The Women

By Kristin Hannah

Book Overview

A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women--at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets--and becomes one of--the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm's way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250178649
• ISBN13: 9781250178640
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Read a factual tale

Stopped reading approximately halfway through. And bought a couple books by actual nurses that were there. Inaccuracies, perpetual untruths,embellishments. The use of “letters” to and from home as a vehicle for the author to express their beliefs became too much for me. Remember. This is a novel.

Best book I've read in a long time!

This has to be the best book I have read ever! I loved the story & how well written it was. It shed light on the horrors of the Viet Nam war& all the medics went through. Once you start it, you can't put it down.

A must read!

This is one of those books you can’t put down the story it’s very interesting and powerful the female presence is very strong I can guarantee every woman can identify with this book. This is a must read for women

You will not be able to put this one down

This was my first Kristin Hannah read and I was captivated by it and honestly, could not put it down until I finished it. Have your box of tissues handy. Since I lived through this era and lost friends who were killed over there in Nam this really hit home with me. In fact it brought to light the dark side of this tragic war. I don't think the average person can really grasp the magnitude of what went on over there in the mash units. Certainly the TV series Mash, gives one a more glorified version of their world. It is not until you read this book, that you realize the depth of the courage, loyalty and suffering that went on. My husband said this was a very accurate depiction of this war in the mash units, and he was there. There are some very happy moments woven in with some very sad ones but in the end the reader is able to come away with a better understanding of the consequences of war and how they affect our lives long after the event is over. The courages, compassionate women nurses in this war struggled, as they fought to be recognized for their contribution in saving lives, was heartbreaking as they were overshadowed by the system. I highly recommend this book. It is captivating. It is one of Kristen Hannah's best and while writing this review, I have read almost all of her novels. I was hooked on her writing style right after reading this book and she never disappoints. No one can draw the reader into the story better than she can in my opinion.

Without question this is one of the most gripping books I have ever read.

Frances Grace McGrath, a proper sort of daughter for a society couple, decides to become a nurse while she waits to find just the right sort of man to marry. Then her brother enlists in the Vietnam war and her father is so proud of him. Frances wants him to be proud of her too, so, after nurses training, she enlists in the Army Nurse Corps - to say her life is never the same again would be a vast understatement. Be prepared, once you start reading, you will not accomplish another thing until the book is finished.

Great Description of the Vietnam War

“The Women” is a book with one of the best descriptions of the Vietnam War. And growing up in that era, most of us had no idea that so many women served in the combat zones. So, Thank You, Kristen Hamma, for bringing to light such an important topic, and thank you to all who served. The problem with the storyline is the romance area: Two love interests who we believe are “killed in action” come back in the end, which just didn’t happen. Too many friends and acquaintances never came back from the war. The rest of the book is beautifully written, intriguing, and will hold your interest long into the night.

Loved It!

This is one of the best books I've read, couldn't put it down. It made me cry and also made me mad. I would definitely recommend this book.

10 star read

This book is beyond a 5 star read It's a 10 star read! In pure Kristin Hannah fashion it gives you all the feels. The introduction in this book brought tears to my eyes and gave me goose bumps. You can't help but love Frankie, Barb, and Ethel. We all know women like them! I don't wanna give away any spoilers but I kinda knew he would reappear in the end. I listened to this as an audio book and the reader was amazing as well.

The Women, excellently written. Great author

Loved the details. So interesting I read it every chance I got. Details and facts interesting. I learned more about this time setting. Sad-but grateful for the facts. Easy read

Read it!

This is one of my top books for the year so far . I loved Kristin Hannah’s nightingale so I thought this would be similar . The women far exceeded my expectations. Loved it

A Must Read

Hannah weaves a remarkable tale of a young woman desperate to 'jump start' her life and make it on her Father's 'hero wall.' It made me rethink the words 'See me' in a way few reads have. I was with Frankie every step of the way and loved the refrain throughout, "You can do this, McGrath."

NOT connected to the REALITY of being in Vietnam.

I served in Vietnam. This book is a romance, historical FICTION!!! The author basically used only one woman who served in Vietnam as a source. She never even went to see the country she is writing about. It is impossible to list the many, many errors in this book! There were 12,000 American women who served in-country so the author should have made the effort to gather better information from additional sources. The author is getting a great deal of money from this book ---- so give her your money but DO NOT learn your history from this book!!!

