Let me start with the fact I love Kristin Hannah's books. I have been reading her work for 15 years and favourite is The Nightingale. Four Winds broke me!

So you can imagine how excited I was waiting for this book like crazy! And how happy I was when I was granted the e-ARC after months of seeing proofs around social media.

I really enjoyed that women who worked during the war were acknowledged as there is always talk of PTSD in men. Talking about the stigma around mental health how years ago was brushed off, especially if you were a woman. And the expectations of society for women, how things were changing throughout the years.

The focus was mainly about on one woman, Frankie. It focused to much on her love life, how every man was falling for her...Too much insta love for my taste. I was looking for more historical fiction than romance.

Somehow, compared to other books, this one wasn't what I expected and didn't really meet my expectations. Is like someone else wrote it, the writing style is not what I am used to with her books.

Overall, is a good read that tackles quite a few important issues.

This is quite possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I couldn’t put it down once I started it and loved every single page.
It would make an amazing film (and soundtrack).
I’d recommend this to anyone. It’s a perfect read and one that will stay with me for a long time.

In The Women we follow Francis 'Frankie' McGrath who, after watching her brother enlist and ship out to Vietnam, decides to follow him and sign up as an Army nurse. Arriving in Vietnam as a young woman, her experiences over there will affect the rest of her life.

In part 2 we see Frankie back in the US and trying to deal with the aftermath of her experience, while also adjusting to the attitudes of the population and even the army support services themselves refusing to offer support to the nurse as they didn't technically 'serve'.

This was an excellent read. Quite upsetting in places due to the context, particularly in part 1, but it was easy to root for Frankie and I really loved the relationship between her and her fellow nurses.

‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah is a story of war and battle scars that takes place in the hospitals of Vietnam and the conflicted mess of late 60’s America. We are told the story of California debutante Frankie McGrath, who surprised her family by bidding for her own spot on her father’s “heroes wall” by enlisting in the Army as a nurse. We first watch Frankie turn from girl to woman across two arduous, horrifying, formative tours, and then we see her struggle to re-integrate into a country that has told itself lie after lie to cope with the losses in Vietnam, including that “there were no women serving there”.

There are strong themes of betrayal in this novel, from Frankie’s family who don’t demonstrate any pride in their daughter’s choices despite lauding their fallen Naval son, from men in mess halls whose visions of war desensitise them to the impact of their lies, and from Veterans’ Associations who engage in denial and gaslighting to gatekeep what they view as male spaces. What brings hope to the grim tale is love, which shines through from Frankie’s best friends Barb and Ethel throughout the novel, and also from some characters whose misguided actions don’t reflect their hearts. I admire how the author keeps threads of humanity and meaning running through the depressing tapestry of this book.

I learnt a lot by reading this novel, and having read the author’s note which mentioned that she first conceived this story in 1997, I am glad she wrote it now! When I was reading the scenes set in the emergency hospitals where Frankie was working, I felt totally gripped and immersed, and was glad to read that Veteran readers had been consulted to ensure realism. After Frankie’s return to the US, the intimate portrait of a divided nation the author created felt at once alien and familiar.

Though I’d love to read more broadly including anything which gives a voice to the Vietnamese civilian tragedies of the conflict, this book amplifies an underappreciated group of women by centering its storytelling on one strong, relatable, struggling, heroic woman. It made me cry on multiple occasions and seethe with anger at times, was hard to put down, and will stay with me forever… a clear five star read for me.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback.

OMG, i finished this today and had to have some time to reflect on what I’d read before writing a review. In Kristin’s usual style she takes the reader on a journey through history that I knew very little about and I’m now wanting to know more. The story of three female friends with Frankie at their core from their experience and time in Vietnam as nurses to their return to America and the way they were treated and how the memories caused mental ill health that was dismissed by those that should have helped and supported Frankie. At one point whilst on a train I had to stop reading to avoid crying in public! When I finished I felt emotionally drained. A fabulous 5 star story.

Another stunning emotional rollercoaster of a read from Kristin Hannah. She excels in taking the stories of forgotten women in history and telling their stories. This is a raw emotional story based around the central character's time in Vietnam and re-adjustment to life afterwards. So beautifully written, it sits up there with The Nightingale which is one of my favourite books. (Tissues required).

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Oh my goodness, this story completely blew me away and will stay with me for a very long time. The characters were so believable and it flowed really well at an ideal pace. I love a good war story but have never heard it from a nurse’s perspective. There were plenty of highs and lows for the main character Frankie and you felt every emotion she was going through because it was extremely well written. An absolute amazing read and i will now be looking for other books by this author.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

Kristin Hannah's novel, "The Women," delves into the impact of the Vietnam War on female veterans, focusing on the life of protagonist Frances (Frankie) McGrath. Divided into two parts, the first introduces Frankie, a sheltered girl from Coronado, California, who enlists to please her parents and join her brother in Vietnam. Her idealized vision clashes with the harsh reality of aiding doctors in a war-torn setting, marking her transformation.

In part two, returning home, Frankie faces a starkly different reality, grappling with sexism, animosity towards veterans, PTSD, and addiction. Personally, I found the second part more captivating, relishing Frankie's journey and the author's illumination of the mental and physical toll on war veterans.

