Absolutely beautiful storytelling. The life of Frankie has you in a chokehold and you won’t want to let go. Kristin never disappoints and I eagerly await her next book already.

As usual an amazing read from Kristin Hannah, my favourite author. As a non American I know very little about the Vietnam war and this was an eye opener for me. Frankie is the most amazing character. Flawed and real. Her story is simply amazing and we go through the full gamit of emotions with her including frustration. There were many “what the f is she doing?!” moments for me! There was one thing that was confusing though. As Ireland has always maintained neutrality in the war, it seemed strange that an Irish father would be so involved with war time and war heroes. It seemed an odd choice. I will miss Frankie and would recommend all to read this great book.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher (Pan MacMillan) for providing me with an ARC copy of the book, which I freely chose to review.
I had read many comments about Kristin Hannah and her novels, but I hadn’t read any yet, so I can’t compare it to her previous work. I have been interested in the Vietnam War and the role the United States played in it for a long time, and I’ve read books (both, fiction and non-fiction), and watched movies, series, and documentaries about it, so this novel seemed a good fit for me.
As the description explains, the novel centres on Frankie, a girl from a navy town in California, whose father has never lived up to his disappointment about not having been able to serve his country, and who worships everything military, in particular, navy-related. He is very proud when his son goes to Vietnam. Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan, and by the time Frankie has decided to enlist as a nurse, tragedy has already fallen on the family.
The war is a shock for her, but thanks to two of the veteran nurses (Ethel and Barb) and the patience and understanding of the rest of the staff, she develops into a great nurse, and she ends up signing up for a second tour of duty. She is a religious (Catholic) girl, and pretty conventional and naïve, so she tries to keep men at bay at first, following her strict moral standards, but eventually, she ends up having a relationship with a young man she knew from before, and they make plans for the future.
When she returns to the US, she doesn’t get the hero reception she had heard about from WWII. Instead, she is spat on and called names. She had heard of the anti-war movement, but the reality of it hits her hard. That, together with flashbacks and other clear symptoms of PTSD, and a serious loss shortly after her arrival, make her reintroduction into civil life very complicated. Despite the support of her two nurse friends (who’ve both made new lives for themselves), she doesn’t manage to fit in and find her place, and events (and to a certain extent, her own choices and her way of dealing with things, or trying not to deal with them) keep conspiring and take her to breaking point.
This novel is a mixture of historical fiction (it captures well the atmosphere of Vietnam, especially the hospitals, although it doesn’t dedicate much space to the Vietnamese people other than in passing), coming-of-age story, and romance/melodrama. In many ways, Frankie is a typical protagonist of a romantic novel: beautiful, naïve, principled, quite green... All the men she meets fall for her, but she sticks to her rules of conduct, at least initially. She falls in between two eras: her mother (and father) expect her to marry somebody of her upper social class, have babies, and have a full social life, taking an interest in some good causes. At the same time, the Hippy movement has arrived, the Civil Rights Movement is in full swing, and so is the Women’s Liberation Movement. Women are demanding more freedom and taking their destiny in their own lives. Frankie doesn’t seem happy in either of these two worlds, and although she tries to get help for her trauma, nobody acknowledges that there were women in the war, and the veteran services and hospitals are only set to look after those who saw action (as if nurses hadn’t seen more than their fair share of it).
The story is interesting and it’s difficult to put down once you get into it. On the other hand, I never felt too attached to the protagonist, although I empathised with her and felt quite moved by the way things developed towards the end. I would have liked to get to know more about her two friends, Ethel and Barb. We don’t see or hear things from their perspective, and they are never the focus of the novel, although they represent the support and sisterhood well. The part of their experiences in Vietnam and also what Frankie experiences when she gets back home felt realistic and gripping, but the parts related to her relationships felt overdone and melodramatic. There were many coincidences, many tragic events one after another, and I ended up feeling as if I were watching a soap opera gone to extremes for effect. The other aspect that I thought worked well was the coming-of-age side of things, and how Frankie manages to find a way to become independent and to find a meaningful outlook in life. I would have preferred it if the author had avoided the last twist (this is another case of ‘a twist too far’, in my opinion) but I’m sure readers who like romantic novels will enjoy it.
Hannah includes an author’s note, where she explains her interest in the subject and the process of creation of this novel, and a section of acknowledgements which is particularly interesting, as she mentions the people she consulted and recommends some books written by people who survived the experience and others she used as a source, and those will be of interest to people who want to deepen their knowledge of the Vietnam War and the experience of the (western) women who joined the war effort.
In sum, this is a book suited to those interested in historical fiction about the Vietnam War, the role of women in that war, and particularly readers who enjoy a good dose of romance and melodrama mixed into their historically inspired novels.

