybe this one was easier to predict as I'm getting used to the author's formula. Her novels take us to vastly different times and places but she uses similar tricks to engage the reader. I’m not complaining: it works.

This book is an epic on women in the Vietnam War. Hannah introduces us to bright-eyed and naive nurse Frances "Frankie" McGrath, who longs for a place on her father's "Hero's Wall" and so volunteers for service in Vietnam.

It is an understatement to say she didn't know what she was getting into. Frankie finds herself in hell on Earth, struggling to help put together men who have been blown apart, watching Vietnamese children die from napalm burns, losing friends for a cause none of them even understand. Those sensitive to graphic depictions of injuries should steer clear-- as a nurse in Vietnam, Frankie witnesses some of the most horrific things in our world.

But this is not just a story about the war itself. It is a story of a young woman's growth, aging impossibly in a short amount of time. Her friends, Barb and Ethel, keep her spirits up at the worst times, and the funny dialogue between them is a major highlight of the novel. She falls in love and this, too, gives her hope for the future.

Only half of this story is set in Vietnam; the other half is about coming home and living afterwards. It's not easy to say which one is more difficult. There was no hero's welcome for those returning from Vietnam. Veterans were cursed at and spat on. Many were left with irreparable damage from their time in the war. For some, it was the loss of a limb. For many, it was the loss of something harder to explain. While psychiatric help began to be offered, it was typically for male veterans.

As with several of Hannah's other books, she once again shines a light on the women who have been erased from history. The female veterans she spoke with for this book told her how they often heard "There were no women in Vietnam." I cannot even imagine how it must feel to risk your life, sacrifice your youth and peace of mind, and be told that it didn't even happen.

Another horrible, ugly, powerful book from one of my must-read authors.

I've read everyone of Kristin Hannah's novels and to say that I was incredibly excited to read The Women was an understatement.
The Women is set in America during the time when the Vietnam war took place and it focuses on Frankie McGrath. Frankie lives an idyllic life with her parents and older brother. Frankie's parents are very focussed on how they appear to their country club friends and when her older brother Finley enlists to serve in the war, Frankie's parents throw him a going away party. However, after Finleys death, Frankie enlists as an army nurse to serve in the war, but she does not get the same reception at home as Finley did..
The novel is set in both Vietnam where Frankie sees horror after horror. She makes friends and falls in love....twice. Her time is up and she returns home but Frankie is appalled by how America treats its veterans especially the nurses, it's as though they have been erased from history.

The Women doesn't read like Hannah's other novels, there is less focused on love and relationships and she really brings the atrocities of war to life. I enjoyed this adaptation of writing style and absolutely loved The Women.

“Women were not in ‘Nam” Yes, they were and this latest book by Kristin Hannah tells their story. Like all of her other novels, it’s a book about the strength of women, the bonds of friendship and love in its various forms. I stayed up into the early hours reading about the lives of Frankie, Barb and Ethel. Another Kristin Hannah book I couldn’t put down.

I have read manymkristin Hannah books but this one just blew me away. Wow. There are no words really to describe this story. The first half is not for the faint hearted as it is very graphic but it is the only way to tell the true horrors of what these people went through and how they suffered for many years.

3.5
It hurts me to rate a Hannah book this low. While it was an amazing representation of a war we seldom read about, Vietnam, and focused so much on the amazing women that were part of it- it was just too much for me personally.

The descriptions were graphic, and I'm sure toned down from the reality. I am heart broken for those that returned from the war and were treated so poorly. It broke my heart to read of the addictions, nightmares, rejections, and adjustments they had to go through with hardly any support. I know it is real and fairly depicted- it was just hard to read. I cried, my heart raced, and I gasped.

! Make sure and research the trigger warnings there are many.

"There was one thing the war had taught her; there was never enough time with the people who mattered."
"Life over here is short, and regrets last forever."
"She'd learned that people noticed a raised voice; quiet was the perfect camouflage for pain."
"Regrets were a waste of time, if only was the bend in a troubled road."

