This is one of the most beautifully written, powerful, well researched and emotionally moving books I have ever read.

Frankie is a nurse and is missing her brother, who is serving in Vietnam and thus proclaimed a hero, along with other members of her family who have ever served their country. Why can’t women be showcased in her father’s office on his “hero’s wall”?

So Frankie joins the war effort, desperate for her father’s approval, but he is appalled and angry. When the telegram notifying them of her brother’s death arrives, Frankie is more determined to serve.

Nothing could ever prepare Frankie for the horrors she would face in the Vietnam hospital. This is where I struggle to find the right words to describe the anguish I felt for Frankie, her closest friends, Ethel and Barb, Doctor Jamie and the wounded men and women they treat.

This is not just a historical novel set in wartime. This is so much more. When Frankie returns home, she is shunned by her countrymen and her family and crippled by grief, she can hardly bear to go on.

To think that real people suffered in this way is heartbreaking. This is fiction, yes, but the amount of research the author has carried out is clear.

Moving, gripping, emotional and so important. This book teaches us so much about what must never happen again.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Kristin Hannah, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Nightingale is one of my favourite books. I had tried a few more of Kristen Hannah's books but they didn't have the same draw for me...until now.

Wow, wow, wow. The Women had me hooked from the first few pages. Frankie's parents have a heroes wall in their house dedicated to family members who served in the Navy and Frankie wants to have her photo up there. She is a student nurse who once qualifies heads to Vietnam as an army nurse. The book covers both her time in Vietnam and when she comes home again a different woman to the young naive girl who headed out there. It is a story of how circumstances change a person and how friendship can help us through the darkest of times. I wish that I could go back and read this again for the first time.

Thanks to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to read this book so much - from the moment I first heard about it, I knew it was going to be a fantastic read.

That ending! Kristin Hannah can certainly wrote them. I have laughed and cried at this wonderful writing. Before you open the novel make sure you have plenty of time because you won’t want to stop reading and you need tissues… lots of them!

I already knew the basics about the Vietnam War, mostly gained through popular culture as someone who was born after the war and in the UK. This book has made me hungry to learn so much more now! The first half is mainly set in Vietnam and felt compelling and authentic. The second half of the novel, depicting the vets’ experiences upon return to the US was totally shocking. Not to mention the concept that there were no women serving in Vietnam so there was no help for them after the war!

The relationships and characterisation in the novel are convincing and beautifully developed. Frankie’s pains were heartbreaking, her path devastating. Her downward trajectory was so obvious and yet delicately revealed that I was left breathless. The men in her life, what can I say? She deserved more.

This will, without doubt, be my read of 2024! Don’t miss this fabulous book. You may read it in one sitting!! How long until the next Kristin Hannah book is out?!

The Women by Kristin Hannah is inspired by the many brave women who went to Vietnam as part of the US armed services, often as nurses or doctors but also working in air traffic control and military intelligence. I will be honest and say that this often forgotten group is not something I had ever really thought about, so I was intrigued to see what one of my favourite authors would do to highlight their story and I was not disappointed.
The central character is Frances (Frankie ) McGrath, a young nursing student from a family that has long valued military service as part of its ethos. Inspired by her brother's decision to join the navy and ship out to Vietnam, Frankie decides to follow him into the services, though she is forced to join the army as the only one who will accept her limited experience. To say her family are less than thrilled is something of an understatement, but there is nothing they can say or do to stop her, and soon Frankie finds herself in the overwhelming chaos and destruction of a combat zone. She is quickly befriended by some of the other nurses and soon starts to find her feet, even though she is faced with some of the most brutally injured soldiers and locals. Despite the ongoing war around her Frankie finds friendship and even love in a combat zone, but she is not prepared for the realities of returning home to a country where the tide of popular opinion is turning against the war and those who served in it and soon finds herself overwhelmed again, especially as she is grieving the loss of the man she loved. Even her family seem to turn against her, and after numerous fights and arguments she turns to her friends for help- at least they will understand what she has been through.
This is a book that does not shy away from describing the horrors of war in all their vivid and often gory detail, but this is never used for shock value, but rather so that the reader can gain insight into how it affects those in the midst of it, and how the traumas involved can be life long and life altering. It does not make for easy reading, yet I could not put it down, and I found myself really engaged by Frankie as a character, rooting for her in all her struggles . I am so glad that I picked up a copy of this book and I feel like it will stay with me for quite some time to come.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinons are my own.

