The Women, by Kristin Hannah

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with another review! A rare post, I know, but when I read this book last month, and I knew I wouldn't be able to full process this book until I noted all my thoughts down on here. Because there are a fair few of them. 

You all know which book I'm talking about, if you've read the title, so I don't know why I'm hammering on, but I hope you enjoy it. 

Here are my thoughts and feelings on The Women, by Kristin Hannah. 

Title: The Women

Author: Kristin Hannah 

Release date: 6/2/2024

Status: Standalone

Pages: No idea, I read the audiobook. 

Blurb: "Women can be heroes. When twemty-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 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 protestors, 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." 

My Thoughts

I will say, I picked this book up because I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for. It was the most appealing audiobook on my unread list, which is why I picked it. 

But honestly, once I started it, I felt little interest in doing anything other than reading it. I became completely engrossed, and ended up finishing it in 3/4 days, despite it being about 10 hours long at my listening speed. 

Not only that, I felt so many feelings reading this. Horror and fear at the gruesome injuries in terrible conditions that Frankie and the other nurses had to deal with, but also fear and sadness at what the civilians had to live through at the hands of the Soviet Union. I felt fury at how Frankie was treated upon returning home after her contract ended, when she was told time and time again that 'there were no women in Vietnam' or when the work she had put in to save the lives of soldiers was simply brushed under the carpet. 

Frankie- instantly likeable- I loved her instinct, her need to make a difference, and her grit, to survive whatever was thrown at her, even when she was plunged right into the action of Vietnam. 

I related to her in her distaste for girlish dresses, for not wanting to brush what she had done under the carpet, despite everyone's apparent disgust. I never got bored of her as a main character, mainly because every situation she encountered (mostly post-war contract, I'm referring to here), felt like a very normal way to try and endure what she was going through. 

There are a lot of serious issues within this book, so it's best to be aware of them before jumping straight in. It of course discusses war conditions, injuries, life and death, and war. But it also deals with addiction, PTSD, alcoholism, unhappy relationships, protesting, violence, miscarriages and depression. 

There are some happy themes as well, but just be aware of the above mentioned. 

Okay, on to the other characters. Her Veteran friends, Barb and Ethel were amazing. End of. The three of them made up our main three. Of course, going to war as a nurse, your fellow nurses are your sisters. You experience pain, loss, death, and endure hell and back together. These three were one of the main reasons I was so excited to pick The Women up, day after day. And when each of them made their exits from Vietnam, the fact that they remained there for eachother, through thick and thin, was lovely to see.

I liked her family enough, as frustrating as they were. Thinking about the way Frankie's parents must have been brought up, and the world they grew up in, you can understand why they reacted to Frankie and her achievements the way they did. Doesn't make me happy about it though. 

Maybe my one critique of this book was how frequently romance and relationships occurred. There were a number of romantic interests in this, and although I know it's easy to form relationships when you're surrounded by so much horror (and trying to find comfort when you can), a new person of interest did crop up more than I expected. That's all I'm going to say about it. 

I loved this book, for the pure reason that it gives the nurses of Vietnam, or even the women that played their part in the Vietnam in general, a voice, a way to be heard, and not be forgotten for everything they did in Vietnam, for the sake of their country. 

Overall, The Women broke me. I couldn't think about anything, besides this book, for like a solid couple of days after finishing it. It whooped me emotionally, and I was ready to start the rest of Kristin Hannah's novels immediately after. Not done that yet, but I will. 

If you've been following me long enough you'll know what I mean when I say I want to do another Alice Oseman, but with Kristin Hannah books. 

So, read every single one of them, basically. 

This will definitely be on my Favourites list for 2024. 

I wonder what else will... 

Okay! That is my review for The Women, by Kristin Hannah! I hope you enjoyed reading about my thoughts and feelings regarding this book, and if you did, comment below! (You know, if you feel like you might give this a go.) 

I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx