Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

My second book by Kristin and another great read.

Frances McGrath (Frankie) is a nursing student, her brother is shipped out to serve in the war in Vietnam. Frankie decides to follow her brother and help look after the injured soldiers. War is just the beginning of Frankie’s journey, her battle really begins when she returns home.

This book highlights that women who go to war suffer as much as the men that serve.

Kristin Hanna never fails to blow me away with her beautiful writing. Every time I read one of her books I am blown away and instantly sucked into the characters lives and The Women did just that. This is a beautiful story about what it is to be a woman, feminism and friendship. I didn't want to put this down and I can't express how highly I recommend this.

I didn't think Kristin Hanna could surpass 'The Four Winds' but this book is certainly its equal. Frankie” McGrath's family live to serve their country. On the eve of her brother leaving for Vietnam, his friend tells her that, ‘women can be heroes, too’. She wants to make her family proud and decides to put her nursing training to good use in Vietnam. Nothing could have prepared for the atrocities of war but she survives only to return home, traumatised, to find that her service is not valued by her family or her country.
This is a novel about friendship, feminism and love. A powerful but engaging read that left me wanting more.

A fantastic read.What an emotional roller coaster of a read heartbreaking but also uplifting as the bravery of the women shines through the story. When Frankie goes to Vietnam as a nurse with the army she sees so much suffering emotionally and physically that her experiences will change her life forever. As she tries to adjust after her two tours she struggles with night terrors and makes many bad decisions before she can finally find some kind of closure.A brilliant novel by this author and I went through every emotion reading this book which I highly recommend

4.5 stars rounded down. This story surrounds Frankie, a young woman that volunteers as a nurse in the Vietnam war. I was fully absorbed in her story, both in US and Vietnam and the struggles she faced. A good one for any historical fiction fans that focuses on an area of history that I knew less about. Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

The Women delves into the jarring story of American women who worked as army nurses in Vietnam. They joined the army in an act of service for their country (misguided as that might be with the wisdom of hindsight) and were promptly erased and forgotten about by history. That frustrated me no end and I love that this book goes about setting the record straight.

The book hooked me in immediately. Frankie comes across as naive but well intentioned, and we are flung straight into the action with her. It all felt so jarring, chaotic, dangerous and gory. As war is, and it felt even more heart rendering reading this when you think of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The women formed a lifelong bond, strangers who became closer than sisters, bonded by the atrocities they saw. The first part of the book is set in Vietnam, and the second part post Vietnam. I thought it floundered a little pace wise in the middle, but I loved the characters so that made up for the pacing issues. Kristen Hannah specialises in breaking readers hearts with dramatic and emotional plotlines, and The Women is no different.

If you enjoy historical fiction, then I think you’ll find this an unforgettable story about the tragedies of war. It also highlights the courage and resilience you need to move on with your life after witnessing carnage. A book I know I’ll be thinking about for some time yet.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this book for review consideration, as always you get my honest option, no matter the source of the book.

I was looking forward to another great Kristin Hannah book. As an author she has a remarkable ability to weave social and political affairs with the lives of women. Again here we have the Vietnam war told through the eyes of volunteer nurses or in this case one nurse. I think this is the first issue I had with this book, I think she picked the wrong nurse, Barb was a far more interesting character and had more to deal with in the Civil Rights movement when she returned to the US. Frankie McGrath, the lead, was a one dimensional character craving her father’s approval and a space on his wall of heros, family members who had served their country.
I found the 1st half of the book rather boring and repetitive. Everytime they got in a helicopter and the scene below was described it was the same as were all the medical scenes. And most disappointing, for a young woman aiming to carve her own way of life against her society’s expectations it was still all about having a man and fashion. There was so many descriptions of the clothes they were wearing and interestingly the men and a “large woman” were always in polyester until Connor was coming good near the end and started wearing knits and double knits. Likewise the constant referral to music playing, in bars, the second they got into a car etc. emerged to be overdone.

And yes a lot of issues were dealt with like the treatment of the Vets when they returned home and the changing attitudes of the American public against a backdrop of the Civil Rights movement and Watergate. Also the realisation that PTSD was very really and the beginnings of treatment. All very worth.