Brilliant storytelling. Powerful, thought provoking writing. I knew about the vets, (my cousin having been one), but knew very little about the brave army nurses sent out to Vietnam.
The story centres around Frankie, a young nurse who joins the army to be sent out to Vietnam,following the death of her brother over there. She is ill prepared for what she is about to find, but builds a strong bond with her two room mates, Barb and Ethel.. The support they give each other is wonderfully told and this friendship continues when they return to America, Frankie finds it hard to settle down to civilian life when she returns, with nightmares continuing, but her friends are there for her.
The nurses work long hours in awful conditions and the author's descriptions so vivid that I felt emotionally drained at times, but then a little romance is introduced to lighten the mood and I was rooting all the way for Frankie.
These were troubled times in America with protests and marches, and the way the vets were treated on their return was so unfair.
This is a story that will stay with me. Very highly recommended.

A beautifully written story. The book mainly follows Frankie through her time as a nurse in the Vietnam war and beyond. The horrors of war are laid bare alongside acts of friendships and honour. All the characters are flawed and may make you question what exactly is a "hero".
The story does not shy away from the horrors of war both within Vietnam and back at home, both during the war and the 'peace' after the war. The violence, horror and sadness is never gratuitous or excessive.
This is the first Kristin Hannah book I have read so I cannot compare this to her other books. But her writing in this is so evocative that I will be picking up another of her books soon.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own and freely given.

A shocking story of the Vietnam war, seen through the eyes of a 20 year old woman and nursing student - Frankie McGrath. Inspired by her brothers service in Vietnam, she embarks on her own journey to become an Army Nurse Corp. What an eye opening poignant change for Frankie as the war zone is a far cry from her idyllic home in Coronado Island, California.

The sisterhood, friendships, heroism, camaraderie, love and growth through a truly devastating period of war. Frankie, Barb and Ethel are the best of friend who can truly relate and support one another after everything they experienced together in ‘nam.

Once Frankie had served her time she returns home only to find that her mental health is in absolute tatters with her family ultimately adding to her upset. Women and their involvement was lied about and no-one would provide the help necessary. This is a very brilliantly written heartbreaking historical fiction novel.

I have been aware for some time of Kristin Hannah as a hugely popular author but this is the first title I have read a novel by her. The Women is also the first novel I've read set in the Vietnam war.

The scenes in the hospitals are truly harrowing and gripping. The US politics of the time is also well depicted, as is the consequent abuse of returning veterans.

The reservations I have are as follows. The title is The Women, plural, but the focus is too heavy on Frankie. The other women's experiences are very much in the background, how they coped both in Vietnam and back home dealing with the trauma. I think also that there is too much about the various men who fell in love with Frankie and that detracts from its impact. I found the return of missing in action characters totally predictable.

I appreciate that a great deal of research has gone into this work. I was a child at the time of Vietnam so have only vague recollections, so I did learn a lot but I cannot quite give it 5 stars.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @panmacmillan for my ARC of this wonderful book which is released TODAY!!!

Kristin Hannah is easily one of my favourite authors, and like any other Kristin Hannah book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 packs a punch, and is a vivid, poignant, yet heartbreaking read.

I've never read a book following the Vietnam War before, so found this to be a very eye-opening read, which introduced me to the brutalities of the Vietnam War. It's worth noting that in the authors note at the end, she explains how this book has been in the works for over 20 years, as she wanted to do it justice and didn't feel ready to properly write it yet. The years of research, graft, and devotion to the topic and story shines through with Hannah's writing, making this a spectacular read.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 tells the story of Frankie McGrath from Southern California, who's parents expect her to follow the path of settling down with marriage and a child. But Frankie wants more, and she wants to be a hero like all of the males in her family who have proudly served the US Military. When Frankies Brother ships out to Vietnam, Frankie yearns for something more for herself, and follows pursuit, joining the Army Nurse Corps to help the injured soldiers.

This book is partially set in Vietnam, and partially set when Frankie returns home afterwards, following her struggles with grief, PTSD, and trauma. This is by no means an easy read, as it is harrowing, heartbreaking and brutal. Some of the descriptions are so vivid you feel you are there with Frankie as every bomb goes off, and as more soliders are sadly killed. The portrayal of friendships within the war was extraordinary, meaning there was a silver lining throughout the darkest of times. This is not an easy read, and will certainly pull on your heartstrings, but it is an incredible one that I'll certainly remember for a long time.

Kristin Hannah has done it again.