While I enjoyed the book overall, my critique lies in the underdevelopment of the sole POC character, especially in the first part. Additionally, the narrative occasionally felt detached, more like an observed story than an immersive journey. Nevertheless, it's a book I'd recommend.

Frankie ❤️

🏥It’s the mid-1960’s and Frankie is a recently qualified nurse, living at home in a small seaside town close to San Diego. Her Irish Catholic father is a successful property developer, and her family lives a country club charmed existence.

🚁Her older brother Finlay enlists in the Navy to praise from his family, Frankie realises she can do her bit for the Vietnam war too. She’s been brought up with her father idolising the family members who fought in the World Wars that he didn’t fight in. She enlists as an Army nurse, but the experience in Vietnam changes who she is forever.

🌈I have read and loved a few of Kristin Hannah’s stories, loved The Nightingale, wasn’t a fan of The Four Winds, but was thrilled to receive a last minute ARC copy of The Women to read and review. This book is a clear 5 star read for me. I was sucked so deeply into the story, I had to force myself to put it down at 70% and go to sleep at 1.30am. There is trauma and terror and also deep camaraderie, honest emotion and sadness. I learned a lot about a topic that I hadn’t given much thought to before. It had echoes of the Firefly Lane era, and I can easily imagine this story as a show or movie with the beautiful songs peppered through the story in the background. ❤️

Read an eARC copy courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher
My rating 5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Pub Date 15 Feb 2024

Wow what a story. I found this book hard to put down. Based during the Vietnamese war in the 1960's Frankie joins the army as a nurse and is thrown in the deep end of this absolutely dreadful war.
Saved by her two room mates she quickly learns that the atrocities of Vietnam are to be dealt with and moved on to the next victims. The Military have their fun as best they can but it takes its toll. After two tours Frankie goes home to the privileged life she left but life can never be the same again. She suffers with PTSD as do most veterans. Her journey is not an easy one.

A young woman from a privileged background signs up for the war in Vietnam as an army nurse, her eyes quickly opened to its horrors. She is told to beware of the soldiers who “lie and die”. It seems that a pretty nurse is a magnet to them all, and she experiences love and loss, and enduring friendship. Her story when she returns to the US is full of misery, at not being recognised for her contribution, females it seems we’re not seen as part of the suffering;waning support for the war; and personal trauma. However, her friendships go on, and she finds some kind of redemption.
I was very interested in the Vietnam section, full of references and real places, I have actually been in the rooftop bar frequented by wartime journalists she mentions. In that she was very successful. However, the book is too long. Just how much unnecessary detail of what people are wearing, and sixties cultural references and events, do we need to persuade the reader of it’s setting in time and place?
Although the author talks about the world, it is clear that she means the US, American pride takes over, even whilst criticising its wartime policies, over sentimentalising and laying it on with a shovel.

This was so disappointing to me, waited a while and just felt like a whole other author wrote this compared to her other books, I loved the idea of a story from Vietnam but it was awful. Unbelieveable narrative and just could not relate or like any of the characters.
Also why do they persist on this site in only using PDF which renders awful on the Kindle and is all disjointed, with random letters everywhere? It makes it so hard to enjoy the flow of a book!

The Women is yet another hauntingly beautiful book by Kristin Hannah. I didn’t realise I loved historical fiction until I read The Four Winds and The Nightingale - The Women is up there with these masterpieces.

The book immerses you into the dreadful experiences and hardship faced, both in Vietnam and on return to the USA. It also addresses important topics around mental health and the fights for equality.

One thing I personally loved about this book is how it paralleled a time of one of my favourite films, Forest Gump. Born in the 80s, I knew nothing of this time apart from that film so it was really eye-opening to read more about the experiences of those who went through it.

Overall a fabulous read I would recommend!

I’ve never read anything by this author before and consequently had no idea what to expect. What can I say but brilliant! Such a powerful well written book. The descriptions were incredible and so vivid. The story flowed so well and my heart went out to Frankie the main character and her story which is so emotional for so many reasons. The book is split into two parts being the Vietnam years in part 1 and what happened next in path 2 which I didn’t really feel was necessary as it all flowed so well.

The only thing I didn’t particularly like was the title as it doesn’t prepare you for the drama of the book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Pan MacMillan for this ARC

An impressive and powerful story on many levels!

The Women, by Kristin Hannah.

A long awaited novel which enthralled me from the first page on. The author really has the gift of storytelling, shown again in this novel! Vietnam, 1966: not only men are fighting there, but also women fighting for those men's lives. Frankie is a 19 year-old nurse wanting to follow her brother to Vietnam to be closer to him... The reader has travelled with Frankie and can't let go: I felt her terror, helplessness, guilt, pride; I could smell the blood, heard the ratata of the enemy guns; I sweated with her through the vivid descriptions of the weather, countryside. Impressive writing style. I felt the deep and unconditional friendship with her two female friends.
However, the story does not end with the war. Indeed, a more personal war begins for all veterans, male and female. What I also found particularly interesting and deeply shocking are these inner fights: female nurses or soldiers were not considered veterans!!! Their own trauma was not acknowledged; their work was not acknowledged! How did Frankie deal with her new inner-self? Could she talk about it? A very difficult question in those days when women were supposed to be wives and mothers, only, when parents had other expectations for their daughters, when psychiatry was still in its infancy.
I also found the attitude of Americans about the Vietnam war and their veterans rather astounding and also disturbing...
Highly recommended.
I received an advanced copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

While I've enjoyed previous books by Hannah I struggled here.
Maybe it was my own mindset I'm unsure. But I just didn't like Frankie and I would have liked to see more women's stories. Instead we had a lot of characters but little development from them.

