The Women

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Hannah, Kristin, Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Hannah, Kristin
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

"Women can be heroes. 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. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America" -- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Interesting submitted by cldaniels on June 13, 2024, 10:56am An interesting, fictional perspective of all the tragedy (LOTS of tragedy) of the Vietnam War from the perspective of a female nurse, who thinks that women can be heroes.

The Women submitted by aetter on June 13, 2024, 9:03pm This is a really powerful and moving book! The perspective of a female nurse during the Vietnam War was both insightful and challenging at the same time.

A character I cared about submitted by Juliettie on June 17, 2024, 6:08am I know some have debated historical accuracy. but for me, the most important part is that I cared about this character and her story helped me at least think about some of what women (and men) went through in the war.

It really got me to think submitted by alharman1022 on June 17, 2024, 9:24am I hadn't really ever considered this perspective of the war and I thought the story did a good job of making you feel how tough it was

Thumbs up submitted by Terrifisher on June 22, 2024, 12:11pm I very much enjoyed this book. It was a quick read with well developed characters that I cared about. Important perspective of a woman's experience of not being war adjacent, but actually in war.

The Women Review submitted by lucajl on July 1, 2024, 3:05pm This was an amazing book, I enjoyed every piece of it. It may be my favorite by Kristin Hannah so far, I always love her books. The focus was on 'the women' from the Vietnam War. It is not often we get to hear the stories of the nurses and I thought it was really eye opening. I highly recommend!

Really powerful book submitted by caroline.north89 on July 5, 2024, 12:26am Really powerful book and it kept me on the edge of my seat with the twists and turns

Wonderful, but not perfect submitted by kirstengator on July 10, 2024, 10:19am This book is a page turner and was a great choice to get me out of a reading slump. However, I feel like a lot of this author's books are emotional overload, and that was definitely the case here. I wasn't a big fan of the main character and I found some of the twists and turns to be a little TOO unbelievable. Overall, I do recommend this book because the writing is great.

A really sad story submitted by czadams on July 21, 2024, 7:02pm It was about a women who decided to be a nurse in the Vietnam war. People didn't know that any women served in Vietnam. They don't consider Nurses as Vietnam.
The book was a little too depressing because the 2nd half of the book was just about how she was having PTSD and not doing well and treating people really badly.
Maybe it was due to the time frame and the stigma around mental health but it felt a little too sad.

Great story on untold story submitted by dayle on August 2, 2024, 7:51am Kristin Hannah never disappoints. This story was phenomenal, though very sad. I was always rooting for the main character, even when she was making bad choices. Overall, great story about a largely untold story.

The Women submitted by lo_mc on August 4, 2024, 9:33am Kristen Hannah is an incredible writer. She takes you into Vietnam with her detailed descriptions and beautiful writing. Her research was implacable and I learned so much about the forgotten women of the Vietnam war. That said, the book was a bit melodramatic at times with the various love stories. I would have preferred more history and less romance but overall a great read!

Great Book submitted by RKrieger1 on August 10, 2024, 6:22pm I love this author's writing style and character development. I was hooked the whole book and couldn't put it down.

The Forgotten Women of the Vietnam War submitted by ekjensen on August 21, 2024, 8:14pm The long, difficult and sad personal road of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, idealist American patriot naive nurse enters Vietnam War’s front line of surgical hospitals and returns home to tragedy, addiction, loss, bitterness and eventual healing and love from family and best friend nurses from the front lines.

Gripping submitted by Carolyn J Petersen on October 3, 2024, 1:20pm Graduated from nurses training in 1966. The attention to detail amazing. “As she sat down, a garter on her panty girdle snapped and popped her thigh like a rubber band”. This on the plane headed for Vietnam. How things have changed.

Great Book! submitted by mscheich on June 13, 2025, 12:18am A well written, moving book. Not my favorite by Kristin Hannah but still a great read! Lots of detail & highly emotional.

My new favorite submitted by leahkarr on June 13, 2025, 8:40am The Great Alone was my favorite, before I read The Women. Maybe because I’m a nurse? But it’s so much more than that.

AMAZING Female-Focused Look into WW2 submitted by samanthaschmitt on June 13, 2025, 10:26am SO well written and lives up to the hype. Not usually one for historical fiction, but felt so connected to the characters. I loved the focus on how women were treated in the war and after returning home, including the struggles they went to. While I wasn’t alive during the Vietnam War and the aftermath, I was able to feel like I was a part of it. Kristin Hannah kept me guessing throughout the book but the surprises didn’t detract from the story itself. Overall so good and would love to read again.

Not bad submitted by linditherese_25 on June 13, 2025, 8:25pm I loved the history in the book. The Vietnam War isn't a topic I know too much about.

Powerful book submitted by ravsara on June 16, 2025, 4:22pm It seems that I and many people I know feel that they never fully learned about the Vietnam War in school. This book gave me a deeper understanding of what it was like to serve, the enormity of the losses that people endured, and how hard it was to re-enter life on American soil when soldiers returned. This book brings it to life, with nuance, and insight into the devastation that was experienced in the Vietnam War. I highly recommend.

