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4.51 AVERAGE
4.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicide attempt, War
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this was my first kristin hannah booked and i absolutely loved it
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It should not have taken me so long to read this wonderful book. I knew the Vietnam war was highly controversial in the '70s, but I never would have imagined that the woman were all but ignored and forgotten, despite their very real PTSD. Frankie indoors so much, both overseas and at home. And my sentiment remains, men are trash, but good friends can help you through anything. This was a raw, very emotional read.
I loved this book sooo much!! It was heart wrenching in so many moments. I didn’t know much about the Vietnam war and it’s hard to fathom how they treated women.
I understand why Kristin Hannah is such a popular author. I was hooked from the beginning of the story and stayed invested throughout the entire book. Her portrayal of both the war and the trauma the women were dealing with after the war felt thoughtful and her glimpse into the culture of the United States in the 60s and early 70s felt realistic. I read it in 2 sittings because I didn’t want to put it down. However, I had a couple of minor issues with this book and one bigger issue, which is making it difficult for me to rate the book.
As far as minor gripes go, I always find it a little ridiculous when everyone immediately falls in love with the main female character. I can believe that a beautiful woman would be noticed by many men but insta-love x4 always makes me roll my eyes a little bit. I also felt like this book verged on trauma porn at times. I understand that Hannah was trying to portray the horrors of the Vietnam War and also the horrors of PTSD but there comes a point where it stops feeling realistic and starts to feel almost like a parody of itself. I also felt like Barb and Ethel were criminally under-utilized and under-developed characters, especially in a book that purports to be a novel about “deep friendship.”
My biggest issue with the book is the sanitization of the treatment of Vietnamese women by American soldiers during the war. When I first saw the title and read the description of the book, I assumed this would not be about *all* of the women of the Vietnam War and would instead focus on the American Women, and I was right, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t disappointed. During the war, local Vietnamese women were often harassed and in many cases rapped, brutalized, and murdered by American soldiers. I feel for the American soldiers who were innocent of those crimes and came home to a hostile America, but in the book Hannah framed the American reaction to the Vietnam soldiers as being unfounded, and it wasn’t. I don’t think Hannah is the right person to write the story of the Vietnamese women’s experience during the war, but in titling her book “The Women” and then completely disregarding an entire group of women who were deeply impacted by the war, her message of “women can be heroes” feels very thin.
As far as minor gripes go, I always find it a little ridiculous when everyone immediately falls in love with the main female character. I can believe that a beautiful woman would be noticed by many men but insta-love x4 always makes me roll my eyes a little bit. I also felt like this book verged on trauma porn at times. I understand that Hannah was trying to portray the horrors of the Vietnam War and also the horrors of PTSD but there comes a point where it stops feeling realistic and starts to feel almost like a parody of itself. I also felt like Barb and Ethel were criminally under-utilized and under-developed characters, especially in a book that purports to be a novel about “deep friendship.”
My biggest issue with the book is the sanitization of the treatment of Vietnamese women by American soldiers during the war. When I first saw the title and read the description of the book, I assumed this would not be about *all* of the women of the Vietnam War and would instead focus on the American Women, and I was right, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t disappointed. During the war, local Vietnamese women were often harassed and in many cases rapped, brutalized, and murdered by American soldiers. I feel for the American soldiers who were innocent of those crimes and came home to a hostile America, but in the book Hannah framed the American reaction to the Vietnam soldiers as being unfounded, and it wasn’t. I don’t think Hannah is the right person to write the story of the Vietnamese women’s experience during the war, but in titling her book “The Women” and then completely disregarding an entire group of women who were deeply impacted by the war, her message of “women can be heroes” feels very thin.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes