Like all Kristin Hannah books, this one makes you live the experience. Vietnam ended when I was very young. My family was not involved, so we lived our lives in a medium-sized West Texas town. Vietnam was something I studied in classes from high school to college in a very brief, maybe 10 minute, lecture. Honestly, I think we ran out of time to cover recent history.

Frankie McGrath hears that women can be heroes, so she enlists as a nurse in the army only to discover the death of her brother in Vietnam where he should have had a pretty safe job. The army is the only branch of the military that will take a nurse--without stateside service--immediately to Vietnam. Arriving in Vietnam after leaving her wealthy family on Coronado Island, California, Frankie becomes an outstanding nurse. She's gradually brought in to the intense war nursing, beginning in the neuro area. She finds that she possesses the strength to sit with men as they are in pain, in recover, and while dying. She remembers names and their stories. As in all intense situations in life, she forms lasting friendships. Afterall, they go through hell together and help one another survive. The other two nurses--Barb and Ethel--become Frankie's lifeline for her entire life. When Frankie is transferred to Playco (I listened to the story, so my spelling could be incorrect and probably is), she finds that friendship knows no bounds. Barb won't let her go alone and goes with her into war hell. Nursing at Placo means being a combat nurse with bombs and electricity going off frequently. In the midst of all of this horrific war, Frankie does fall in love with two men, both of whom are presumed dead. Hannah doesn't ignore any parts of the horrors of the Vietnam War, including the fact that some bodies are still missing.

The novel doesn't stop at the war. Ms. Hannah continues to reveal the horrors of the war when the veterans returned. When Frankie returns to the states, she is spit upon and told that women didn't serve. She's unable to get any help for her PTSD, which is just becoming a diagnosed condition. She ends up spiraling downward because her family doesn't know how to help. Her mother offers her pills to face the day and pills to sleep after a miscarriage while her dad fails to acknowledge her as a military family hero who served her country, refusing to add her picture to their wall of service. She does meet a man at a rally where veterans are asking for acknowledgement that she attends with Barb. This man proves to be the most important man in her life as far as I'm concerned because he knows how to get her help.

As for romance, the novel "touches" on it. Yes, she falls in love with two men during Vietnam and has a relationship after Vietnam, but the romance is very secondary. When I asked my friend if I should listen to the book, she gave the book an 8 overall and the romance a 6/7. I would give the romance a 5. Also, I would have added an epilogue for a year later because the end was too abrupt in regards to romance. We go through so much with Rye and then have a romantic ending was jarring. Overall, for me, the book was a 9 because I felt like I was in Vietnam and in the time period afterward. I lived her life with her and it was hard. I like how she can make history so real. ( )

Kristin Hannah has told an emotional story of the Vietnam War and the women who served as nurses, as well as the toll the war took on the country, the veterans, and the families.
Frankie McGrath is a young nurse, and after her brother leaves for Vietnam, she joins the army so she can also go to Vietnam. At just 21, she is not prepared for the devastation, the horrors, the terrors, and the tragedy. In these intense situations, she is drawn to various men but tries to resist them for various reasons.
I was a child during the Vietnam War, so this book taught me a great deal about the attitudes of the country and the way veterans, both men and women were treated. Frankie's story, while fictional, is truly resonant of the tolls of war.
I LOVED IT! ( )

This book was my favorite of Kristin Hannah's books. It made me cry and I also learned things I never knew about Vietnam. ( )

The Women by Kristin Hannah was the April selection of my book club which focuses on novels featuring interesting women, usually within the historical fiction genre. The women noted by the title were US Army nurses serving in Vietnam. The story revolves around one in particular, and Hannah puts her through the ringer! We found the political and cultural context of the book interesting. All of our members were born in the 1960s, but were too young to actually know what was going on in the adult life of our country. All I remember is watching Walter Cronkite sharing the death toll of our servicemen. This book takes the reader into the dangerous world of the women who no one wanted to admit actually went to Vietnam. While many returning veterans were treated horribly, the women who risked their lives to provide healing and comfort, were also hit with abysmal treatment by the Veterans Administration. The book was definitely an eye-opener. Beautifully written, it does not shy away from the graphic side of the war, nor the obstacles and problems for those who came home. The Women is an excellent book club choice — we had a really great discussion. Please note that this novel was published for the general market. All adult warnings are included.

Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience Adults.

(I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

“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.”

The Women by Kristin Hannah follows twenty-one-year-old Frances “Frankie” Grace McGrath, a sheltered young woman from an affluent family, who enlisted as a nurse during the Vietnam War. The narrative follows Frankie through the years of the war and the decades that follow.

There is a lot to like about this novel. The author writes with compassion and the narrative flows well. The fact that the author wanted to tell the story of the women who served in the Vietnam War, giving those whose contributions have been ignored a voice, renders this novel remarkable in its scope and intention. I loved how the author describes the camaraderie between friends and colleagues, their support for one another, the resilience, compassion and bravery of the women who served and the sacrifices they made. I also liked how the author incorporated the public outcry and protests back home - the mixed feelings about the war and those who served and the politics of the time - into the narrative. The author’s unflinching depiction of PTSD and how so many people could not find the help they needed to cope with the trauma they carried back home was heartbreaking as were the descriptions of the horrors of war (some of which were more than a little difficult to read) was realistic and thought-provoking and despite the story being set in years of the Vietnam War and its aftermath, the issues that she has raised are both crucial and relevant even in today’s world.

Unfortunately, there are a few issues that prevent me from giving this novel a higher rating. I was invested in Frankie’s journey and was eager to see how she evolved from a privileged young woman whose sheltered upbringing could not have prepared her for what she would have to endure. The weak character development, the focus on her love life, and the stereotypical and slightly disrespectful representation of the men (with whom she gets romantically involved) who serve their country did not make for pleasant reading and detracted from the overall experience. The ending was poignant, but again, the author’s choice to provide a “happy” (melodramatic) ending lessened the overall impact.

Both Ethel and Barb were well thought out characters ( in fact, I found them more interesting than Frankie). Though we do get to know their stories in segments interspersed throughout the novel, mostly through Frankie’s interactions with them, I feel the author has missed an opportunity to further enrich the narrative. In my humble opinion, focusing on one woman’s perspective and relegating the other characters to supporting roles, defeats the purpose of this novel. All three women, each with their distinct convictions and motivations, deserved to have their voices woven into the narrative. The perspectives of all three of these women from diverse backgrounds, each of whom embark on their respective journeys facing their own set of challenges, would have provided much-needed depth to the narrative.

Given the strong historical context and the premise of the novel, I’d expected to enjoy this novel more than I actually did. Overall, while l did not dislike The Women, I can’t help feeling a tad disappointed with certain aspects of the story. However, many have enjoyed this novel more and I would request you to read those reviews before deciding on whether to read this one.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )