As the blurb says "Women can be Heroes" and this book shines a spotlight on the stories of those heroes whose stories are rarely told. A beautiful story, but harrowing and heartbreaking in equal measures.

I did really enjoy the story, but I didn't like the lead character. For me, Frankie came across as a childish, rich girl who lacked any redeeming characteristics to make her likeable. However, I did root for her and her journey which is a credit to the author that can make you care about a character you don't like.
The other Women were the characters that I rooted for. Their camaraderie and growth made the story for me. Their story is one so rarely told, as is highlighted in the story - There are no women in Vietnam - and it is a story that deserves to be told and learned about.

Even though this is a hard story with sad parts it is a binge-able book. Grab this for a weekend read. Grab the tissues and bottle of wine and enjoy The Women.

“The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn't quite yet ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words. We were there.”

If a book can make the war images less horrific than the post war personal struggles, then the author is doing a great job. Kristian Hannah's The Women addresses specifically the Vietnam war nurses who were refused acknowledgement as veterans through the eyes of Frankie Mcgrath.

1960s US, where war was the business of men, Frankie Mcgrath idolises her brother and volunteers to the war cause to become a hero. Just before she sets off, she gets the news of her brother's death and the parents are not happy about her leaving. The first part of the book depicts in detail the Vietnam life at the camps with MASCAL (mass casuality), gory images of war and a coping mechanism with friends. Frankie's friends for life turn out to be her bunk mates Ethel and Barb.

Frankie faces advances from many men, mostly married and the engaged far from home, but her idealism holds stead and ultimately becomes her undoing. She extends her service by a year to support the worsening condition at Vietnam with more and more civilians getting attacked. Through mails from home, we get to see the polarised view of the war back home and even the army is not sure if they have a plan.

When she ultimately returns, she is shocked by the ignominy she faces from the public. Her parents are ashamed of her and she finds herself haunted by specters from the war. I thought it became a bit of an overkill with too many things happening repeatedly - my own limitation at wanting good things to happen to good people. When she joins the movement to end the war, she is neither considered a veteran or faces constant denial of the fact that women were there in Vietnam.

The book ultimately tries to bring to light the lives of many such women who did not get their due post war despite seeing much worse. I feel, this book is timely, given the wars around the world making heroes and villains out of human beings who can bleed and feel.

Kristin Hannah is back with another meticulously researched historical novel. I love the way that her books shine a light on the forgotten women of history - in this case, the nurses of the Vietnam War. The Women tells the story of sheltered, upper class Frankie McGrath who defies her parents to enlist as a nurse in the army. The book doesn’t shy away from the brutality and futility of war and its impacts on survivors. It follows her during her tours in Vietnam and then again when she returns to America to try and make a life for herself whilst dealing with PTSD. It’s moving, beautiful and sad, and I loved it.

This book was by far my favourite so far this year and it will stay with me for a long time!

Set during the Vietnam War, Frankie McGrath decided to follow her brother and serve her country. What followed was incredible loss, self discovery and strength that she didn't know that she had. One of the biggest battles, however, was when she returned from war and her reintroduced into a world that she'd left behind.

I was hooked on this book. It was so beautifully written and inspring, it was hard not to be drawn in. Frankie is an incredibly strong woman, reading about her journey from pre-war to war and then to post-war brought out emotions in me that a book hasn't done for a while. I felt each of her losses but also her determination and love for her duty as a nurse. I'm looking forward to reading whatever Kristin Hannah writes next!

#TheWomen #NetGalley

Kristin Hannah is truly one of the most talented authors of our generation. No other author can so easily make me feel so deeply. Thsiu story was just gorgeously written and each character was fully realised. The cast of Vietnam, how they have a cheery outlook mixed with despair as a true reflection of the human condition, and the life once they return to the States. Navigating the fallout of the war and then trying to find who they truly are again was just gorgeous. Every page of this book was filled with compassion, emotion and love.

Tears, a raw emotional powerful read, but what a book! This book stands out amongst the rest, loved it!

Coronado Island in California, May 1966 and Frances McGrath, Frankie is sad at the thoughts of her brother Finley about to head off to war, to Vietnam.
Frankie brought up to be a lady, from a wealthy family, expected to marry well, makes a snap decision to follow Finley to war, to be a nurse, to make a difference.
She will certainly make a difference, but at what cost to Frankie?

This is such an emotional and powerful book from the start. I don’t know much about the Vietnamese war, other than snippets I have seen on television, or read about. Certainly an eye opener and I learned about it through this book, which the author researched and took many years before it came to fruition, from reading the acknowledgements at the end.
I feel and felt this book to my core. There were tears. Blood, gore, everything a war could evoke and does.
Those brave women who put themselves forward to make a difference, do what they could.
I was engrossed throughout and will always remember this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this exceptional book

man oh man where to start with this one

women were never in Vietnam

thats what they heard when they came home, they were spat at, not believeable and made to feel inferior, even the vets didnt believe they were over there

and this is their story

they were there, they lived through some horrific times but they served to the best of their abilities and had to survive on their own wits with no help from family or friends

wow its a powerful story and one that will bring tears to your eyes, i couldnt put it down

California, May 1966, and the McGrath family are hosting a farewell and good luck party for their son, Finlay, who has joined the navy and is leaving for service in Vietnam. Frankie, his sister, is a nurse and feels that she should join up and offer her services as a nurse in Vietnam, in the hope of keeping in closer touch with her brother. She is rejected by the Navy and the Air Force, but accepted to serve in the Army. As she is readying for departure the sad news of her brother’s death is given to the family who endeavour to stop Frankie - but too late.

She spends two years in close company with Ethel and Babs and the three become close friends for life. We learn of the awful situations the wounded personnel had to endure and the lifesaving attempts that so often failed. The author creates an extremely vivid picture of the terrors of the Vietnam war and the comradeship created by the situation.
After their two years of service Ethel and Babs return to their homes in the Stares and Frankie becomes the leading nurse, training and helping other rookies to adjust to the awful situation.

When she eventually returns to the USA she finds that she is virtually an outcast as nobody seems to support those who fought on behalf of their country. Even her parents refuse to talk about it and she discovers that they led friends to believe that she had gone to Venice and not Vietnam. As PTSD gets a grip on her she takes to drink and drugs but no veterans organisations offer her help or support as she is a woman.. Will she ever get back to a normal life?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’ve never met a Kristin Hannah book I didn’t love.

I never read historical stuff because (shock horror) I don’t like history. My friends tell me that this is a ridiculous statement because what are we without history? I was sceptical about how I’d take to ‘The Women’ because of it being about Vietnam, but it only took about two paragraphs for me to entirely buy-in. What a beautiful, horrific tale; one which could very easily be entirely true.

An excellent, well-researched, moving book about a period of history I knew very little about. It follows the journey of Frankie as she enlists for Vietnam as a nurse. It was so well-written and I was drawn into the story from the first line. The author managed to convey a devastating period of time that is unimaginable to many and I appreciated the level of research undertaken. I enjoyed both parts of the book - perhaps the second half a little more although I did have to suspend belief a little bit when both Kye and Jamie were both alive towards the end. The only thing I would change is the title - it’s not really about women but more of Frankie herself. The title also doesn’t convey the power of the story. Otherwise, it’s an exceptional book that I will be recommending.

I’ve seen this book about quite a lot recently and when I saw it I had to read it.

This book, although fictional, is based on true events and is extremely well researched with the author interviewing men and women who served their time in Vietnam.

It takes you on a woman’s journey as she follows her brother into Vietnam to help save the men fighting in the war. As a nurse her job is a vital one but one that when stepping into the country she is ill prepared for. The book is monumentally emotional and I’ve cried numerous times at Frankie’s pain, loves and losses. I myself have learned lots about the Vietnam war and all its many casualties. I didn’t realise how bad the veterans were originally treated on their return home and I found it utterly heartbreaking. The women particularly had a rough break, something I could never imagine dealing with or putting up with but of course times have changed.

An epic read that I highly recommend but make sure you have a box of tissues to hand because I guarantee you’ll need them!

And what women they were!
Novel starts in California in 1967, a seemingly spoilt girl Frankie belongs to the perfect, moneyed family along with her Idolised older brother Finlay. Frankie worships Finlay, dresses to please her social climbing Mother and respects her Father.
Finlay like a lot of boys his age joins up to fight in Vietnam, the family are proud of him, until the heart-breaking news arrives of his death with no remains to be buried. Everyone deals with this news in their own way, Frankie enrols to be a nurse, her Mother drinks more than usual and her Father keeps his grief to himself.
Frankie can not get over her brothers death and thinks of him constantly, she decides to go to Vietnam as a nurse, her parents object. When Frankie arrives in Vietnam, she is thrown into the deep end, helping with casualties and becoming an O.T. nurse, dealing with horrific injuries and comforting dying men. She is sharing a hut with Barb and Ethel, both experienced nurses who look after her. The heat, dust, dirt, and the constant shifts are just some of the mind numbing conditions they encounter. Frankie falls for Jamie a Surgeon but upon finding out he is engaged breaks up with him, when news comes of his death she is devastated. The three girls try to enjoy their off duty time and forge an enduring friendship. Frankie meets someone else Rye, who she plans to meet when she gets home.
The story of Frankie's and other Veterans homecoming is shocking, and difficult for them. The attitude towards the Nurses and other women who went to Vietnam is that Women did not serve, so they are invisible with no help available for them.
This book was so descriptive in its detail of emotions, injuries and injustice, it will stay with me for a long time.
Thank you Kristen and NetGalley

This is yet another amazing book by Kristin Hannah but one I found very hard to read due to the intense war zone scenes.

