The Women.

 

 

★★★★★

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 over- whelmed 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.

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Powerful, inspiring. A story that will stay with you. 

I can't recall the last time a book had such an effect on me. It was a heartbreaking story that needed to be read. I listened to The Women on audiobook, and even though it took me a while, I'm glad I did. The narrator, Julia Whelan , did an outstanding job capturing the feelings of each character, especially Frankie. I could feel Frankie's feelings during her time as a nurse in Vietnam, as well as her pain, fury, and fear later. I despised how Frankie was treated once she returned home and how everyone pretended that what she had done in Vietnam wasn’t important. I didn’t blame her for being angry. I was angry along with her. 

Frankie is a character I'll never forget. Vietnam transformed her in so many ways. She might not always see it, but she was brave; I wouldn't have survived as long as she did if it were me. Frankie is the character that will stay with you long after you've finished the book. I can't imagine enduring what she experienced and saw as a nurse in Vietnam. A few men were in her life, but I only wanted her to end up with one: Jamie. I felt that the two of them had a genuine connection, and I hoped they would find a way to each other throughout the novel. 

I liked how the novel revolved around Frankie's experiences as a nurse during and after the Vietnam War. I have a few friends who served in the military and suffered from PTSD afterward. I liked that this was about women in Vietnam, but I despised how they were treated and underappreciated as if caring for injured soldiers didn't matter. I knew a little about the Vietnam War before reading the book, but I learned a lot more after reading it. I even conducted my research later! I wondered about the title of the book The Women , and this is a story that needed to be told and read. I've been reading Kristin Hannah for years, and this has become my new favorite.