Book Review: The Women by Kristin Hannah
Poignant, heartbreaking, and eye-opening in a way that I didn’t think was possible, check out my full review for The Women by Kristin Hannah below!
Book Information
After her brother is sent to Vietnam, Frankie McGrath decides to enlist as an army nurse to help aid in the war. What she doesn’t realize is how the war in Vietnam will change her, the country, and the way she views everything.
The Women follows Frankie through her time in Vietnam, the time veterans have coming home to a country who does not want them, and the people who are forgotten in between.
Review | Heidi Dischler
There are so many things I want to say about this novel. So many things that I probably won’t even be able to express. I’ll go ahead and start out by saying that you do not have to worry about writing style or character development. Kristin Hannah does a wonderful job at both. The plot and the research that went into this novel? Those are the shining lights.
To say I was horrified is an understatement as I read the atrocities that happened in Vietnam to both US citizens and the Vietnamese. I hate to even think that human beings could treat each other like this, but history has proven otherwise. I honestly have never known much about the Vietnam War, but now I know so much that my heart feels heavy.
Our MC, Frankie, goes through one gut punch after another and can’t seem to catch a break. She goes to Vietnam for her brother, but we learn within the first couple of pages that her brother is dead with no remains (right after she enlists). When she ends up in Vietnam, she falls in love and it is just heartbreaking to watch how things unfold. The ray of hope in all of it is her best friends Barb and Ethel because damn are they the best. The whole time she is in Vietnam is an absolutely nail-biting experience. My heart rate was up the entire time and I think the author did an amazing job capturing the small moments of joy with the overall feeling of doom.
I don’t want to go too much into spoilers, but I would say that this book was one of the best I’ve read this year for so many reasons. For giving a voice to those who didn’t have one, for lending knowledge about a war that still wants to be forgotten by the American people, for showing me that compassion is still needed everywhere in all aspects of life. I have felt so humbled while reading this book.
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. 5/5 stars easily.
Source: Book of the Month
(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)