It is a decent read and a page turner just for me not up to the author’s usual standards.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this DRC.

A fascinating story about the American nurses in Vietnam during the war. I was horrified to learn that on their return home they faced disbelief they had ever been there, or worse, were made to feel ashamed to have been part of the war effort. Frankie McGrath is a young nurse who joins up to serve in the Army Nurses Corps, much to her parents’ dismay. There, she has to grow up very quickly as she faces the horror of the battlefield. At times I found the telling of this story a little lightweight, which I felt inappropriate to the horrors of the Vietnam war, but I find it difficult to put my finger on exactly why I felt that way. Perhaps the romance side of the story was a little predictable? However, I did admire Frankie and her friends, not only for their incredible courage and fortitude, but also for the way they were always there for each other, even on their return to the US where they lived miles apart. I enjoyed the insight into the role of these women, without whom so many more – on both sides of the war - would have perished. Meticulously researched by author Hannah Kristen, The Women is a true-to life account of this slice of history.

As ever, Kristin Hannah is just so good - one of the best storytellers.

This is the story of Frankie, who heads out to Vietnam as a nurse in the wake of her brother. Immediately his death is the first trauma she faces, and many many more follow - physical and emotional traumas as she sees and quickly learns combat nursing skills, and deals with dreadful losses.

Alongside the story of the trauma, there are beautiful relationships to explore. Frankie's new best friends, Barb and Ethel, are colourful and fun characters, and the three women are a constant support to each other. Frankie finds love in Vietnam, and after, yet all her relationships are struck by tragedy and the horrific touch of war.

This is a gripping story that kept me awake well after I normally put my book down in the evening, and although brutal and horrific, is also heartwarming and powerful. It's also a stark reminder of the treatment of women, and how their roles were misunderstood and underappreciated - emphasised clearly by Frankie's dad's reaction to her time away.

I thoroughly enjoyed this account of women doing their bit to support the US troops in Vietnam.

The story is based around Frankie who signs up to be an army nurse in a moment of naive glory, wishing to follow her brother out to Vietnam. What followers is an account of dreadful conditions fighting to save men’s lives under the most awful harrowing conditions, but forging the most wonderful friendships.

What is more unexpected is the welcome back that these brave soldiers and nurses received on their return to the USA, all of which I was completely oblivious to.

It touches the themes of the embarrassment of families, the attempts to rewrite the past, and the culture-shock of trying to carry on with your previous life after living through life- changing experiences, and how low you can sink when living your life in the past.

Women, who support each other through thick and thin, are always there for each other when no one else understands.

Exquisite writing once more from Kristin Hannah!! This is a epic tale of women and the prejudices they faced when putting themselves through extraordinary times.

Centred around the time of the Vietnam War, we are introduced to Frankie who is very close to her brother, Finley and he's about to set off to join the war effort. It's always been expected for the boys of the family to join the military and become 'heroes' so his path has always been determined. Frankie has always wanted more from her life, rather than the marriage/motherhood path expected of her so she surprises everyone by becoming a nurse who also serves in Vietnam. Her parents, father especially, aren't as happy with her career path and you really see the double standards of how they treat her brother to her choice. When tragedy hits, she's even more determined to follow her own path and become a hero in her own way and the reality of war really hits when she's landed in Vietnam and thrown in the deep end.

She also sees the lies that the American government are telling those back home and this is beautifully explored with the writing - how there are 2 sides to every story and the impact of those back home being told one thing that is very different from what is actually going on. She sees the cruelty and suffering of soldiers and the innocents in Vietnam and it's horrific to read at times.

As she returns home she also faces hatred from those protesting the war, and even dismissed by fellow soldiers who are adamant no women served in Vietnam. She was witness to the horrors and that really impacts on her mental state, even more so when her family aren't proud of her. She's a very different woman now and her experiences at home and abroad leave a lasting impact on her.

This was a absorbing and emotive read and I was totally swept up in the drama of it all. The author always has a way with her writing of making the characters so real and I was just in awe of Frankie and the other women she served with. Wonderful!!

