The Women

Kristin Hannah is back with another amazing, eye-opening and emotional read which I devoured over the Christmas holidays. Captivating, informative and poignant, Hannah brings her readers into the Vietnam War and tells her story through the eyes of twenty-year-old combat nurse, Frances "Frankie" McGrath. Frankie served her country by saving lives and witnessed the horrors of war only to return home to find that no one appreciated or believed the sacrifice she gave for her country.

Hannah pulls no punches describing what life was like for medical staff in Vietnam. The sounds, sights and smells were vividly described for the reader. The first half of the book was set in Vietnam and the pages flew quickly as readers are right alongside Frankie as she struggled to acclimate living in a war zone in the male-dominated war. This first part of the story moved quickly and puts readers right in the heart of the war.

"Women can be heroes."

The second half of the book focused on the aftermath of the war, when the soldiers and medical personnel returned home, often not to a warm welcome from citizens or their families for their service. Instead, they were ostracized for their role in the war - a war that was never accurately described for US citizens - and left to flounder on their own with PTSD and addiction problems. Frankie fared no better with her own family's views of her role in the war. Compounded onto her struggles was the rampant sexism and disregard she experienced as friends, acquaintances and even veterans tried to convince Frankie that women were never part of the war.

"There are no women in Vietnam, dear."

Frankie hits rock bottom and soon learned that there's a bottom under that level of pain as she struggled to find her way in a world that doesn't acknowledge her suffering, her skill or her sacrifice. Her experiences with PTSD, addiction, betrayal and depression were heartbreaking and sobering to read.

Frankie is a fascinating and flawed character and readers go along on her journey from idealistic and inexperienced young woman to a woman who finds her calling and strength. There is some romance within the pages, but the female friendships really shone in this book.

Hannah unpacks the actions of the US government from hiding stats from citizens, to secretly bombing villages and using cancer-causing substances to eradicate humans and vegetation. As a Canadian, I knew the basics about the Vietnam War, the protests and the aftermath of soldiers coming home to a country that didn't support them. But I had never given thought about the women. Thank you, Kristin Hannah, for shining a light on the experiences and voices of the women who played important roles in war. 

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: Kristin Hannah

Genre: Historical Fiction

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: February 6, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: The missing. The forgotten. The brave… The women.

From master storyteller Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, comes the story of a turbulent, transformative era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels—at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics, of a generation both fueled by dreams and lost on the battlefield.

“Women can be heroes, too.”

When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. A novel of searing insight and lyric beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional, richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose extraordinary idealism and courage under fire define a generation.