The Women

By Kristin Hannah

Book Overview

"Women can be heroes, too." When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

• Format: Library Binding
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0CP4H72XV
• ISBN13: 9798891640467
• Release Date: March 2024
• Publisher: Center Point
• Length: 500 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

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.

Best I’ve read in a LONG time. Easy Read.

I am not a very fast reader. I finished this book in TWO WEEKS!!! I couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter. I am fascinated with the 60’s decade and this book helped me understand it more. Highly recommend a “summer of ‘67” playlist for background music while you read this. Also, after having finished this novel, I am watching ALL the Nam documentaries & talking to my parents about it. They were SO misinformed at the time. Thank you, Mrs. Hannah, for this treasure and inspiring me to educate myself further on this painful war.

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.