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A Novel
by Kristin Hannah
Book Reviewed by:From master storyteller Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, comes the story of a turbulent, transformative era in America: the 1960s.
"Women can be heroes, too."
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.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm's way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. A novel of searing insight and lyric beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional, richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose extraordinary idealism and courage under fire define a generation.
One
CORONADO ISLAND, CALIFORNIA
MAY 1966
The walled and gated McGrath estate was a world unto itself, protected and private. On this twilit evening, the Tudor-style home's mullioned windows glowed jewel-like amid the lush, landscaped grounds. Palm fronds swayed overhead; candles floated on the surface of the pool and golden lanterns hung from the branches of a large California live oak. Black-clad servers moved among the well-dressed crowd, carrying silver trays full of champagne, while a jazz trio played softly in the corner.
Twenty-year-old Frances Grace McGrath knew what was expected of her tonight. She was to be the very portrait of a well-bred young lady, smiling and serene; any untoward emotions were to be contained and concealed, borne in silence. The lessons Frankie had been taught at home and at church and at St. Bernadette's Academy for Girls had instilled in her a rigorous sense of propriety. The unrest going on across the country these days, erupting on city streets and college...
What's your favorite WWII historical fiction novel?
A keeper of Happy endings - Barbara Davis, and of course The women by Kristin Hannah.
-Marijana_Bankovic
What are you reading this week? (9/04/2025)
The Women by Kristin Hannah
-Linda_C
What are you reading this week? (8/7/2025)
Im listening to „The Women" by Kristin Hannah.
-Margot_W
How do you feel historical fiction can influence the way we look at history?
...was unknown to the reader or even teach new facts about history that you never knew. For example, I knew a little about the Vietnam conflict. I read The Women by Kristin Hannah. Even though it was historical fiction, it had facts in it. I never new about how the women , the nurses were treated when they came home. It was an...
-Brenda_Wychock
To what audience would you recommend The Girls of Good Fortune? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
The Girls of Good Fortune is another must-read volume for fans of historical fiction by the very talented Kristina McMorris, whose other books include The Ways We Hide , Sold on a Monday , The Edge of Lost, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves , and Letters from Home . I also recommend historical fiction by ...
-Janie-Hickok-Siess
What are you reading this week? (6/12/2025)
I'm reading 'The Women' by Kristin Hannah, about the nurses in Vietnam. Harrowing and hoping there's some positive outcomes for the main character soon!
-Susan_P
All time favorite book club books?
...at surprise you, or other books that you think should be on it? Rank Book % Respondents 1 A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016, Viking) 8.99% 2 The Women by Kristin Hannah (2024, St. Martin's Press) 4.81% 3 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022, Doubleday) 4.68% 4 Horse by Geraldine Brooks (2022, Viking) 3.92% 5 J...
-nick
What are you reading this week? (04/24/2025)
*Kim, These are the last few books I've read: More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova The Women by Kristin Hannah Wednesday's Child by Yiyun Li (short stories) The Hypocrite by Jo Hayma
-Kassapa
What's the last book you received as a gift, and what's the last book you gave as a gift?
The last book I got as a gift was The Women by Kristin Hannah, which I loved, and the last book I gave was The revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. My husband is a fan.
-Lin_Z
What are some books you loved reading in 2024?
I loved The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating and read it a couple years ago! One of my favorites in 2024 was The Women by Kristin Hannah.
-Charla_W
Name a book that was really popular that you absolutely hated
Not to be too suspicious, but I kept thinking about the TV series "China Beach" (which I loved!) while reading The Women and wondered if Kristin Hannah was subconsciously influenced by it. The TV show predates the timeframe Hannah states that she started to think about writing the book and other ...
-Diane_Jones
National Book Awards
I enjoyed James very much. The story had many twists and turns, which kept it going. The book that I wanted to win was The Women by Kristin Hannah. It is such a wonderful story.
-Anna_Robinson
What is your book club reading in 2025?
...he World by Patrick Bingley Rednecks by Taylor Brown Headshot by Rita Bulwinkel The Madstone by Elizabeth Crook The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot The Women by Kristin Hannah Sorrowful Mysteries by Stephen Harrigan Orbital by Samantha Harvey The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta M...
-Anne_Glasgow
Based on years of research and guidance from real-life Vietnam War nurses, The Women vividly describes the horrors of war and the beauty of friendship and forgiveness while honoring the women whose service in Vietnam has been largely ignored...continued
Full Review
(719 words)
(Reviewed by Jordan Lynch).
Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry
Stuns with sacrifice; uplifts with heroism ... an important, long overdue tribute to the brave women nurses who served in Vietnam. Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing
One of the greatest storytellers of our time, Kristin Hannah, tackles one of the most cruel and despicable wars of the last century, the Vietnam War. The Women reveals the powerful contributions and horrific sacrifices of the American military nurses who served in a war whose agencies refused to acknowledge that they were even there. Perhaps no words can bring closure to a nation still ashamed of booing our returning heroes, but the heroine, Frances McGrath, stirs a deep, overdue compassion and tears for every single soldier―and especially the forgotten women who sacrificed so much. Never has a novel of war metamorphosed so profoundly into a story of the human heart. Karl Marlantes, author of Matterhorn
Many would say that the nurses who helped fight the Vietnam War were forgotten. Believe me, for those of us who were there, these women were never forgotten--and never will be. Kristin Hannah honors them with this novel. Nicholas D. Kristof, Pulitzer Prize–winning coauthor of Half the Sky
The Women is historical fiction at its very best. So moving, so wrenching, and yet, in the end, uplifting. Brava! I loved The Nightingale and The Four Winds, but The Women is my favorite.
In Kristin Hannah's The Women, nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath joins the Army Nurse Corps and is shipped overseas to serve as a combat nurse in the Vietnam War. Upon returning home, Frankie spends years running from her trauma until she eventually finds a way to share her experiences. At the end of the novel, she stands before the newly unveiled Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and vows to find a way to honor the women like herself who served. Frankie's vow is similar to that of Diane Carlson Evans, who dedicated more than a decade of her life to the creation of the Vietnam Women's Memorial.
Evans served in Vietnam as an Army Corps Nurse from 1966 to 1972. After the ...
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