If you don’t know much about the Vietnam War, or American history of that time you are in for an education. It’s a very tough read. Disturbing, gritty & raw. There’s lots of blood & gore; sadness & loss; lies & immorality; desperation & bad coping strategies! Persevere in reading the whole of this totally absorbing book to be rewarded with the full story. And women most definitely were in Vietnam

AMAZING. BRILLIANT. POWERFUL. This book moved me to tears, I only discovered Kristin Hannah Recently, but she is now a favourite author of mine. This book moved me to tears.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Kristin Hannah's "The Women" is a poignant and timely exploration of the courage and sacrifice of women in the midst of war. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Vietnam War era, the novel follows the journey of Frances McGrath, a young nursing student who defies societal expectations to join the Army Nurse Corps and serve alongside her brother in the conflict. Through Hannah's masterful storytelling, readers are immersed in the harrowing realities of war, where every day brings new challenges and the bonds of friendship are tested in the face of unimaginable adversity. Yet, the true heart of the narrative lies in the aftermath of war, as Frankie and her fellow veterans grapple with the painful realities of returning home to a nation divided and a society that struggles to comprehend their experiences. With its richly drawn characters and powerful narrative, "The Women" is a compelling tribute to the resilience and heroism of women who have too often been overlooked in the annals of history.

This book is beautiful.

I don't have much knowledge about the Vietnam War as I'm not American nor do I have any knowledge about PTSD so I can't comment on how it's depicted in this story.

However, I could feel Frances' despair, her hopelessness, her pain and wanting to escape it all right in my gut.

This story was gut wrenching but also joyful at times. Her family bond, her friendship with Beth and Ethel and the few happy moments she had in Vietnam shows that yes, even in the darkest of days, there is still some light. And it's that light that we humans cling to and live for.

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

Title: The Women
Author: Kristin Hannah
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: 15th Feb 2024

This is honestly one of the easiest five star reviews I’ve ever given. This book is a historical fiction, following the story of Frankie, who serves in the Vietnam war as a surgical nurse after her brother was killed in action. Frankie longs for a place on her fathers Hero wall, but her dad, like so many others, don’t believe that women serving in the war are hero’s. Even worse, the American government led the public to believe that there were no women serving in Vietnam.

This book sent me on an emotional rollercoaster, I laughed, I cried & felt so much anger for the women of the war. A story of bravery, love, loss, friendship, grief & healing.

This story truly is compelling and powerful and I don’t think any review I could write could do it justice. During my career as an ODP, I have worked with several military doctors & nurses and I could not respect them more 🫶🏼

Wow! What a book. Rarely have I been so moved by a novel. This is probably my best read of 2024. I heartily recommend it and wish the author every success.

The Women
by Kristin Hannah

The verdict is practically unanimous on this, the latest work from a hugely successful author who is top of many readers' autobuy lists, but for me this novel is underwhelming.

There are 2 main reasons for this, the first being political. My distaste for the level of importance the military holds in American society cast a sceptical slant on the reading experience. That's not something I can blame on the author, but it definitely affected my emotional response and repelled me to the main character.

Secondly, having read several of this author's books, I can't help but notice how formulaic her writing is. I know that many readers appreciate her style, but the checklists are something I can't unsee anymore. Repetition, piling on of trauma after trauma, manipulation of sentiment.

I'm guessing the intention is that the reader feels so sorry for the unimaginable series of things that happen to Frankie, but I just saw a spoiled, attention seeker with a narcissistic ambition to be a hero. To make her father proud. And then one idiotic choice after another.

My biggest takeaway from this is the way returning vets were received. The disgust of the population at the war and by extension, the veterans, and their abandonment by the government who woefully and shamefully neglected their wellbeing having forced them into an unwinnable war which exposed them to so much depravity.

It's so sad to consider an entire system devoted to converting "patrotism" into canon fodder, and it's sadder still to see it still churning away.

This is a compelling story with a decent pace which I expect will be well received by her broad and devoted fan base.

Publication date: 15th February 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan for the eGalley

What is it about?
This book is set in the 1970s in the midst of the Vietnam War. The story follows Frankie as she enlists as a Nurse on the frontline following in her older brothers footsteps and determined to make her father proud.

We journey with Frankie through the shocks and devastation she is faced with on the frontline, as she gains and loses friends and is faced with a reality being skirted over in the west. Upon the end of her tour, Frankie is faced with a completely different America to the one she left behind and we watch her navigate the post war challenges with her new found understanding for the difficulties of others and the memory of all that she has seen.

My Thoughts
Like with all of Kristin Hannah's books I felt an instant connection to the characters, within a couple of chapters I was invested in families life and in particular the sibling relationship. I could visualise every aspect of their life, and the time in which they were living, it just felt so entirely absorbing and atmospheric. Of course like with any Kristin Hannah, heartbreak quickly ensued but the way I hurt so early into the story just shows the mastery of her writing.

As soon as Frankie enlisted and went off to war, I knew I needed to strap in for even more heartbreak but I didn’t anticipate to feel the intense emotions that I felt. Once she arrived at the camp I felt as though I could feel the weight of the new world she had stepped into, the stark contrast between life there and how everything was going along as normal in the west and the absolute turmoil that Frankie felt being thrown into the deep end. The way that everything transpired within the camp honestly had me transfixed, from the devastating events, to the slithers of joy and hope but overarchingly the irreplaceable relationships that were formed.

Of course I have never been faced with a situation even similar to what Frankie faced however from an outside perspective the meteoric speed of her growth in response to all she was facing felt so real. We watched her transform not only through her exposure to war and death but also in her emotional maturity as the service men and women joined hands to support each other through such terrible times. The imagery was just insanely well done, I felt as though I saw every thing that happened through her eyes.

This is the first time that I have read a book set in war where so much of the plot continues once the MC is home and I thought it added a really important narrative to the story. The difficulties that Frankie faced were just heartbreaking and her anguish was demonstrated so clearly. I knew so little about the issues women faced following their return from the Vietnamese war and this book shone a whole new light on the challenges faced when coming home. I expected the PTSD symptoms, the flashbacks and nightmares. I expected the difficulty to adapt back to a life that felt so shallow, what I didn’t expect was the disbelief in the fact she had gone to war, the impact on the support formed by this lack of belief and how much harder it made everything else.

The friendships in this book were my absolute favourite, they are the definition of true friends but not without faults or limitations. They felt so real and their connections so pure.

*Spoilers Ahead*
I cannot review this book without mentioning Rye- argh!!! My disappointment in him left me feeling infuriated, lying once was not enough but instead he had to lead Frankie completely astray twice! When I learnt about him being married initially I thought it was a bi-product of the environment they were in, the chances of survival being so low and it almost feeling like an alternative reality that had led him to lie to her but when he did it again when she was so vulnerable I just felt pure rage. I was reading almost behind my hands as I could see what was about to unfold.

The way this book ended was beautiful, I was in tears when Frankie's parents appeared at the memorial, after everything Frankie had been through, her father providing that acknowledgement and validation just warmed my heart. When he said "You think I feel guilty for urging my son to go to war? I do, it’s a thing I live with…But I feel more guilt about how I treated my daughter when she came home" I honestly felt it in my chest. She finally got the validation she needed.

Overall I absolutely loved this book, it is definitely up there as one of my favourite Kristin Hannah books (which is a big statement from me given how much I have loved some of her others). The connection I felt to the characters and the story it told are something I know I will think about for a long time.

What a book. I read a lot of historical fiction but I was sucked in here from start to finish. I have never read anything fiction or non that is based in the Vietnam war and wow. I think I felt every emotion with Frankie throughout this book. I couldn’t put it down. No doubt in my mind on the 5 stars here. Only downside is how do I pick up what to read next.

Women didn't serve in Vietnam or so the politicians wanted everyone to believe.
Frances “Frankie” McGrath is twenty years old and a nurse when she volunteers to serve in Vietnam. Her brother has recently been killed in action.
She then experiences sights and sounds which will stay with her and shape her life for years to come.
She makes friends which will last a lifetime and also realise that love and loss go hand in hand.
This book made me cry and realise that women are heroes even if it is not always acknowledged or appreciated at times.

I wholeheartedly thank the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this book in return for a fair review. The straplines on the hardcover contains the words - Stuns, Uplifts, Astonishing, Compelling, Powerful - everyone of which I totally agree with. I find it hard to imagine that any other book will take its place as "book of 2024" for me. I have read a number of great books about Vietnam and this ranks with all of them. I do not think any other book as made me so angry as this one did. The book starts very quickly, our hero [a carefully chosen word] enlists and within a few pages we are right on the front line, living with the nurses in a field hospital. The author conveys the horrors of war brilliantly and once we are grasped she never lets go. I was a bit surprised when she came home at about the halfway mark of the book. But coming home is only the step into another version of the hell she had endured over there. "There were no women in Vietnam" becomes a refrain and her parents pretending she was in Florence, Italy is not yet the final straw for her. The three lead characters are wonderful, but lesser characters are also clearly delineated. I really loved "The Four Winds" - This is even better, Highly recommended