The Women
Kristin Hannah

Read and Reviewed: 5th Feb 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kristin Hannah does it again!

Wow, where to even start reviewing this book!

I've read both 'The Nightingale' and 'The Great Alone' previously by this author (with many more of her books on my TBR) so when I got approved an ARC of this one I was chuffed and it moved right to the top of my 'to be read' pile.

It was everything I expected it to be and more.

The Nightingale and The Great Alone were both 5 star reads for me and this one is no exception. It was absolutely fantastic from beginning to end and I was hooked from the very first page.

Kristin's writing is not merely narrative, it is a full on immersive experience. Everything was so descriptive and so vivid - reading it felt like I was watching an action-packed, gut wrenching movie at the cinema - it read so well. The story just flowed. The writing, in typical Kristin style was seamless and the characters were so well developed.

Frankie, the female main character is incredible and her story is so emotional and heart wrenching, I just had to keep reading to hear how her story unfolded. I cried at different parts throughout (particulary part 1) which is always proof of a great book for me.

The book is split into two parts - Part 1 covers Frankies time serving as an army nurse in Vietnam during the war years and part 2 focuses on Frankie's life after returning home to California and trying to pick up her life following on from her time and experience in Vietnam.

Part 1 was my favourite - Her time in Vietnam, meeting her fellow army nurses and the close bond and friendships she made over there as well as her falling in love and learning who she is all while in the middle of a war zone. It was heartwrenching and hard to read at times (as any books centred around war times generally are) but it was so so gripping, I couldnt put it down.

Frankie's time after returning home was perhaps even more troubling than her time in Vietnam. How little people understood, appreciated or even acknowledged the women in Vietnam was shocking to me.

Kristin has such a way with words. She is a fantastic author and I couldnt recommend this book enough. I have been on a lucky streak with books this year so far and have read 4 other 5 star reads (I read ALOT but I dont give out 5 stars easily) but this one has topped them all. I know it's gonna be in my top three books of 2024 at the end of the year....and I know its only February, but I'm 1000% certain.

It is simply a masterpiece.

It comes out on Feb 15th so get
pre-ordering Guys!!!!

I couldnt recommend this one more if I tried!

(I have another Kristin Hannah book 'The Four Winds' lined up to start at the weekend when I have some free time and I cant wait!)

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the author Kristin Hannah for this advanced reading copy prior to the publication date (15th Feb 2024) in exchange for my honest review.

The Women - 5/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Frankie McGrath is a nursing student and is at a party being thrown for her brother who is off to war in Vietnam. At the party, whilst in her father’s office, a guest asks why there are no pictures on the heroes wall of women at war. When Frankie explains that it is because men go to war she is told that women can be heroes too. This sentence gives her food for thought. Frankie impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps and follows in her brother’s path.

Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, the heartbreak that love can cause and the changed USA she comes home to. Will life ever be the same again.

Kristin Hannah tells a story so beautifully. Her stories never fail to move me as a reader. This book was so well written. It made me gasp at the parts I just didn’t expect and most of all it moved me to tears. The main fmc was such an amazing character from the growth in her at the beginning, to then fall down many times but still be strong enough to get through all the suffering was just so powerful. If you loved The Nightingale then you will absolutely adore this book. In fact I recommend this book to every reader. I just hope that the film adaptation does this book the justice it deserves. A well deserved 5 star book

Kristin Hannah really is the most incredible author. Having read and loved every one of her novels, I was so excited to get an arc for this one. Before reading this I knew nothing about the war in Vietnam, other than brief basic events. Frankie, the main character draws you in and you feel like you are travelling alongside her to work as a nurse in an evac camp in Vietnam, then accompanying her home once discharged. Obviously with the nature of this novel there are parts that make extremely hard and upsetting reading, but Hannah skillfully takes the reader through the stories of the nurses, soldiers and civilians with perfect balance. I’ve had my eyes opened to the treatment of the veteran men and women who came home from this war and the failings of the government on their part.
As always each character is beautifully written and every single one felt complex and real. I loved the detail, the settings and how the story reached its conclusion. It’s a long book and I finished it in 2 nights and will be rereading again in the not too distant future. It will be a book that stays with me for a very long time.
Thank you so much for this arc.

This book is about nurses during the Vietnam War, focusing on the main character Frankie. It is about her time as a nurse and the PTSD se suffers from aftrwards
It is a stunning read, not really for the faint hearted as there are some very upsetting scenes. Definitely recommend. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book