Well written, and as real as any war book l've read. It was just hard to read. I'm sure not as hard as it was for them to live through.

Wow, what a breathtaking read. Every Kristin Hannah book I read seems to rip my heart out, mash it up into tiny pieces and then stuff it back down my throat to the very bottom of my gut 💔❤️‍🩹 And I always go back for more!

This follows the story of Frankie, a young and hugely naive American girl who enlists as a military nurse during the Vietnam war. The first half of the novel charts her experience in Vietnam; the horrors she faces everyday alongside the moments of hope shining through the strong friendships she makes.

The second half focuses on her return to America and the overwhelm at not being allowed to be proud of the part she played in the war, with many people refusing to acknowledge that he mart she played; the undiagnosed and untreated PTSD and the measures she goes to to deal with it.

This isn’t a happy read but it is an important one and it is beautifully written. Like Hannah’s other books I know this one will stay with me for a long time. I am so grateful to Pan Macmillan for my review copy; thank you.

When recently qualified nurse Frankie attends her brother’s Naval going away party, little does she dream that it’ll be the start of her very own military journey, taking her on a roller coaster ride to experience the highs of love and friendship, the depths of hell which come with loss, and Vietnam.

Signing up as an army nurse simply because she didn’t yet have the prerequisite experience required for Naval or Airforce nursing deployments, naive Frankie is keen to follow in her brother’s footsteps and join him “in country”. She soon finds that in contrast to them having thrown a party to celebrate her hero brother having signed up, Frankie’s parent’s disapproval of her enlistment is evident from the moment she announces it- giving her the first glimpse of the inequality she will face not only from friends and family, but society as a whole.

With the horrors of working in the field hospitals uniting them, Frankie’s firm friendship with Barb & Ethel will not only help her through her time in Vietnam, but be critical to her surviving her post-war PSTD period- which is just as dangerous. Struggling to cope with the realities of war, life is no easier for Frankie upon her return to “the world” where her family and society struggle to admit that she was ever in Vietnam. Inaccessibility of the help available to male veterans instead leaves Frankie reliant on the enduring support of her friends, whilst likely suffering themselves, to survive her demons and work out how to navigate towards any sort of positive future.

Dedicated to all the women who were in Vietnam during the war but whose presence there was unknown to many until years later, for those who know little about the war or this aspect of it, Kristen Hannah’s “The Women” is an illuminating journey into both the horrors of the war itself and the horrors these women faced when they got home.

Coming from the UK, I’ve never learned about the Vietnam war (other than the glimpses I’ve seen in films etc) but this book was the best kind of historic fiction- the sort which made me go away with a yearning to learn more about the facts behind it & sending me down the research rabbit hole. I simultaneously loved and loathed reading this book- loved it for the window into another time and place, loathed the picture I saw when I better understood the effect that time & place had on people…And that’s exactly what a well written book should be able to do.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you for this ARC. Kristin Hannah knows how to reach out to the reader of her books. This is a story so enlightening, gutsy, sad, for the main character Frankie who becomes a nurse during the Vietnam war. A real eye opener as to what happened during that time and the aftermath of it. I couldn’t put it down and cried at some of the situations. Would thoroughly recommend this book.

"No women served in Vietnam" was a statement levelled by many American 'vets' of the Vietnam war at the women who were indeed there. In this sweeping novel, we follow the story of "Frankie' McGrath, a young woman from a privileged southern Californian background who rushes off to volunteer as a nurse, following the death of her brother at a young age in Vietnam.

This is historical fiction at its best. Suddenly you are there, discovering just what it was like to be a woman out in 'Nam, dealing with the horrendous casualties of both American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians. Frankie signs up for a second tour and later, looking back, she says in effect, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. She and her two close female friends support one another in "Nam and then later when they are each back in the States. And the result of Frankie's two tours (the other women only did one), her deep emotional attachments to a couple of men she meets, and the horrors she deals with, is that she returns with severe PTSD. But as no women served in Vietnam, no-one wants to know or to offer her support, especially not her parents, each in their own way mourning the son lost in the fighting and each ashamed of what their daughter has done and is doing on her return.
Frankie becomes caught up in the peace demonstrations of the late sixties and early seventies of the last century; the time of flower power, stop the war campaigns, bring them home slogans - and President Nixon. And still she is supported by her two friends, Ethel and Barb; the threesome survives in spite of the physical and social distances in the US.

It is a moving tribute to the solidarity of female friendship, to the courage of those who served in Vietnam, to the futility of war. This sweeping novel brings the era alive and I found it enthralling. I confess I read it late into the night, and once finished couldn't stop thinking about the realities portrayed in this fictionalised war story. I'm recommending it to my friends. It's one of the best books I've read in a while and is Kristen Hannah at her very best.

𝙰𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔

When Frankie’s brother is sent to Vietnam she decides to join the Army Nurse Corps to follow his path, hoping to make her father proud who has a wall of heroes in his study. Before she leaves however her brother is killed…. In Vietnam she has to work long shifts in tough circumstances while witnessing soldiers being wounded beyond imagining. Bit by bit her confidence and skills grow however and she never felt so useful before. When she finally returns home after 2 years her world falls apart. Not only does she struggle to deal with all her experiences, the nation does not respect all her work in Vietnam because they condemn the war. She has to find a way to give life meaning again and accept that she’ll never be the girl she was before the war again…..

𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔

I just finished this novel and am so in awe. Of course I had knowledge about the war in Vietnam but this story will teach you so much more, and most importantly tell you about the women who served in Vietnam and are often forgotten or just not mentioned. Frankie’s PTSD is so well portrayed , I had to shed a few tears reading the last chapters. The book is well-researched and teaches you not only about the war but also about the years after and how the public reacted to soldiers returning home. Although I loved the ending it did seem a bit far fetched to me, especially after an earlier twist I didn’t see coming (wow it’s hard not to give spoilers), but I love happy endings ;)

In her latest offering, Kristin Hannah throws a much needed light and focus on the invisible and forgotten women of the Vietnam war, a thought provoking account related through the emotionally charged and traumatising war experiences of Frances 'Frankie' McGrath, who grew up in a privileged and conservative environment of Coronado Island, California. After her older brother goes to serve in Vietnam, she is inspired to follow in his footsteps and do the unthinkable, in a changing and turbulent world, enlisting with the Army Nurse Corps, but without the support of her parents. Needless to say, having come from a sheltered background, Vietnam is an unimaginable shock to the system, the horrors of what Frankie sees prove to be shattering at the time and long after her return home.

The devastating chaotic mayhem, with Frankie dropped right in the middle of the terror, the unbearable living conditions, the explosions, the heartbreak, the huge loss of life and dreadful injuries sustained by shell shocked, broken soldiers, having to care for them and save as many as possible, all on a constant daily basis. There are harrowing medical decisions made, all this inevitably is going to be challenging and bone deep traumatising. Supportive relationships are the crux of surviving, and Frankie makes strong connections with Barb and Ethel, that endure long after the end of the war. On their return, they come back to a different and divided nation, of protests, and people desperate to forget the war. Whilst the part by soldiers is recognised and services provided for PTSD and more, the women's role is denied, there is no support, and they are rendered invisible.

What follows for Frankie and the brave women, we see the mental health issues, difficult familial ties, alcoholism, drugs, self medication, etc.. It is the relationships that help to hold them together and pick them up when everything is falling apart around them. The US unforgivably abandoned the women in the war who did incredible work out in Vietnam, as though they had never existed. Hannah gives us a well researched blend of historical fact and fiction, she does a grand job in revealing this lost history and bringing this to the attention of American and global audiences today. I recommend this to all readers, I think it will particularly appeal to those who love historical fiction and the history of women in war. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

What an incredible piece of writing. I was hooked into the story from the word go. The first half of the book details how 'Frankie' McGrath survived as an army nurse in the mobile hospitals in Vietnam. The writing took you through all the emotions and you could visualize how horrific it must have been. Part 2 of the book details how she coped when returning to the 'real' world and how the vets were treated by the American public as well as the government. It made me realize how little I really knew about the Vietnam war. A definite 5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance copy of this book.

