Exquisite writing once more from Kristin Hannah!! This is a epic tale of women and the prejudices they faced when putting themselves through extraordinary times.

Centred around the time of the Vietnam War, we are introduced to Frankie who is very close to her brother, Finley and he's about to set off to join the war effort. It's always been expected for the boys of the family to join the military and become 'heroes' so his path has always been determined. Frankie has always wanted more from her life, rather than the marriage/motherhood path expected of her so she surprises everyone by becoming a nurse who also serves in Vietnam. Her parents, father especially, aren't as happy with her career path and you really see the double standards of how they treat her brother to her choice. When tragedy hits, she's even more determined to follow her own path and become a hero in her own way and the reality of war really hits when she's landed in Vietnam and thrown in the deep end.

She also sees the lies that the American government are telling those back home and this is beautifully explored with the writing - how there are 2 sides to every story and the impact of those back home being told one thing that is very different from what is actually going on. She sees the cruelty and suffering of soldiers and the innocents in Vietnam and it's horrific to read at times.

As she returns home she also faces hatred from those protesting the war, and even dismissed by fellow soldiers who are adamant no women served in Vietnam. She was witness to the horrors and that really impacts on her mental state, even more so when her family aren't proud of her. She's a very different woman now and her experiences at home and abroad leave a lasting impact on her.

This was a absorbing and emotive read and I was totally swept up in the drama of it all. The author always has a way with her writing of making the characters so real and I was just in awe of Frankie and the other women she served with. Wonderful!!

In a way which is becoming a pattern whenever I read Kristin Hannah’s books, this one floored me emotionally at times. She has told a critically important story about the forgotten Vietnam veterans - the women who served tours in medical roles and were instrumental in saving so many American and Vietnamese lives. It is incredibly well researched and powerful.

Perhaps unfairly to the author, I went in with my usual very high expectations of a Kristin Hannah novel. This time however, I think she fell a little short. The writing style was very long-winded and I think would have benefitted from some more editing down. I don’t like romance novels generally but romantic themes always seem to be a sub-plot in her novels, complementing the central historical fiction story well - in this case, however, the relationships were central to the plot, and felt quite cliched and unrealistic.

The overall plot wasn’t strong or developed enough, in my opinion, but this was still a good read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Macmillan for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful, heartbreaking and powerful book. I loved reading about a period in history I don't usually read about, and I immediately went to research more about the Vietnam War. The friendships in this story were my favourite - what wonderful characters Kristin Hannah has created. I thought Frankie was an incredible character, she's resilient and courageous, vulnerable and unforgettable, and I loved her journey and character development, her struggles and emotions were so real, and at times, completely heartbreaking. The descriptions of the war were so vivid, and the amount of research that went into this book is clear. The ending was maybe a little bit too neat but I loved it, and I found myself tearing up in the last few chapters.

This book not only taught me a lot about a situation I knew little about, it also managed to touch me. Like all Kristin Hannah's books. This is not my favourite, but both the story and the characters were interesting. What did disappoint me is that no Vietnamese character plays an important role in the book. I would have liked to have seen more from that point of view.

Another great read from this author covering a period of history, the Vietnam War that’s often hidden away in plain sight, Frankie takes on the role of a nurse following the death of her brother tragically killed in action. Life changes dramatically for her within the first few hours of service, her eyes are opened to the horrors of war as she’s thrown into the deep end, and not just medically but mentally as she supports military servicemen in the last hours of their lives. Friendships and relationships are formed in extreme circumstances whilst in a vulnerable state and under duress. Re entry to normal life is nothing like she believes it will be, Vietnam vets faced hostility from the public, the media and from their own families. Post traumatic stress was not recognised at the time and Frankie drifts into a dark place, fortunately there are people out there willing to help.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review

A difficult subject matter and one I didn’t know a great deal about other than it being the war America was ashamed of or seemed to be. This wasn’t my favourite book by this author but nevertheless and as always the plot was developed well and characters interesting.

Since i first read The Nightingale i have looked forward too and gone back and read all of Kristin Hannah books.

Kristin Hannah has done it again she takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that will have you gripped and enthralled and appalled as to what happens to characters in this story.

At first it took a few chapters in for me to feel anything for the main character and that was a worry for me, but as we arrived in Vietnam the FMC came into her own and the emotional journey she goes through from her time in NAM and after.

Heartbreaking and tear jerking would highly recommend

OMG. Thank you so much for this arc. I have been making my way very slowly through this book for the last week. I didn’t want it to end. It was perfection. I felt like I was in the trenches with these women. So many gut wrenching moments and Frankie is an absolute hero. I have adored everything I have read by Kristin Hannah but I think this may be my new fav. Bravo, a triumph of a book. I cannot praise it enough!!! 5 stars

Historical fiction is not my genre of choice but there’s just something about the way Kristin Hannah writes that always makes me come back for me. This one was no exception and I binged it in a day. It’s never the setting of her books that stands out for me, it’s always her characterisation of women and their lives that makes her books exceptional.

Powerful story set in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
Frances (Frankie) adores her older brother and once her nurse training is finished she decides to follow him to Vietnam, so her photo can appear on her father's ‘hero wall’. Unfortunately, Fin is killed before she can get there. The trauma of the Vietnam war is hard reading in places, the awful living/working conditions of the hospitals, the relentlessness of some days. Yet somehow, fronds are made, friendships start.
Coming home is just as traumatic for Frankie, the description of trying to adjust to life on civvie street is also well described.
Powerfully written, descriptive and remembering the women who weren’t there, ‘There were no women in ‘Nam’!
Engaging, thoughtful and respectful.