WOW! What an amazing book! I’m not really a fan of books about war and to be honest I don’t really know much about Vietnam but as soon as I started this book I was captivated. It was a very emotional story about 21 year old Frankie McGrath who decides to sign up as a nurse and head to Vietnam.
Frankie immediately feels like she’s out of her depth but with the love and support of her fellow nurses Barb and Ethel she settles in to life in Vietnam.
This is a very moving and thought provoking story of how the veterans are treated long after the war is finally over..
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of what I think might well be the best book of the year.

This story was just… immense! I went into this book with zero preconceptions and no clue on the plot or anything (just a brief outline), and I was absolutely gripped from the outset.

There are different parts to the story and it follows one woman who was a nurse for two tours in Vietnam. This being the first part to the story, and everything kind of follows on from that experience. I felt everything that Frankie McGrath went through deep in my heart, and the emotions in this one were high. It was sad, powerful, heartbreaking, happy, frustrating, beautiful and epic, all at once!

The side characters were all perfect - especially Frankie’s fellow combat nurses. I need friends like them!! And the romance plot lines were also epic and emotional - such a rollercoaster ride.

I was just hooked on this one. I was completely and utterly in love with Frankie and wanted her to be happy. It was also eyeopening for me regarding the historical elements, and how women fought in the Vietnam war as nurses and other non-frontline roles. The impact that the war had on America at the time is frightening and I’ll definitely be looking into this more for my own personal education.

Oh my goodness, Kristin Hannah has done it again. There are very few authors whose books always have the power to make me cry but hers always do; a gut-wrenching, incredibly emotional and powerful story about three nurses who served in the Vietnam war. However, this book is so much more than that; it is hard to read at times - the horrifying depictions of wartime atrocities and the destructive path that Frankie was on afterwards - but I feel that this is a very important book that everyone should read.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, and the author Kristin Hannah.
An interesting premise and subject, but I found the writing style too fluffy and contrived at times to fully enjoy it. There were also too many convenient plot devices (BOTH love interests back from the dead?!) The main character also didn't quite click for me and felt two dimensional. Highly readable, but slightly lacking for me. 3 stars.

This was different from Kristin Hannah’s usual books but it was a very powerful and emotional read.
The scenes in Vietnam were very realistic and it was easy to imagine the horrors that were seen there and the sheer helplessness the medics over there felt trying to treat so many in such terrible conditions.
When Frankie returned to the USA the way she was treated as a female veteran was shocking to me. Even taking a nursing job to practice her skill, she was treated like a person with no experience. I find it hard to believe that so many didn’t believe that women had been over there.
The PTSD Frankie suffered was written about so well but it was upsetting to read.
I found this book hard to put down but learned a lot more about the war in Vietnam, the horrors and the aftermath suffered by so many. From a historical point of view this was for me very informative.
An interesting and emotional read.
4 stars

This book had to be written. It was high time.
It makes my blood boil to think how these women were treated once they'd returned from Vietnam.
I devoured the first half of the book in a few hours but then I had to slow down the tempo, and found the second part emotionally draining. I appreciate the thorough research the author did and that comes through the pages. To me this is not a happy book, albeit an important one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an Advance Review Copy.

Kristin Hannah's "The Women" brings us back to her signature style of immersive storytelling. Having enjoyed her previous novels, I was really looking forward to this one. The way she writes makes you feel like you're right there in the story, which is something I've always loved about her books.

However, this time around, I ended up giving the book three stars. It starts well but then drags on longer than necessary. Hannah tends to explain too much instead of letting the story unfold naturally, which takes away from the experience. The main character, Frankie, didn't click with me—she comes off as too privileged and not a very accurate representation of Vietnam vets. Also, the book has a lot of focus on men behaving badly, which makes the title "The Women" seem a bit off. It felt like it should have been called "The Men" instead. ("A boy told me girls can be heroes, too") While the writing was good, the book didn't meet my high expectations and left me feeling a bit disappointed.