She does it again! submitted by traheyj on June 19, 2025, 10:31am Another great book by Kristin Hannah

The Women submitted by kath on June 19, 2025, 9:29pm Very engaging story about an aspect of the Viet Nam war that is never, ever written about or discussed anywhere! Who ever thinks about any of the many, many women who were integral to the war effort and got no recognition. Highly recommend reading this book and some of the source material the author used.

Such an impactful book submitted by tcronenw on June 19, 2025, 10:57pm This story really provoked thought and emotion on a topic that I had not previously taken the time to learn about. I’m so glad the author took the advice to write it with the actual places and events. Lots of depth to the characters and the fictional pieces too. Well done.

The Women submitted by KalishE on June 20, 2025, 5:42pm Definitely a page-turner that helped get me out of a reading slump but the second half in particular was a little bit melodramatic. It sometimes felt more like I was reading the script to a soap opera episode than a meaningful historical fiction novel but perhaps that is what kept it engaging. I would still recommend the book though!

Thought provoking submitted by emkyoungs on June 20, 2025, 9:44pm This was a really great book! I loved the women's perspective of the Vietnam War as I have not been aware of many books from that perspective.

Insightful and beautifully written submitted by Tesava01 on June 23, 2025, 11:29pm Although fiction, this book gave such an insightful and unique perspective to how women served in Vietnam, how they were more than just nurses, and the aftermath that the war also left on them. Kristen Hannah's character development never fails in complexity and emotion. This book was well researched and beautifully written.

Tops submitted by Susan C on June 25, 2025, 9:01am This is one of the best books I read this year. The history is believably accurate, and therefore the characters are very believable. There is deep insight into the main character's thoughts. So, there is a good connection there. Very well written. It is heart wrenching to see what the Vietnam era veterans went through, and then the aftermath.

little history lesson submitted by curlyqueen on June 27, 2025, 2:00pm I didn't connect with my history teachers growing up and memorizing dates was meaningless to me, so I find myself learning a lot about history now through books, documentaries, etc... While this is a work of fiction, there were definitely insights to Vietnam and women serving in Vietnam. The characters were easy to connect to and I didn't want to put this book down to see what happened next. It's an emotional ride.

Much needed perspective submitted by Cloverdale on June 28, 2025, 7:58am This book is well written overall and I was enthralled with the time and place in the author’s exploration. Some of the plot points felt a little forced, but the core story is heartbreaking and engaging.

Best Book I Read IN A Long Time submitted by justjenn1975 on July 5, 2025, 8:48pm I laughed. I cried. I shivered. I remembered. Relatable on every level. This is a fantastic book.

New Perspective submitted by sarahflott on July 7, 2025, 4:43pm I had not read anything before that told the story of women's role in the Vietnam War. This book did just that. It has some very graphic war scenes in it so any one squemish about blood and war violence may want to skip it. It was a great read.

Good idea poor execution submitted by ankilbou on July 16, 2025, 6:46pm First half is great, packed with action and history. Second half is depressing, repetitive, and predictable.

Boring, formulaic submitted by booksandhibernation on July 22, 2025, 12:01pm I couldn't finish it. She has borrowed from other texts and written a repetitive book that milks emotions without feeling genuine.

Pretty good submitted by MHZ on July 27, 2025, 9:17am Historic fiction isn’t my favorite genre but I found this book interesting, not great but pretty good.

A Powerful, Overdue Tribute submitted by rohansachar on July 29, 2025, 11:11am Kristin Hannah shines a crucial spotlight on the unsung heroines of the Vietnam War: the nurses. This novel is a deeply emotional and unflinching portrayal of their courage, resilience, and the profound trauma they endured, both in the field and upon their difficult return home.

An Unforgettable Journey of Sisterhood and Sacrifice submitted by arpitashah on July 29, 2025, 11:11am Follow Frankie McGrath's poignant journey as she navigates the horrors of war and the societal indifference that greeted her upon her return. Hannah delivers a compelling story about the enduring bonds of friendship forged in fire and the sacrifices made by a generation of forgotten women.

Strong and unforgettable women submitted by HartM1 on August 12, 2025, 11:34am Overall, this novel follows the women of Vietnam in such a visceral and enlightening way. Frankie was an amazing main character to follow and I have never known as much about this war as I do now. There is action, romance, drama, and so much heartbreak. I would honestly recommend this to anyone.

Meh. good topic, but juvenile writing. A romance novel. submitted by 21621031390949 on August 22, 2025, 1:21pm Mixed feelings about this book. It’s definitely historical fiction lite; if I had a shelf called “romance” I would place it there. The writing is juvenile, so I was tempted to list it on my YA shelf. There’s a ridiculous amount of writing about clothes, with characters’ outfits described in virtually every scene (she chose her black and white striped bell bottoms, a red tunic with a white plastic belt, an apple-seed necklace, and her worn huaraches, etc. etc.) Honestly, if the clothing descriptors were removed this would be a much shorter book. The plot turns were predictable (of course he gets killed, but then isn’t; of course he lies; of course her parents…)

BUT, the redeeming part is that the story of women in Vietnam gets told, probably with a fair amount of accuracy. And the final scene in D.C. was very real. I was there and I remember it.

I know most people really like this book, and it’s worth reading to learn the history (if you like to read romance novels.) I prefer my historical fiction with better, less superficial writing. If I hadn’t been reading it for my book club, I wouldn’t have finished it.