I love Kristin Hannah books and I was delighted to get the opportunity to review her newest book. I loved the plot of the story and I was gripped from start to finish! I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future!

One of the best books I have read in a long time about a subject I knew nothing about. I had no interest in the subject but now I want to learn more. ​

Emotions went high and low following Frankie’s story. Her family life before and after being a nurse in Vietnam. The men she loved and the ones who hurt her.

Kristen Hannah is queen of of setting her books in challenging eras of history and presenting us with incredible and fascinating fictional tales..

I was quickly drawn into this story. We follow 21 year old Frankie from California, who, after losing her brother to the war, chooses to sign up to be an army nurse in the Vietnam war despite having minimal experience.

I was fascinated, mesmerized, shocked and heartbroken by the first half of the story which is Frankies time in Vietnam. I loved her relationship with her colleagues and was hooked listening to all the trials and challenges they themselves and the poor injured suffered.
I was horrified to read how society reacted to her on her return to USA two years later.

I did feel the story lost momentum into the second half of the book and the romantic elements felt far fetched and cliche, it was still a great read but I felt The Nightingale, The Four Winds, Magic Hour and The Great Alone were far better novels on the whole.

I'm ashamed to admit that my knowledge of the Vietnam war is slim, and boils down to what I've gleaned from watching Miss Saigon (and listening to the soundtrack a gazillion times) so it was educational , fascinating and unique having insight from the point of view of an American nurse.

Having lived a very sheltered existence on the coast of California, Frances (Frankie) surprises everyone when she joins the Army as a nurse in order to follow her brother out to Vietnam.

The non stop action in Vietnam was really gripping but it was the struggles that Frankie and the others faced when they returned home that I found really facilitating. Hannah does a brilliant job of describing Frankie’s PTSD, and at a time when no one knew the meaning of the word.

I’ve not read a book set in the Vietnam War before and really leant a lot from it, as well as encouraging me to do some of my own research.
I also appreciated the unpredictable romantic storylines that ran through the book.

This was so nearly a 5 star read but it just lost a bit of momentum towards the end, nonetheless it was a fantastic and eye opening read which I’d really recommend to fans of historical fiction

Where do you even start with a masterpiece like this. Beautiful, captivating, heartbreaking and groundbreaking doesn't sum it up. Such a fantastic story of courage and bravery. Each page pulls you in a.little bit more and before you know it you are consumed. Absolutely sublime

Wow. I know Hannah is an incredible writer and storyteller but heck, what an amazing book. An intensely emotional story, strong characters, well researched historical, traumatic and uplifting story.
At times it was incredibly upsetting and frustrating to say the least, from a woman’s perspective, but that’s the history that women do know about. A thought provoking tale of a woman’s experience in the middle of the Vietnam war. I knew little about the Vietnam war apart from the films and documentaries I had watched but I didn’t know women were sent to Vietnam for example. But then hardly surprising since women never got recognition for what they achieved back in that era, as well as the awful attitude towards all war veterans who served their country in the Vietnam war. It wasn't enough they had physical and mental signs of trauma, returning to a country that went on without them, but also they returned to a country that despised what they stood for.
To note, I don’t provide praise to an author just because they are an internationally known veteran writer, regardless of how a book is written. Credit where credit is due and this book deserves praise. So this story gets five stars but also deserves a standing ovation. Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

Kristin Hannah is a great writer, this cannot be disputed. Her books are always exceptionally well researched and the subject matter of women during the Vietnam War is well treated and something that is not often written about a well overdue.

The Women starts as a very pacy book and the descriptions of Frankie as a new nurse signing up to be shipped overseas during the Vietnam War are exceptional. I was on the edge of my seat and I really felt very affected by the unflinching descriptions of wartime hospitals.

After Frankie returns and tries to find a normality after war is where the book does drag slightly. The incredibly fast paced and exciting first half means that the second half feels slow and a little laboured, but it's still a very good book and one that taught me a huge amount about Vietnam.

This was the first book I’ve read by Kristin Hannah, but was desperate to read one of her novels as I had heard such great things. I was not disappointed.

Kristin Hannah has a beautiful writing style and technique that captivates readers and completely draws them into the story and lives of her characters. I was thoroughly absorbed in the plot and felt every emotion through the page. Amazing!

Frances (Frankie) McGrath signs up to go to Vietnam as a nurse. It's nothing like she's ever experienced before as she was a young and inexperienced nurse. However with the help of her 2 good friends, she finds a way through the extreme conditions of the OR. Two years later she's home, but shocked by the attitude towards Vets and the war.
She struggles with Chronic PTSD which affects everything. Unable to be recognised that she served there because she was a woman, was another debating factor which hindered her healing.
I was so invested in Frankie's story that this book kept me up reading in the small wee hours!
Beautifully written and meticulously researched, I really enjoyed this story of war, society, attitudes, sexism, love, relationships, loss, trauma and so much more

I have read and loved a few of the authors books, so I was excited to see this come up on Netgally. I was not disappointed. An emotional and gripping read the whole way through. I really liked that it was a war story not about WW1 or 2, I learnt a lot about the Vietnam war, and it definitely had me almost in tears a few times!