"The Women" by Kristin Hannah is a powerful and poignant novel that beautifully captures the strength, resilience, and spirit of women. Hannah's storytelling is masterful, drawing readers into a vivid portrayal of the challenges and triumphs faced by her characters. The novel's exploration of friendship, sacrifice, and the enduring bonds between women is both inspiring and deeply moving. With richly developed characters and a compelling narrative, Hannah delivers a story that stays with you long after the last page. "The Women" is a testament to the courage and determination that define the human spirit, making it a must-read.

What a stunning read! Emotional, powerful, impactful, beautiful and tragic. This is one to really immerse yourself in, lose yourself to the journey and prepare to weep!

We are taken to the smell, feel, sound of the Vietnam War. It all feels very real and vivid. We hear about Frankie in Vietnam, and then returning to America afterwards.

The author has written authoritatively and cleverly, I would recommend this book.

Kristin Hannah does it again! The Women is another fantastic, compelling, emotional read.

First and foremost, Frankie is such a well-developed main character. Kristin Hannah is known for creating honest, tough and resilient heroines and Frankie is no different. She definitely had her flaws but I felt her naivety and questionable choices made her feel more authentic. I really admired her journey from sheltered rich girl to tenacious and courageous hero.

While Frankie is definitely the central character, the supporting cast is strong too. Barb and Ethel, her friends and fellow nurses, were fantastic. I would have loved to delve deeper into their backstories but I appreciate this was Frankie's story.

The Women beautifully captures the setting of the Vietnam War. Kristin Hannah's vivid descriptions had me feeling like I was right there with Frankie – the roar of helicopters, the oppressive heat, the dampness of the jungle all felt so real.

The story unfolds in two parts. The first half is filled with the drama and intensity of war, while the second half deals with the frustration Frankie faces upon returning home. She struggles with a changed America, deep political divides, and a society that simply doesn't understand the trauma she's experienced.

The pacing of the book was really well done. I found myself flying through it, equally engrossed in both halves of the story. The drama and intensity of the first half had me on the edge of my seat, while the frustration of the second half as nobody would listen to Frankie kept me turning pages.

Kristin Hannah mentions in the author's note that she waited to write this book until she felt she could do it justice. She certainly delivered! The level of research that went into this book, not just about the Vietnam War but also about PTSD, was evident on every page.

The book isn't absolutely perfect. There were moments when I felt like there was too much emphasis on Frankie's outfits, and I would have loved to explore the backstories of other characters like Barb and Ethel in more depth.

Additionally, while Frankie's perspective was undeniably compelling, I couldn't help but wonder what the story would have been like from other viewpoints. However, these are minor quibbles and I'd still rate The Women as one of the best books I've read in a while.

Frankie has lived a sheltered life and lives by the rules. As a young naive and idealistic woman she becomes a nurse and volunteers to serve in Vietnam to try and make a difference. What she discovers there will change her forever. The horrors of war bring about the truest of friendships, whilst she finds her skills as a nurse really do help so many people. When she comes home she finds the opposite of a heroes welcome, and even the Veterans won't acknowledge her service. There were no women in Vietnam is another lie that everyone believes. This story highlights the challenges of the women who did serve, both in Vietnam and when they did return home. Written with honesty, passion and no holds barred, this is so engrossing that it will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

This is a story that had to be told. And in what better hands than those of Kristin Hannah, whose meticulous research, attention to detail and luminous evocation of time and place combine here to deliver an enlightening and unforgettable read.

I’ve read several works of fiction and watched numerous films set in the time of the Vietnam War, but not once have I come across the story of the courageous women nurses, who served alongside men in the very heat of battle, and who returned to their homes in the United States to be discover that there were no Veteran services available to them because “no women served in Vietnam.”

Hannah exposes this travesty through the story of Frankie, a young woman more used to Californian country clubs and cocktail parties than the cauldron of war. But she’s a patriot and an idealist. She’s also a trainee nurse. So, when the call comes for volunteers to join the Army Nurses Corps, Frankie, inspired by her serving brother, signs up.

What follows is an extraordinary tale of bravery, commitment and sisterhood, told against the chaos and destruction that was Vietnam of 1965.

It’s a potent, riveting read. But where it hits hardest is in the aftermath. When Frankie and her fellow nurses return Stateside to have their duty and sacrifice not just ignored but erased from record, leaving them to deal alone with their debilitating PTSD and its impact on their future health and happiness.

There can be no denying that this is a shameful stain on America’s history. It has since been rectified, but I’m grateful to Hannah for bringing it out into the light. Frankie’s story, representative as it is of hundreds of others, is one I’ll never forget.

Epic love, history, power and tension, this was such a good book and one of Kristin Hannah's finest. This needs to come to the big screen immediately. Compelling, addictive, inspiring, heart-breaking, uplifting, all at once.

This was such a powerful read for me & up there as one of my books of the year. I felt like I had been on a real journey with the main character by the end and had my eyes totally opened to the horrors of the Vietnam war and the treatment of the vets when they returned home.

