book review: The Women

Five-star book review for The Women by Kristin Hannah!

Kristin Hannah did not disappoint in this compelling read set during the war in Vietnam. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed planning this book review for The Women.

The Women book cover blurb:

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 overwhelmed 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.

I especially love historical fiction.

It’s so great to get lost in a story and experience another time through the characters. Historical fiction teaches us so much, and this book is no exception. I have read very little about the war in Vietnam, and I found this story to be both educational and compelling. Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, and it was an easy decision to write a book review for The Women.

Meaningful moments from the book:

How did a woman go about opening up her world? How did one begin a journey when no invitation had been issued?

Unlike the men, dressed in their comfortable olive-drab fatigues, neatly bloused inside black boots, Frankie was required to travel in her class A uniform: a green jacket, slim skirt, nylons, polished black pumps, and flat garrison hat. And beneath all of that, a regulation panty girdle to keep her nylon stockings up. 

From a distance, the ward seemed to be full of young men stuck in the hinterland between life and death. Most had little or no reaction to any stimulus, but as Frankie learned the skills it took to care for these men, she began to see them, not merely as bodies in pain, but as men hoping for something more. Each soldier made her think of [her brother] Finley. She spoke to them softly, touched their hands. She imagined each patient lying here, locked in the black void of a coma, dreaming of home.

They were more than best friends, she and Barb and Ethel. The radical, the farm girl, and the good girl; back in the world they might never have met each other, might never have become friends, but this war had made them sisters.

“I’m so tired of goodbyes,” Frankie said quietly, squeezing her eyes shut to keep from crying. What good were tears? Gone was gone. Crying didn’t change it.

Thank God for girlfriends. In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the women. 

Kristin Hannah painted vivid pictures of the devastation and longing experienced by the medical staff and the locals in Vietnam.

I could feel their exhaustion and need for solace. The stark contrast between the perceptions of people back home and the experiences of those in the thick of the conflict was incredible. The suffering of the civilians–and children–is something we should never forget.

Besides the horrors of the war, the book also delves deeply into the aftermath.

You learn about the veterans’ struggles as they return home and about the political upheaval of that time. How experiences in and around the war shaped a generation. Reading about the difficulties was hard. What struck me the most was how important it is that we are careful with each other.

The title The Women is apt. This book celebrates the strength of women.

When I first heard about the book, I had no idea it focused on the war in Vietnam. Ultimately I understood why the title emphasized the characters. It’s a story about strong, resilient, resourceful women and what they mean to each other. Their story is told amid the conflict and struggles of the war. The sentiment that “you could count on the women” was beautifully portrayed throughout the book.

Definitely recommend!

Other posts you might like:

• featured author: Kristin Hannah
• Human Library: creating positive change one “book” at a time
• featured author: Rebecca Connolly
• book review: A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice (historical fiction about the sinking of the Titanic, written by Rebecca Connolly)
• book review: Hidden Yellow Stars (WWII historical fiction, written by Rebecca Connolly)

Fondly,

Crysti