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BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Women: A Novel

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.

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Published Feb 6, 2024

480 pages

Average rating: 8.71

10,156 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Andrea-The Shelf Life Books
Jul 03, 2025
10/10 stars
“Some Women had worn love beads in the sixties; others had worn dog tags.”

In 1965 Frances "Frankie” and her Brother Finley McGrath are living a carefree and luxury life. They live with their parents on Coronado Island in California. Finley and Frankie spending long summer days surfing, since their front yard was the beautiful beach.

Finley goes to the Naval Academy after graduation. Hoping to be among the photos on his father’s “Hero’s Wall” proudly displayed on his office. In the midst of the Vietnam War, Finley is sent to Vietnam to serve his country. Frankie is besides herself with her brother gone and her parents trying to get Frankie to become a secretary and a wife.

One day, word comes that Finley’s helicopter was shot down and he has been killed. There were no remains to send home. This leaves the McGrath family with so many unanswered questions.

Frankie decides that she can become a Nurse and go find Finley’s remains in Vietnam. She is enlisted into the Army Nurse Corps. When she finally gets in country, Naive Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of the war.

This story is written about the women nurses in the Vietnam War. We learn about Frankie’s story, but also about those same women coming home, and having to continue to fight for themselves. Many of the women ended up with PTSD, flashbacks, and nightmares but they couldn't get the help they needed, due to the government thinking since they did not “see action”, they did not need the help like the men did.

I love Frankie’s character. Knowing that the world was changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. She went in thinking that she needed to be on her father’s “Hero Wall”, but little did she know that she would become her own hero, and that is all she needed. I enjoyed the female friendships that were formed and lasted a lifetime. Overall, this is my favorite Kristin Hannah book.
amberdenisereads
Jun 28, 2025
10/10 stars
5 stars, 10/10, I have no notes. I never would have picked up this book if my best friend Kim hadn’t suggested it, and I am SO grateful that I did! Hot take (or maybe not): this is very likely the best book I’ve ever read. It’s definitely my favorite read of the year… maybe even my favorite book ever.
Mmarostegui
May 20, 2025
10/10 stars
Frances “Frankie” McGrath joins the army to be a nurse in 1965 in Vietnam. Her brother dies in the war, and Frankie has to navigate her conservative parents' disagreement with her "service" as well as her father's opinions that women aren't heros for his "hero wall" in his office. She falls in love over there with a married man, and as he is returning home, he's shot down. She then falls in love with another man, who broke off his engagement to be with her, and she finds out that he's also been killed in action. (Turns out he was captured of a prisoner of war, and when he comes home years later, she discovers he was actually married and has a child). Frankie comes home to a nation that calls her a "baby killer" and angry protests, and a denial, even by the VA, that women went to war. She sacrificed so much, and now, when addicted to alcohol, and suffering from PTSD, no one is there for her, including her parents. Finally, Frankie finds herself in helping other women of war, building a ranch to help those like her, and in the end, at the Vietnam memorial, meets the original man she fell in love with, who is now divorced, and they end up together at the end.
ljzsreadsandreviews
Apr 14, 2025
10/10 stars
I don’t know if words can properly describe how powerful and captivating this book is. Although fictional, this entire book is historically based which makes it so much more emotional. I cried throughout this entire book which just shows how attached I got to Frankie and her story. The Vietnam War is actually one of the most intriguing pieces of our history to me. I did a few research projects on the war while I was in school and it’s a time period I feel there is always more to learn more about and this book just gave me a whole topic I want to read more about. It’s not a surprise there were women in this war and that that they were not given the credit they deserved, but it still was so frustrating to see depicted. The other part of this book that took such an emotional toll for me was what was clearly PTSD that these veterans were going through but it was not at all recognized as a real struggle. Kristin Hannah does such an incredible job telling this story that I felt apart of it the entire time. This is 100% a must read.
monicaroush
Apr 08, 2025
9, 7, 9, 9, 9, 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8 (Stevee's)

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