Kristin Hannah had me so invested in Frankie McGrath, I did something I never do. I skipped to the end. I couldn't bear the idea of continuing to read this book, if Frankie didn't have some sort of hopeful life at the end. Not necessarily the romantic happy-ever-after, but something. You'll have to read it yourself to see how Hannah ties up this vivid account of the women who served as nurses during the Vietnam war, and the way they were received when they returned.

The book is full of vivid characters and has the friendship of three women at its heart. The scenes in Vietnam are particularly strong and reflect the research the author did with women who had served.

This book was fantastic and will stay with me for a very long time.

I absolutely adored the character of frankie and loved seeing her develop as a character throughout the book. I went into this story not knowing much about the Vietnam war but I felt like I was there whilst reading this book due to the beautiful and raw descriptive writing.
A fantastic book and definetly one that I would recommend.

She ahs done it again!

Kristin Hannah knows all the right ways to tug at those heartstrings. I have to appreciate how she highlighted the plight of women soldiers who went to Vietnam during the war. History glorifies the scarifies men make during war while the sacrifices women make are often forgotten.

A must read if you're a fan of Kristin Hannah!

However, I have personally decided to read historical fiction by local authors instead of the "white washed" ones. Vietnam war was absolutely unmercenary that was initiated by the USA that scarred both the American soldiers and the Vietnamese population.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is amazing. I could not stop reading. Truly harrowing and so sad. It gave a small insight into the lives of women who were at Vietnam. It is absolutely shocking the way they were treated but this book has given me knowledge I didn't already have. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical sagas based on true events.

This was exceptional.

I haven’t felt this emotive over a book in an incredibly long time - it taught me of a time I knew very little about before reading .

Kristin Hannah is an exceptional storyteller and I believe that everyone should read this book - it is a masterpiece.

WOW WOW WOW Kristin Hannah has outdone herself with her latest masterpiece! This untold story is absolutely captivating. I couldn't put it down, even on a beautiful beach. A must-read for any fan of historical fiction.

The Women is a beautifully written novel which follows Frankie, a nurse who serves in Vitetnam. Whilst Frankie's experiences are horrific and heartbreaking, her friendships are heartwarming and filled with hope. I raced through this book as I just couldn't put it down. This is the first book I've read by Kristin Hannah, and I'm excited to work my way through her other novels!

Thank you to Kristin Hannah, NetGalley and the the publishers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a read! I feel slightly traumatised after completing the book but worth it for the pleasure of reading Kristin's latest publication.

A time in history that I did not know a lot about; yes, I'd enjoyed the TV show MASH but this has so opened my eyes as to what sacrifices were made and indeed how awfully the Women were treated. Yeah, the country needs you as nurses, doctors but that where it stopped, ashamedly! To treat the vets as only male and not even acknowledge the role that women vets played was deplorable. But then it was a man's world, chauvinistic and it shows some parallels in treatment of women in the series Mad Men!

Thank goodness things have changed for the better, however, the story that Kristin has brought to life brought me to tears, anger and consolation that Frankie found some degree of happiness but importantly, fulfilment. She and her close friends are great characters!

Is there a film in the works for this one?

Congratulations on a great book, a 5 star read and I look forward to your next book Kristin.

‘The Women’ is my first novel to read by Kristin Hannah , I can honestly say I was not disappointed, and this book is the first of many books to read by her. This book was extraordinary, it was a woman’s experience, our FMC Frankie, that worked as a nurse during the Vietnam War. This novel is heart wrenching, impactful, moving, fantastic and something everyone should read ❤️📖

Being someone who loves historical fiction and therefore reads a lot of historical fiction, I have actually never read a book that took place during Vietnam War (I have watched movies that took place in the Vietnam War, a personal fav is ‘Good Morning Vietnam’, another topic for discussion) which is actually quite shocking to me, and I wonder is it because authors are hesitant to set their books about such a controversial war?

I learned so much from this book and found myself pulling out encyclopaedias and google to learn more. Kristin Hannah was well researched when writing this book and I love that she was. In the acknowledgements she says that she wanted to write a novel about Vietnam back in the ‘90s but she didn’t think she was up to the task at that time because it is a big topic and there’s so many layers to it.

‘The Women’ while it did focus on the experience of women in the Vietnam War, it also went into details about how women bravely stepped into harm’s way but were constantly dismissed for ever being there. But they were there. The book also largely discusses friendships that were created through the most difficult of experiences and the courage to fight for yourself, in my words women being there for women and the value, strength, and resilience of women. I adored the main character Frankie and I felt for her so much, she was just a women who chose to help those in need and suffered the consequences of doing so.

Even though it was about 500 pages, I didn’t want this book to end, and I couldn’t put it down 🥰 I cannot wait to read more of Kristin Hannah’s books. The only negative thing I can say about this book is that I can’t read it for the first time again 😭

Loved this! An excellent and gripping read ,loved the main character Frankie, a well rounded and interesting character. The Vietnam war was a brilliant setting.a good romance thrown in also!

I DNFed this early, just too long descriptions and I couldn’t get into the story. Will try to come back to this at a later date.

An enjoyable and emotional read. I enjoyed it. The characters are well developed and the story flows with ease. A recommended read.