Sometimes a book just appears on your @netgalley shelf and you have to drop everything and read the damn book. I can hand on (broken) heart say that you won’t regret it. I loved everything about it, the rawness, the unashamed Frankie, the heroism of the women. It’s beautifully written, I would expect nothing less from a KH book and it’s up there as one of the best books I’ve ever read. TW: there’s a LOT of graphic violence and war themes and a lot of it isn’t pretty. But I needed to read it to completely understand and do service to what these women achieved during the Vietnam war. My eyes are open.

This book deserves a place on our shelves. I’m off out to buy the hardback as soon as it’s released on 15th February 🙌

Thank you for the eARC of this stunning book @netgalley

4.25 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book to review.

My first Kristin Hannah book and the powerful story woven here will stay with me a long time. Historical Fiction is a powerful topic and the Vietnam War is a huge subject to tackle but Kristin tackles it with a no stone unturned approach. I love that. It's all here, the brutal first half where Frankie, the women we follow heads to Vietnam. And then the latter half of the book which is when she returns home, and nothing is as expected.

I felt all the emotions this one, but mostly anger and deep sadness. It was so moving and I'm outraged at the treatment of women veterans after they return home.

Frankie struggles and her struggles are detailed in this hugely powerful book.
Lots of trigger warnings but I truly feel more educated about the Vietnam War, a subject I knew very little about, and believe this is a must read. For the historical retelling of this awful war and the feminist outrage that is this book.

Wow, what a journey I’ve just been on through this book. It’s beautifully written.
The story is based around the war in Vietnam and follows the main character Frankie McGrath who is a nurse through the war and the hard times she faces afterwards.
I really didn’t think I’d enjoy this book as much as I have and I would 100% recommend it!
I will be looking out for other books written by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan for the advanced reading copy.

What can I say about this book that is not a superlative? It was truly an epic read which transported me back to the 1960s and a terrible War in Vietnam.
Being English, I knew very little about this subject but I do remember as a child seeing the nightly news about the war. It seemed far away and I didn’t really take it all in. I did not learn about it in school as it was actually happening whilst I was being educated.
Frances is 21 and a qualified nurse when she decides to enlist, to make her parents proud and follow her older brother into a war. However her parents do not react as she expects. She does not feel like the hero she wants to be. They do not show the same pride for her service which they demonstrated for her brother which is hard for her.
The things she sees in the war zone and her life in the hospital are vividly described and make for difficult reading. It is not a book for the faint hearted. As well as the awfulness, death and destruction Frankie also finds love and has some good times with her new friends.
The descriptions of the mobile hospitals were very evocative and brought to mind many episodes of MASH which I watched avidly as a teenager. The sadness of the situation along side the manic behaviour of the medical staff I remember so well from this tv programme were also present in this excellent book. I felt like I was there experiencing Frankie’s life alongside her.
Frankie’s troubles really begin when she returns home, no one really wants to know about her experiences. They prefer to forget the War and certainly the fact that women served too. She cannot talk about it, even to her own parents and she certainly cannot adjust to civilian life. She is obviously suffering from PTSD but it is not recognised so she must continue to suffer in silence without any help.
This is also a timeless story about War and its effects on the participants including soldiers and in this case nurses. I’m sure there are people going through the same things in today’s conflicts.
This was a fabulous read, so well researched and about a subject I knew so little. I couldn’t put it down and there were points in the book when I felt tears in my eyes- this is such a powerful story that it was able to move me in a way only a great book can.
I loved the character of Frankie, how she grew from an innocent young girl into a confident woman performing tasks that more experienced nurses would find difficult. I really sympathised with her when she returned home and felt forgotten and marginalised. I hadn’t realised that this was how Vietnam vets had been treated due to the extreme hatred of the war itself.
This book is one of those that will certainly stay with me long after I have finished it and it might turn out to be one of the best books I’ve read this year!
I recommend “ The Women” as a five star read and can only say that this author’s books keep getting better and better.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.