Review: The Women

The Women by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

I don't know what it was with this book or what magic this author used, but I was trapped. I first thought that it was going to be a 'did not finish' novel for me. I didn't like Frankie all that much throughout the entire novel, but I understood her. At times, I thought I was going to need some "mother's little helpers" to get through the pain, grief, and horror that was Frankie's time spent in 'Nam. But let me tell you, the war wasn't even the worst part.

I am so ashamed of how the public looked upon the returning Vets. I can understand it, but I am still ashamed. I was very young as this war was being waged, so I understood nothing until I read the historical novel. 20 years this war was fought (1955-1975), and like most wars, for what? But that is neither here nor there.

I could not put this book down. The troubles that Frankie faced with only the help of her fellow nurses were intense. I could see that it was PTSD, but there was really not such a thing back then.

Her love life issues -gah! I just wanted to do something really nasty to Rye, I really did, and I wouldn't have blamed Frankie one bit if she had done something nasty to him!

Eventually, Frankie does overcome her PTSD and helps others.

I really don't know how to express my feelings for this book. It just sucked me in and wouldn't let me go until the final page was read.

*ARC  supplied by the publisher  St. Martin's Press, the author  Kristin Hannah, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS "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.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era. "