The Women
Ratings86
Average rating4.4
From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she 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. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.
But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
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"No fear, McGrath."
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Seriously, who’s cutting all the onions in here? I’m not one to get sentimental or teary when reading very often, but this one unexpectedly did me in. Fair warning, this is a sad book with many trigger warnings, but it’s a very good book.
Frances “Frankie” McGrath is the daughter of a well-to-do family from Coronado Island, who grows up very close to her brother. Her brother graduates, enlists in the military as men in the McGrath family do, and is sent to Vietnam. Frankie, feeling a need to do something more with her life, also enlists as a nurse to be sent to Vietnam. Her family is less than pleased (women, after all, don’t belong in the military), but she goes anyway. This book is about her experiences as a nurse during the Vietnam War, and the problems she experiences coming home again.
I’m going to reiterate here that this is not a happy book. It’s very much a gut punch all the way through, and while most of it is family/relationship drama, there’s a good bit of Vietnam and PTSD discussion as well. It’s very thought provoking about the experiences of women who served in Vietnam being even more forgotten and marginalized than men who served, while also making you want to cry and keep reading at the same time.
If I had to point out one thing I wish had been done differently, it would’ve been the very ending. Bringing Jamie back seemed gratuitously sad, like it was included just to evoke more tears in the last few pages. I have no problems with sad things, but it felt a little out of place and unnecessary with all the other sad things that had gone on. But that’s super minor and I know very personal, so I definitely don’t want to discourage anyone from giving this a read.
An easy addition to my 2024 favorites for this year.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)
A bit of an emotional roller coaster but another excellent read from Kristin Hannah!
Wow! As a military wife, whose husband had been deployed 7 times, both for war and just to train, this book gave me all the feels. I love how Kristin Hannah just draws you into her books. She is a must read for me every time.
