The Women
The Women ~ Kristin Hannah
Frances “Frankie” McGrath is a San Diego nursing student from a wealthy family turned Army nurse, who goes to war in Vietnam. She is dropped into a field hospital with barely any training, and quickly learns the ropes and shows herself to be a gifted trauma nurse. While there, she makes close friendships and falls in love with an (unbeknownst to her) married man.
She comes home after her second tour and faces a world that is hostile to veterans in general, and an absolute lack of support for female veterans. Again and again she tries to get help for her trauma, and again and again, she is told that ‘there were no women in the war’.
I liked this book, it was an interesting subject, I liked the friendships and relationships, and I felt like the author did a good job of developing a time and place. I didn’t love it as much as a lot of people did, though, and I’m not sure exactly what was missing for me. Recommended anyway, it was still good. I think maybe the hype was just too high and I expected a bit more from it.
16 Comments
Lisa’s Yarns
We are reading this for book club next year and I am looking forward to it. Phil’s aunt was a nurse in Vietnam and sadly she died by suicide in the early 80s due to undiagnosed PTSD (or that is what they suspect). Her and her husband were both stationed in Vietnam. She saw some truly horrific things. My MIL Joan read this for her book club. I was shocked that she didn’t speak up and explain she had a personal connection to the topic. She wasn’t keen to read it for that reason. But it sounded like they had a really good discussion and they passed around pictures of Joan’s sister.
I’ve heard mostly good things about the book, except for the love story in the book. I’m looking forward to reading it, though.
J
Wow, this is really going to touch you a lot more than most, and wow that your MIL was able to take it on. That’s amazing, I wonder if it was healing for her in some ways?
Kyria @ Travel Spot
Arg, I just commented and it got erased.
One of the things that threw me was that I did not really like her. I know that part of that was due to the fact that she went through a traumatic experience and was suffering from it, but I still had trouble connecting to her or understanding her at times. However, I felt that this was probably what many of them were going through and so tried not to hold it against her.
J
I hate when comments get erased! BAH!
I also didn’t quite connect, and perhaps that is where my dissatisfaction came from. I didn’t like some of the decisions that she made, and hoped for better. But in the end it was a good book and gave me things to think about.
Suzanne
I keep seeing this book EVERYWHERE! I know Kristin Hannah is a super popular author, but I have only read one of her books. (The Great Alone) I LOVED it, so much, and yet… I have never had the urge to pick up another book by Kristin Hannah? Super weird.
J
I’m pretty sure I haven’t read The Great Alone…and I lived in a homestead in Alaska for a bit as a little girl, so it might hit me just right. I’ll give it a try! What other books of hers have I read…hmmm…The Nightengale, which I liked but was very similar to another book I had JUST read. The Four Winds, which I remember liking, about the dust bowl. Perhaps I need to check out more of her catalog.
Margaret
For whatever reason, I don’t like the way Kristin Hannah writes, so after reading two of her books, I avoid them. This one has a fascinating topic but I’ve heard that the romance aspect of it is cheesy which is one of my complaints about Hannah in general.
J
Funnily enough, I don’t really remember the romance in this book. I listened to it several months ago, so I’ve forgotten that part. I remember her friendships with the other women, and her PTSD, and the rejection by society.
Maya
I read one Kristin Hannah (Four Winds) and didn’t connect. The treatment felt superficial? Like more telling than showing?
J
Interesting take…I read that one too, and I think I liked it but it was a while ago, so not sure.
Nicole MacPherson
Hot take: I do not like Kristin Hannah’s work. I really don’t like her writing style at all. Clearly I am in the minority here since she has so much success and is so beloved.
J
I haven’t LOVED any of her books, but I’ve liked some well enough.
Stephany
This is one of my contenders for the best book of 2024 for me. I know SO LITTLE about Vietnam and I learned so much from this book. And I’m the opposite of Kyria because I adored Frankie and had such a strong connection to her, especially when she kept trying to get help and couldn’t. Ugh. What an awful time for people who were part of the war.
J
That part was really hard, wasn’t it? She kept asking and being rejected and ignored. SO HARD.
NGS
My husband hated this book. lol. So I never even gave it a chance. Maybe I should?
J
Maybe you could have an interesting book club discussion about it between the two of you?