When I finished this book with tears streaming down my face I thought long and hard as to how I could write a review to do it justice and I can’t … I will never be able to convey what a completely heartbreaking but superlative reading experience it was and it’s a book that will remain with me forever. I really admire Kristin Hannah as she has written a story that was so well researched that it was hard to believe it wasn’t true but even though not true the facts are and I broke my heart so many times whilst reading about the wonderful people and just what horrors they witnessed. Although a really hard read it’s also a story of hope and love and along with the terrible times it portrayed the camaraderie between the characters and how much they cared for each other. I can’t say more my words are not enough so please don’t miss this book it deserves to be read and I promise you it’s amazing. A read that is top of my favourite books ever and a book I will never, ever forget and thank you Kristin Hannah for bringing this book into my life it deserves more stars then I can give.
My thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A stunner of a read that made me weep at the end.

I had never much given this subject a thought. I know this only has marginal similarities but my Mom “done her bit” (as she used to say, in the War.)
My Great gran too.
My Great gran was a midwife and she saw some suffering during those times BUT nothing compared to this within the historical telling of NAM.

We all are aware of the heroes who fought.
The ones who never came home or POWS.

I never gave a thought to the nurses during wartimes did you?
What they had to deal with, what they saw, the dedication and long hours the state of which they had to live. The emotional affects on them as well as the angst and stress. The loneliness yet the gelling together of folk from all walks of life “making a difference”.

And much more I could say, but I won’t. It’s best to read it.

Coming home.

Men were recognised as heroes dead or alive.
Women?
“There were no Women at NAM” was the reply.
Only ones serving and fighting.

Only the ones that were injured or survived.
Only the men.

Only the men saw the horrors.

All was not acknowledged about THE WOMEN.
The women who saw bodies torn, amputated, hanging on through a thread. Prioritising those who needed assistance and those that wouldn’t make it and holding their hand.


This writing as only Kristine Hannah could do impacted on me. Much more than I thought or even realised yet…..
There was Hope, there was Love, there were equal sadness and also a disservice towards The Women .

They didn’t actually Fight physically out there in the scheme of things but they fought, oh yes, they fought. They fought caring for the soldiers whose bodies were broken and bombed, helicopters shot down, waiting for incoming men and young teens, the sights they saw, and the place they laid their heads, washing, clothes, smells.

The un forgotten heroes.
The Women. …….

And the The Men.

I personally cannot imagine the pain and suffering.

Help after the war?
There were places for men to get help.
Was there for women?
No.

The romance within these pages were so well done.
You never knew if you’d wake up tomorrow so should a “good girl” grab love today?

It’s brutal. It’s honest. It’s not all doom and gloom yet it’s a part of history that needed to be told, even if it’s fictionalised.

I’m definitely buying a physical copy to add to my bookshelf with other of Kristine Hannah’s books.

You can rely on her for the emotional journey.

What a brilliant read!
Frances McGrath has signed up to the army, she's off to Vietnam and her life will change, but so will her family, her friends, her ideals and morals and her country.

Based on truth ut written in through a fictional character Kristin Hannah has tackled the subject of women muses in Vietnam with such a raw frankness that the story is a compelling read. Being British, I had small knowledge of the america and the Vietnam war. I had no knowledge of the female nurses and was simply blown away by this book. It's grilling and gritty but not a taxing read, because you get so deep into the characters and care so much about Frances. Hannah writes with such ease, the whole story ebbs and flows brilliantly. I laughed, I cried, I swore and I couldn't believe it. I'm partial to lighthearted read, and whilst this is definitely no rom-com, it is phenomenal. It feels so real and you'll find yourself so frustrated with the things that happen, appalled by the attriocities of war and hurt by the reactions of the world but you'll also feel love, support and sheer determination.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

This is a tough book to review as to me it was a book in two parts. The first part Interesting and a look and feel of the Vietnam war from the inside. The second half was predictable and trite and a big disappointment for me.
Frankies brother has been killed in Vietnam and her family can’t cope. When Frankie decides to enlist only the army will take her without the mandatory two year training. Of course the war is nothing like she envisages, the horror of it all, the carnage and injuries, the hundreds of deaths. The bombing of the innocents caused by the American troops. It’s a place where you form bonds that last a life time if you live long enough. It’s a story in the first half of love and loss and a coming of age of Frankie. She makes 2 life long friends in her bunk mates, and looses two loves to the war. After two tours Frankie is home and suffers like most veterans from PTSD. She is also maddened to find that the women in the war are not recognised. She drinks and starts taking pills and her life slowly unravels.