In a way which is becoming a pattern whenever I read Kristin Hannah’s books, this one floored me emotionally at times. She has told a critically important story about the forgotten Vietnam veterans - the women who served tours in medical roles and were instrumental in saving so many American and Vietnamese lives. It is incredibly well researched and powerful.

Perhaps unfairly to the author, I went in with my usual very high expectations of a Kristin Hannah novel. This time however, I think she fell a little short. The writing style was very long-winded and I think would have benefitted from some more editing down. I don’t like romance novels generally but romantic themes always seem to be a sub-plot in her novels, complementing the central historical fiction story well - in this case, however, the relationships were central to the plot, and felt quite cliched and unrealistic.

The overall plot wasn’t strong or developed enough, in my opinion, but this was still a good read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Macmillan for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful, heartbreaking and powerful book. I loved reading about a period in history I don't usually read about, and I immediately went to research more about the Vietnam War. The friendships in this story were my favourite - what wonderful characters Kristin Hannah has created. I thought Frankie was an incredible character, she's resilient and courageous, vulnerable and unforgettable, and I loved her journey and character development, her struggles and emotions were so real, and at times, completely heartbreaking. The descriptions of the war were so vivid, and the amount of research that went into this book is clear. The ending was maybe a little bit too neat but I loved it, and I found myself tearing up in the last few chapters.

This book not only taught me a lot about a situation I knew little about, it also managed to touch me. Like all Kristin Hannah's books. This is not my favourite, but both the story and the characters were interesting. What did disappoint me is that no Vietnamese character plays an important role in the book. I would have liked to have seen more from that point of view.

Another great read from this author covering a period of history, the Vietnam War that’s often hidden away in plain sight, Frankie takes on the role of a nurse following the death of her brother tragically killed in action. Life changes dramatically for her within the first few hours of service, her eyes are opened to the horrors of war as she’s thrown into the deep end, and not just medically but mentally as she supports military servicemen in the last hours of their lives. Friendships and relationships are formed in extreme circumstances whilst in a vulnerable state and under duress. Re entry to normal life is nothing like she believes it will be, Vietnam vets faced hostility from the public, the media and from their own families. Post traumatic stress was not recognised at the time and Frankie drifts into a dark place, fortunately there are people out there willing to help.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review

A difficult subject matter and one I didn’t know a great deal about other than it being the war America was ashamed of or seemed to be. This wasn’t my favourite book by this author but nevertheless and as always the plot was developed well and characters interesting.

Since i first read The Nightingale i have looked forward too and gone back and read all of Kristin Hannah books.

Kristin Hannah has done it again she takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that will have you gripped and enthralled and appalled as to what happens to characters in this story.

At first it took a few chapters in for me to feel anything for the main character and that was a worry for me, but as we arrived in Vietnam the FMC came into her own and the emotional journey she goes through from her time in NAM and after.

Heartbreaking and tear jerking would highly recommend

OMG. Thank you so much for this arc. I have been making my way very slowly through this book for the last week. I didn’t want it to end. It was perfection. I felt like I was in the trenches with these women. So many gut wrenching moments and Frankie is an absolute hero. I have adored everything I have read by Kristin Hannah but I think this may be my new fav. Bravo, a triumph of a book. I cannot praise it enough!!! 5 stars

Historical fiction is not my genre of choice but there’s just something about the way Kristin Hannah writes that always makes me come back for me. This one was no exception and I binged it in a day. It’s never the setting of her books that stands out for me, it’s always her characterisation of women and their lives that makes her books exceptional.

Powerful story set in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
Frances (Frankie) adores her older brother and once her nurse training is finished she decides to follow him to Vietnam, so her photo can appear on her father's ‘hero wall’. Unfortunately, Fin is killed before she can get there. The trauma of the Vietnam war is hard reading in places, the awful living/working conditions of the hospitals, the relentlessness of some days. Yet somehow, fronds are made, friendships start.
Coming home is just as traumatic for Frankie, the description of trying to adjust to life on civvie street is also well described.
Powerfully written, descriptive and remembering the women who weren’t there, ‘There were no women in ‘Nam’!
Engaging, thoughtful and respectful.