This is a story about a young, recently qualified nurse who joins the Army Nurse Corps and goes to Vietnam. This is a tale about the power of female friendships, the relationships she forms, and the trauma she experienced. This is a book about Women being written out of history, about Women holding one another up, and about recognising the strength from within 'In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the Women'...Read it!

Kristin Hannah is one of my all time favourite authors and this book is another incredible read!

Frankie is such a wonderful character and I loved her from the very first page. Her friendship with Ethel and Barb is so heart warming and I really felt like I was in Vietnam with them. The themes of love and loss throughout the book are so detailed and felt so real.

The attention to detail is phenomenal and I could not put this book down. Highly recommend!!

Fantastically compelling. This book is sure to be a huge hit. Ashamedly I don't know much about the Vietnamese war. 'The Women' was a real eye-opener for me. Powerful stuff!

A stunning read that captivates you, educates you, will make your heart sing and your eyes fill with tears.
Spanning nearly 20 years this gives a harrowing insight into the Vietnam War told through the eyes of Frankie and her friends who served in it. The consequences of their sacrifice and the reception they received when they returned home should make America hang it’s head in shame. A brilliantly written work describing generations of people whose lives were either lost or who paid, in some ways, even a higher price.
A new author for me but one whose back catalogue I'll be seeking out.

This book is incredible. I had so many different emotions when reading it.

The Women follows Frankie Mcgrath who decides that she will join the army as a nurse during the Vietnam War.

The way veterans especially women, were treated on their return was disgusting. This novel deals with the reality of returning from war and the PTSD very well.

I felt the main characters were thinly developed and descriptions of the war in Vietnam were superficial. I didn’t really get a sense of the gore or gut wrenching nature of war. The story ultimately was formulaic and I was able to guess the end from a mile away.

This book affected me deeply - I very rarely cry while reading a book but this one made me cry and left me thinking about it for days.

I knew very little about the Vietnam war, the part that women played in the Army Nurse corps, the reception that the veterans received when they returned and the impact on their futures.

Three women meet in Vietnam as nurses, survive their time there and then have to return to their lives at home. The book primarily concentrates on Frankie and her experience of war, her family’s denial of her service and her attempts to live as a civilian. She suffers and is held together by her friends who rescue her and give her a glimpse of a good future. She is failed by the authorities and her own relationship choices but her friends bring her through.

This novel explores the devastating impact of war and the long lasting repercussions for those who served.

A book to be recommended. Not for the faint hearted!

Unfortunately I cannot give feedback on this book as it disappeared from my shelf even though I had downloaded it and it had not reached the expiration date. A pity as I was looking forward to reading the book. Hopefully it is just a glitch and the book will reappear and I can read it. Am giving it the average rating on NetGalley so I don’t change the stats.

Absolutely brilliant, based on a true story this book made me mad and it made me cry! I've reccomended it to all my friends.

“ 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝: 𝙒𝙖𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙥, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩”

When student nurse Frankie hears the words “Women can be heroes too she decides to join the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam not long after her brother is shipped out there.

Having come from a privileged, ideal life in California she realises this was not what she envisioned when she signed up and what she sees shakes her to the core. She is shocked by the turmoil and sheer devastation that this war has caused with men arriving to her OR near death every second. What surprises her the most is the loyalty and respect these men have for each other, the amazing friendships she develops and the small pleasures they manage to find in all the death and destruction.

However, the real struggle starts when she arrives home. The reaction she receives from people is sickening from being spat on to being just plain ignored. People are angry at the war and want to forget it ever happened. No one is slapping her on the back saying well done instead she has become a pariah.

This is a beautiful story of the bravery and courage shown by the women who put themselves at risk to save the men fighting for their country. Lives are lost, hearts and minds are broken. However, even through all the pain and loss friendships and love still blossom.

After reading many of Hannah’s books I feel she can do wrong and can already tell this will be in my top 10 books for 2024. It was an epic and mesmerising read that I will not forget in a hurry.

Thank you so much to @Netgalley for a digital copy of this book.