The Women

"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've really enjoyed every book I've read by Kristin Hannah and this was no exception. I love how she is able to just suck you back in history and make you understand character's motives and feel for them even if you would make a difference decision if you were in their shoes. I really related to the main character of this book because she is so stubborn and wants nothing more than to prove people wrong about her, she was told “only women get to serve in the military in this family” and basically said “screw you, I can do anything I put my mind to” which was very honorable. Kristin Hannah does an incredible job making the mental illnesses portrayed in her novels super real. This book takes place during the Vietnam War and obviously, people who see the combat like this are going to be experiencing symptoms of PTSD (which was still so new when this book is set), and the author did an incredible job showing how debilitating this disorder can be while also realistically how it could affect someone. Overall, I had a really good time and it's only not a 5 star because it didn't make me cry like some of her other books.






Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review

 Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation.

This was my first Kristin Hannah book but it sure will not be my last. The way that she can make you feel so many emotions and so deeply is amazing. This book is about VERY heavy topics and you will cry your eyes out.

I was not alive when the Vietnam war was going on and did not know what our veterans had to endure when coming home. It was even harder for the women veterans who were basically told you are lying because there were not women in Vietnam or that they did not matter since they did not see combat. It breaks my heart that they had to endure all that after their amazing sacrifice.

Thank you Kristin for writing this incredible book and teaching me more about a time in our history that is not talked about near enough 

Kinda wish I'd DNF'ed. The first half was intense, with Many Valuable Elements crammed in: Plucky Young Woman Gets Rude Awakening, check. Horrors Of War, check. Despair Over Senseless Tragedy, check check check. Sexism Racism comma Suitable Outrage Expressed, check. The second half changed focus, more toward reintegration and Meaning and PTSD, all crafted with Sensitivity And Tact, all of it carefully engineered to manipulate your ire and sympathy and tears.

This could've been a knockout. A lighter touch, a little less bathos; sometimes less is more. Maybe the protagonist could've been a tad less rich talented beautiful privileged. Or the romance angles less predictable, the plot elements less formulaic. the auxiliary characters more real. And that's the word I was looking for: Real. There's not enough of it. This just felt like it was assembled from a kit. The pieces are all there, they snap together right where and when they should but the life is missing.

Please disregard anything I say, though: I'm a crotchety old insensitive male jerk.

In her book The Women, Kristin Hannah has written another emotional historical fiction novel that immerses readers in a turbulent period in history, one that is not so prevalent in historical fiction writing. This book tells the story of Frankie McGrath, Army nurse during the Vietnam conflict, who faces difficult situations both during her time in Vietnam and in the years after she returns home as a veteran. Frankie's story demonstrates that “women can be heroes too.”

Hannah divides Frankie's story into two parts. In Part 1, Frankie enlists in the Army as a nurse in order to follow her brother to Vietnam and to earn herself a spot on her father's “Heroes Wall.” Most of the plot in this part of the book takes place in Vietnam where Frankie experiences the brutality of war up close. Though the experience takes a toll on Frankie's emotions and beliefs, it also introduces her to two other nurses, Barb and Ethel, who become her best friends and support system.

In Part 2, Frankie is back home in California struggling to integrate back into everyday life. The world has changed, and people do not treat her as she expected. Even her family does not acknowledge or value her service to her country, so Frankie has to figure out who she is beyond being an Army nurse.

The best part of this book is the female friendship between Frankie, Barb, and Ethel. Hannah writes female relationships so well. They become a found family that supports one another no matter the circumstances. Barb, especially, is always there to pick Frankie up when she stumbles, no questions asked. Hannah writes, “Thank God for girlfriends. In this crazy, chaotic, divided world run by men, you could count on women.” So true!

There are many other aspects to praise in this book. The book is well-paced and easy to read with straightforward storytelling. I was thoroughly immersed in the settings and sped through chapters to see what would happen next. The historical context of the Vietnam conflict is highly engaging and interesting. I immediately wanted to research events referenced in the book. Frankie's experiences are vividly depicted and lead to some very emotional reading moments. Hannah's books always make me feel connected to the characters so that their hardships have a strong impact on me.

One thing I wish had been handled differently is the development of Frankie's romantic relationships. The relationships she engaged in while in Vietnam are too quickly developed without enough time taken to create an understanding of why these characters fall in love. I could not buy in to these romances because there wasn't enough foundation for them. Honestly, I feel that the book does not need romance in it at all. The story of Frankie, her family, and the women she befriends is enough in itself.