Siblings, Finlay and Frances "Frankie" McGrath are living charmed lives in a walled and gated community on Coronado Island in San Diego. Their parents are leading lights in the community and one wall of their beautiful home is devoted to family history with photos of their ancestors who have done great and good things including many soldiers. It is the late 1960s and Finlay, a Naval Academy graduate, is set to join the 'great and good' photos on the wall as he sets off to fight for his country in Vietnam.

Frankie, who is training as a nurse, decides to make her family proud and signs up to go to Vietnam too. Her parents are horrified and beg her to change her mind. They see military service as a male thing only.

Frankie does go to Vietnam and quickly makes two close friends in nursing colleagues Ethel and Barb. She also falls in love with some men but with heartbreaking consequences given the jeopardy the military face every day in Vietnam. I had to skim read the first half of the book as the medical situations that Frankie was in are very graphic and upsetting. I really couldn't stomach any more scenes of people turning up in Frankie's care clutching detached and bloodied limbs or napalmed children. It was too much gore. I almost gave up reading the book because of this but decided to skim read until the narrative moved back to California for the second half of the book.

The main story here was that there'd been a huge shift in the opinion of the American public during the late 60s regarding this war. Those returning were not considered heros but quite the opposite for having been involved in a war that so many were protesting against. The homecoming and subsequent years were even harder for the women, mostly nurses, returning as the general opinion was that 'there were no women in Vietnam'. This was a constant refrain in the book.

I am assuming that Kristin's Hannah's writing of the harsh homecoming those returning from Vietnam got, especially the women, is historical fact. I can't stomach reading more on this topic but assume it is indeed what happened.

Having visited Coronado Island a few times since my first visit in 1981 I was a little confused as to the many mentions of 'the ferry' as there is a magnificent bridge to get there from the main part of San Diego. It only dawned on me part way through the book that this bridge was only built and opened in the late 1960s - hence the many ferry mentions as that was the only transportation back and forth then. The ferry is still running to this day to my interest. I must go on that if ever I have the good fortune to visit Coronado Island again in my life. It is a beautiful place.

It's a great story, in Kristin Hannah's very talented style but I was a very hard read for me with the blood and gore. I did enjoy the second half a lot and loved the ending. With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read anything by this author before, so had no expectations. The considerable hype and the blurb drew me in, but sadly this book fell very short for me.
I could not connect with the privileged, self- centred Frankie, who men instantly fall in love with, she comes across as shallow and two dimensional. Having joined up to nurse in Vietnam in her naive wish to join her recently enlisted brother there, she instantly regrets her rash decision, before she even arrives in Vietnam.
The harrowing description of the hell- hole that is the medical camp, just goes on and on, in unremitting horror.
The entire narrative is overly descriptive, and I speed read through it. I wasn’t sufficiently interested in reading Frankie’s story, nor did I care if she achieved her goal of making her parents as proud of her as they were of her brother. The title is a misnomer, as it’s really just about one woman, Frankie. The others are incidental to her story. Not for me, this one.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

3.5 stars

"The Women" started of strong and I really enjoyed the first half of the novel, but the second half was somewhat of a let down. Because the book covered such a long timespan it felt rather rushed in some places. The ending also felt a little too unrealistic for my tastes.

A fantastic book which I devoured. I loved the story about a young girl who decides she wants to go to Vietnam to nurse the wounded during the Vietnam War in the Sixties. I was right there as I read it and couldn't get enough of it. Highly recommend. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

What a rollercoaster of a book! The Women has hidden depths and will take you to dark places but it also has humour, family, love and sisterhood. The women who went out to Vietnam are usually airbrushed out of history and this story puts them firmly back in the forefront. Times and morals were different in the 1960s and Kristen Hannah has done a great job of capturing the changing attitudes of the time. A great read!

Fantastic!!! The Women is a rollercoaster read, bringing to life the forgotten women who courageously served during the Vietnam war. At times a hard read as Kristin Hannah does not shy away from the brutality of war and its effects on the people involved, shocking also with how the veterans were treated upon their return to America.
This book made me laugh, made me angry, made me smile and made me cry - I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Women.

This book is exactly why I read. The sort of story that grips you and you just can’t stop thinking about when you have to put it down.

I didn’t know much about the Vietnam war and am so glad of the opportunity to learn more.

This book has all the feels that we expect from a Kristin Hannah. The bond you feel with the characters, the feeling of dread that things cannot carry on and everything will come tumbling down.

I fear this book has spoiled me for future reads. 5* read from me.

My first book by this author and it definitely deserves the 5 star review I’m giving it. I literally couldn’t put it down. Not an easy read for sure, it made me laugh and also made me cry. I didn’t know too much about the history of the Vietnam war and this was viewing it from a different perspective. Read this- you won’t be disappointed.