3.75 stars

THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah A running theme in KH novels is how much she *loves* to put her main characters through multiple traumatic trials and tribulations. There’s no shortage of them in this story of young, naive combat nurse, Frances “Frankie” McGrath. I appreciate KH writing about the Vietnam War through the perspective of the servicewomen. They deserve the same respect, honor, praise and acknowledgments given to men. I also like the focus on Frankie’s experiences once home and dealing with her mental health. That said, there was too much attention given to Frankie’s romantic relationship(s). I know it’s meant to tug on heartstrings and garner tears from the reader, but it didn’t work for me. It was all formulaic, cliched, and predictable. I wanted to know more about Frankie’s fellow nurses, Barb and Ethel! Their friendship, support, and love for each other was heart warming. I wish they were more than supportive friends especially since this book is called, The WOMEN. Overall, this is an emotional and riveting page turner that will appeal to many. Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐️

Excellent Read

I just yesterday, finished this novel. I usually do not read novels; however, I highly recommend this book to all those Vietnam Veterans, specially those who do not appreciate the women's (nurses) accomplishments and sacrifices (eight who are reported to have been killed) during this horrible time in our history. I am a Vietnam Era NCO who proudly served.

One of My Favorite Books But Be Prepared To Cry

A pampered rich girl, fresh out of nursing school, enlists as an army nurse in Viet Nam to be near her brother who was a naval officer. Her brother died before she gets there and she is thrust into a total hell. What gets her through everything is her friendship with two other nurses. When she returns home, she is despised for going to Viet Nam and she can't get the emotional help she needs until she hits rock bottom. Like all of Kristin Hannah's books, this is so realistic. It is heart-wrenching. Like "The Nightingale" and "The Four Winds", the story revolves around a woman forced to become strong through circumstances. This is a must read - but be prepared to cry through much of the book.

The Women....best book ever!

I have been an avid book reader since I was 7 or so. This book was the best book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It grabs you from page 1 and I just could not stop reading!! Good thing I am retired. I would recommend this book to everyone!

Coud not put down

This book kept you guessing, kept your attention all the way through to the end. As a woman of this generation, I related to so many of what was mentioned in the book. I could not put the book down. This is a book that got me to want more by this author.

Gripping and informative novel

I learned a lot from this book and couldn't put it down. Have recommended it to many. While much of the story is about the Vietnam War there's a whole lot more to it: love, family, recovery, finding purpose. Really, really good book!

So interesting! Riveting read, couldn't put it down

The author describes the experience of arriving & participating in the Vietnam war with such vivid detail that it feels like you are there. It provokes so much thought & discussion. Would be a great book club book!

Loved this book

This book was wonderful. I always love Kristin Hannah books with the exception of Four Winds, but this may be her best. I recommend this book to everyone.

Wonderful book a must read.

Brilliant book, follow her struggles serving as a nurse during the Viet Nam war. See how she learns to deal with the aftermath of her service and her rejection by fellow vets, the VA, and her own family. Read how she finally finds peace with her past and looks forward to the future.

Amazing

Truly amazing. Learned a lot. Eye opening. Couldn't stop crying. My uncle served in Vietnam and I wish I asked him to tell me more stories before he passed a few years ago...but now I know a little more about what he endured. Must read.

Nope! Just nope!

I couldn't get into this book to save my life. It was like a long loop of the same day over and over. Couldn't finish it. Very disappointed

A Story that needed to be told

This book was amazing. I grew up during the Viet Nam war era and had no idea how women were ignored during that time. Without nurses, so many of our boys would not have made it home. While fiction, this book had a lot of truth in it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who was around during that horrible, senseless war.

So good!

This book is a 10 star book in my opinion. It needed to be told about the nurses in Viet Nam and what they went through during and after the war. The characters are fictional but the stories are true. I cried during some of it, Such a powerful story and so worth reading!

Masterpiece!

This is a masterpiece- in storytelling, in historical reporting and in literary enjoyment! Excellent!! Great for book clubs!

Kristin Hannah did it again! Read the entire book in 1 day!

Kristin Hannah did it again! Read the entire book in 1 day! Don't want to give the plot away but she brought the combat nurses that served in Vietnam the honor and respect they deserved along with ALL veterans who served shame on our government for marginalizing our veterans and making healing all the more difficult. Thank you Kristin Hannah for showing us what really happened. My great aunt who I'm named after was a nurse who served in Korea.

Child of a Vietnam Nurse - this book helped me understand mom even more

I picked up an author's copy while I was in D.C. for a reunion of Vietnam Combat Nurses. My mother is a retired combat nurse who served in Vietnam. After much lobbying, the U.S. government 30 years ago, acknowledged the presence of women in the war and allowed a memorial to be erected on the National Mall. These women were swept under the rug and not acknowledged as having served in Vietnam, and this book is powerful in capturing the strength of Vietnam nurses who were essentially left to their own devices to heal if they managed to survive and return home. Chilling and heartwarming.