Would I recommend this book to other readers? Absolutely. It is informative, entertaining, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Another excellent book by a gifted writer!

This story is about Frances McGrath who becomes an army surgical nurse during the Vietnam War and everything that she went through. Kristin Hannah did an amazing job with this novel. The research that must have went into it was incredible. From the time Frances (Frankie) touches down in Vietnam, you felt like you were actually there. She lands in a place where all the smells, sounds and activity are overwhelming and she really has no idea what she has gotten into.

In time, and with the help of her bunkmates, Ethel and Barb, she becomes an accomplished nurse and helps to save many lives. Meanwhile the world back home is becoming increasingly upset about the war and is lumping those who are serving in it, with the government decisions that are being made. Frankie starts to receive letters from home talking about protests and flag burning and combined with the work she's doing it is very disheartening.


The story follows some of the veterans from the time they began in Vietnam to what it is like when they come home, battered and bruised, both physically and emotionally. It talks about the PTSD that they suffered as well as the anger at a country they felt turned their back on them.

It was an incredibly emotional read and I laughed and cried throughout the book. I really couldn't put it down and became so involved in Frankie's story that I even dreamed about it. The best read of the year.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and Ms. Hannah for providing me an ARC to this fascinating novel. Currently, this is set to come out in February of 2024.

Heartbreaking and inspiring, this tale of the women who served in Vietnam as nurses provide some eye-opening accounts that help illustrate the horrors of the Vietnam war both in country and when veterans came back home. I had very little idea of the nitty gritty of the Vietnam war, much less of the women who served.

It's gritty, graphic, full of horrific scenes, but intertwined with lot of heart and hope. I didn't feel it glorified the war and didn't shy away from criticism of the American government or describing the injustices and horrific acts the Vietnamese people had to endure.

This wasn't an easy read. Please look up trigger warnings for this novel, but off the top of my head keep in mind there are graphic descriptions of injury, death, mentions of children dying, infidelity, miscarriage, addiction, PTSD, and suicide. Nonetheless, if you feel able to read this story, it will be worth it. It's beautifully written and shares important aspects of the history of this conflict.

We don't forget our sadness or grief, we hopefully learn from it and grow beyond it.

I learned about the Vietnam War in Vietnam, so I knew what I was in for with this book, but it was still a hard read.

Yet, I learned more about the post-war era and how poorly people treated war vets from this book.

Frankie isn't the heroine I'd imagined, but no one really is in any situation until they're forced to dig deep and push through.

People laughed to keep from crying, and I was able to laugh with them to some degree. I felt like I spent so much time with Frankie that when that quiet exchange happened on page 459, I teared up.

The historical detail in this book is impressive, but never overtakes the characters or their arcs. There were several soap opera twists and turns that I can forgive in favor of how satisfying this book was to read.

I loved the first 60-70% of this book but then it felt like there could have (should have) been a stopping point long before. It was kind of one thing after another, dragging things out.

She wrapped it up very well, however after reading so many of Kristin Hannah's books, I saw the ending coming halfway through the book. Still a huge Kristin Hannah fan and this book was very good, but I think I like the others of hers that I've read more.

The women by kristin hannah

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book definitely should come with trigger warnings.

Trigger warnings include pregnancy loss/miscarriage, drug addiction, and suicidal ideation.

It was a really good book though that ending i was definitely expecting that final twist. The different twists really got me a few times but this book was definitely one i wont forget. I loved this one as much as i loved the four winds and firefly lane and the nightingale. Definitely recommend but definitely keep the trigger warnimgs in mind.

I loved the writing capabilities of the author, and I think there was a lot of great story aspects about the Vietnam war and it's repercussions on the individuals involved - particular the women.

That being said I was pretty surprised that for a book titled "The Women" how much of the story was dedicated to "the men". More of the story focuses on Frankie's incredible ability to unintentionally attract every married man she encounters into wanting to sleep with her, and her lamenting on how much she wants to but can't because they are married. Multiple of them die, and then come back to life later down the line, and she is surprised when these mean turn out to be liars when she finally does end up with them.

I do even love the focus on her downward spiral, but felt that she became too intentionally unlikable as a character as the reader has to watch her make the same poor decisions over and over again.

I would have given this a bit higher rating but the ending really turned me off. Much of the book is centered around her relationship with her father who lauds all war veterans with photos on his beloved "Hero's Wall." He refuses to put Frankie there because she is a woman, and they fight about it over and over throughout the book. At the very end it seems for a moment he will finally say he will put her on the wall - but that moment is cut short and instead the book ends with Frankie suddenly finding another willing-to-cheat love interest back from the dead, and its implied she gets ends up with him.

I had never heard of Kristin Hannah before - while she is a great author I think her genre of writing is not well suited for my tastes, so take that how you will.

Another great book from the author! Again, she brings out a side of the time period that I never heard of or considered in a very compelling way. I love it when I can;t put a book down and this was one of them. I was engaged with the main character and felt with her all the joys, triumphs, heartbreak, struggles, demons etc. You think you know a time period or about the Vietnam War from the history books and historical commentary but you don't. This book vividly displays that and I'm so glad I read it.

I'd give this book ten stars if I could. I finished reading in sprints. I'd sleep two hours, read a chapter or two, then sleep two more hours. I not only couldn't put it down, I am moving and I needed to pack it. But I had to finish. I love this book. It's about an era I lived through and didn't understand. Mostly because I was dating a veteran at the time and I couldn't understand what he had gone through. And he didn't talk about it with me. I knew he started life as a country boy who loved to hunt and fish. The military took these skills and made him a sniper.I watched him suffer through fits of depression, addiction, and an inability to commit or sleep or do a dozen other things. This book explained so much to me. What he went through, his bad dreams, and how that poisoned our relationship. Oddly enough, I received a phone call 30 years after our breakup with an apology. I also didn't understand that either until I read this book.The Vietnam “Conflict” was not well understood. I protested with veterans which gave me a different perspective than the average peacenik at the time. So part 1 of the book helped me understand the war years, and part 2 helped me understand the aftermath. I can't believe a book of fiction, though well researched, could affect me so deeply. It seemed all that the protagonist Frances (also my middle name) went through, was directly connected to me, even down to the city where the book ended which was where my relationship ended with my vet. I don't think this is a book I could read again. My emotions are still that raw, always have been when a quandary persists in your life for decades. Now I know more. I think I understand. It's a good and peaceful feeling with just a touch of sadness and regret.That's how this tremendous book affected me. I doubt anyone who lived through the war years could be unaffected. It was not just a great read; it was a learning experience. Thank you, [a:Kristin Hannah 54493 Kristin Hannah https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517255843p2/54493.jpg]!

Such an important story to be told! I can see why this book is getting so much buzz. I was totally hooked. Thank you to my friend who sent it to me. So important that students of American history at this to their understanding. Hannah put her protagonist through a lot and I wonder if that was hard for her. It made for challenging reading, but rewarding also

I don’t even know where to start with my thoughts. Naturally, this book is A LOT in many ways. This was an extremely gripping story- things just kept happening one thing after another. It took me awhile to get through the book- not because it was a slog to read but because there was just so much to unpack. The trauma, grief, denial, and just… everything. 🤯

Wow. This was a great book about a topic about which I knew very little. 

In the first half of the book, Frankie McGrath goes to war, volunteering to become a nurse in Vietnam. This was by far my favorite part of the book. It was believable and heart-wrenching. I felt like I was right there with Frankie as she became immersed in the horrors, the purpose, and even the occasional joys of her days in Vietnam.

The second half, which took place after Frankie returned home, didn't resonate as much with me. I felt like it tried to represent every woman who went to Vietnam, and in doing so somehow diminished each of their experiences. It was no longer Frankie I was reading about, but a “woman who went to war,” who experienced every possible outcome upon her return. Nonetheless, it was an amazing story—and I cried at the ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

Hannah's books have become solid for me- I can rely on them to be good reads.

This one is certainly stronger in the first half of the novel, but still overall, a really interesting and impactful novel that delves into the complexities of service in the Vietnam War. The women who remained unrecognized and denied for so long have such powerful stories and they deserve and need to be told. I gained appreciation for a group of people I had never considered, never knew that their service was diminished and denied for so long.

This novel does a good job at showing how public outrage though deserved, morally correct, and necessary can still create incredibly damaging scenarios for many folks who ultimately were not aiming to be evil. It's the government's shortcomings to blame, but human nature can lead to a labeling mentality that is hard for any side to heal from. I think Hannah handles the fragile and complex nature of these intricacies.