It covers a time I remember from my childhood. The flower power, the hippies, marches and anti war speeches. It has certainly encouraged me to find out more about the Vietnam war and its aftermath.
My score would be 3.5 if we did half scores but the engrossing first part lifts it to 4

#TheWomen #NetGalley

This book grabbed me right from the start and I had to keep turning the pages. It was at times difficult to read because the harrowing scenes were made so real. I know it's a cliche, but I think this book deserves the moniker 'must read'. So important to acknowledge what happened in Vietnam and its aftermath, as well as recognising that women did go to Vietnam and did suffer the consequences.

This is a tremendous story. Looking at the progress of the Vietnam war from a female perspective. Coming from a long line of heroes, all male, we follow Frances, "Frankie" and her experiences. From signing up as a naive twenty one year old, she is quickly immersed in the brutal world of conflict and its horrors. Often all she can do is hold the hand of a man as he dies. Her female friendships with Barb and Ethel pull her through the long brutal days and nights.She ducks and dives through male attention refusing to to get involved with married men.Completing not just one tour but signing up for another she finds the love of her life. This war is not easy on romance. Returning to the USA, Frankie finds that sentiment towards the Vietnam war has changed.
Kristin Hannah has done an amazing amount of research into this war and its aftermath. As usual the story and characters and relationships are engaging. This is a great read and highly recommended

Is it too early to have a potential book of the year for 2024, even though we’re still in 2023?

This book was simply breathtaking. Following naive, privileged Frankie as she volunteers to be an army nurse in Vietnam, her whole belief system is tested. With a focus on the female experience in a war where many believed there weren’t any women. Not only are the scenes of war harrowing but the after effects are explored with authenticity and depth.

Kristin Hannah proves yet again what an extraordinarily talented writer she is. The Nightingale is one of my favourite books and The Women shared many of the same qualities. It is a story of courage, strength and resilience and I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough. Brilliant.

Where to begin??? This is a MUST READ, and certainly in my top ten of the year. The setting is the war in Viet Nam and the nurses who served on the front lines. The main character is Frances Grace McGrath-“frankie” - and she is the linchpin around which the novel is related. The first half is the war itself and the trauma scenes are so well depicted that you will feel as if you were there on the front lines of the hospitals.The second half while still focused on her, also depicts the aftermath for those who served and the ambivalence if not outright hatred they were greeted with by their country when they returned home-a country that turned their back on their sacrifice.Their struggles to gain respect, their sanity, their mental and physical health, their battle to overcome their addictions are heart rending. And if you are not moved by the final chapter, with the unveiling of the Viet Nam War memorial,and the emotional scene in which her father tearfully apologizes to his daughter, then you are a better man than I am Gunga Din. For me on a personal level I was a young Navy doctor at a naval hospital during these years, and though I never served in “ Nam”, I became all too familiar with the PTSD these men and women suffered in its aftermath. If you are of my generation I DARE you to read this book without shedding many a tear. It is a great and a must read.

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I recommend Kristin Hannah’s book to anyone that will listen, with The Four Winds being one of my all-time favourites, so I was really happy to see she had written a new one.

As always, a real eye-opening & emotional story of love, family, friendship & bravery. I think this is the first book I have read about Vietnam and I always enjoy a story based somewhere new to me.

Kristin Hannah’s book always have me absorbed from the first chapter.

Another absolute 5 star read.

Kristin Hannah is one of my favourite authors and she has yet again written another phenomenal book.
Aged 21, nurse Frankie McGrath enlists into the US army and sets off for Vietnam. She hopes to serve her country, save lives and return a hero.
She is faced with the harsh reality of war as she reports for duty and this is is her story of love, family, friendship, bravery and battling PTSD when she returns.
Hannah’s research is very thorough and her storytelling is just wonderful. I didn’t realise how much truth was withheld from the US citizens by the government and the hostility the returning servicemen and women endured on their return.
One of the best books I’ve read this year and I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Easy 5 stars for me, this was amazing to read. I’ve never actually read anything to do with Vietnam so this was definitely an eye opening story for me and not being funny but this Author is never level with her story telling. I started reading and it sucked me in on the first page and I couldn’t stop reading. The characters were so well thought of and built, i was always rooting the the main character ‘Frankie’ and how she and women back in those days were oppressed and it mad me angry in places. Lots of feelings and thoughts. You cannot go wrong with this author and yet again she’s done amazing, giving these women a voice finally.

In 1965 Frankie’s brother has joined the navy and is going to Vietnam, she decides to volunteer as an Army Nurse and follow him out there.
An incredible story of bravery, dedication and the friends she made along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.