The Women: A Novel

Kristin's book is an absolute gem!

Her meticulous attention to detail truly brings the Army experience for women to life. As a fellow veteran, I found myself nodding along, feeling understood in ways I couldn't have imagined. Although I didn't serve in Vietnam, the portrayal of the challenges faced by female soldiers resonated deeply with me. The struggles the main character faces upon returning home hit close to home, reflecting the complexities of military life and its aftermath.

This book has definitely earned its spot among my all-time favorites, and Kristin has firmly secured her place as one of my top authors.

“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.

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.

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.

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.