Kristin Hannah has become a powerhouse of strong female character novels, and her latest, The Women continues that theme. I have both loved and liked her work over the years, but my favorites have not always been her top sellers. For instance, I didn’t love The Four Winds (a huge success for her), but I really liked The Great Alone, not as popular as The Four Winds or The Nightingale. But all that said – I have a new favorite. Here is my book review The Women by Kristin Hannah.

1960’s

Hannah places the reader in the idyllic California community of Coronado, where we meet Frankie (Frances). Frankie and her brother Finn have grown up with conservative parents, and a patriotic, traditionalist father. The family is so proud of Finn when he heads off to serve in Vietnam. Frankie finds herself at loose ends after Finn is gone…wondering what is next for her? Her mother is pushing Frankie towards marriage but Frankie can’t see herself in that role.

At Finn’s going away party Frankie meets handsome Ry who ventures to say to Frankie a life changing sentence – “Women can be heroes too”.

Vietnam

Frankie impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corp. Her father is livid, her mother furious. And then, Finn is dead. The whole beautiful world comes tumbling down, and Frankie is off to Vietnam, not able to get out of her commitment; scarred, grief-stricken, naive.

The Women

This is a story about the women of Vietnam. The nameless, faceless heroes – forgotten. The nurses who made it possible for so many male soldiers to return home. The women who witnessed as much carnage, death, chaos and trauma as any man on the front. Hannah does a wonderful job pulling into focus this part of the Vietnam story that most people didn’t know then, and still don’t know today.

The Women by Kristin Hannah follows the lives of not only Frankie, but her friends Ethel and Barb, as each deals in her own way with the country they return to after their tour of duty. A country torn in two by war, politics and lack of respect for those who served.

Book Review The Women by Kristin Hannah

I really enjoyed this book, learned a lot, felt great empathy for the characters and loved the story line. One of my favorite Kristin Hannah books to date. Thanks for reading my book review The Women by Kristin Hannah. By the way, the Afterwards by the author was also intriguing so don’t skip that.

*****Five stars for The Women by Kristin Hannah. Read last week’s book review After Annie by Anna Quinland

Want to read another great book about a different kind of female character navigating Vietnam in the early 60’s? I loved Absolution by Alice McDermott.

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