Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Women by Kristin Hannah

41 reviews

sabripolin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-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

4.0

this was longer than it needed to be, many parts felt repetitive and even preach-y. If there was more finesse or editing to the writing, would have added half a star or so! 
I also was originally disappointed in the focus on romance, but I actually see that storyline as a part of Frankie as an unreliable narrator. I do appreciate the finesse Kristin Hannah put on describing

frankies attraction to Rye in Vietnam

from the outset… I was sus of him all along smh 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Child death, Death, Grief, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Drug abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Addiction, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Misogyny

clevelandbookgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Self harm, Miscarriage, Medical content, Gaslighting, Child death, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Infertility, Grief, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Gore

Moderate: Torture, Sexism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Blood

Minor: Drug use, Racism, and Drug abuse

khayes2's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I’m not a huge fan of  historical fiction to begin with, so I struggled getting into it, especially with some pretty gruesome war descriptions. And modern parallels to American-funded violence against Palestinian civilians. But the book shifts to the struggle veterans face upon coming back from war, which while still sad, was less gory and a bit faster for me to get through. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Infidelity, Violence, War, Addiction, Alcoholism, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Drug abuse, Genocide, and Suicide

alli_christi's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Child death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Alcohol, Gore, Infidelity, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, War, and Death

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Cursing

Minor: Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, and Cancer

readwithkb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

solid 5 ⭐️ read… I did see some of the twists coming but overall the emotion behind the writing blew me away

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, War, Drug use, Genocide, Blood, Car accident, Gore, Infertility, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Torture

maciem's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and War

Moderate: Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Self harm, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Medical content, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Child death and Car accident

velvetreads_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Miscarriage, Drug use, Child death, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, War, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Medical content, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Self harm

amateur_bookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

My summary: 

Frances McGrath grew up in a wealthy family in Southern California. Her beloved older brother is shipping off with the Navy to the raging Vietnam war. A nursing student, Frankie graduates early with the goal of enlisting with the Navy to also serve in the war.  Frankie ends up in the Army, the only branch willing to take a new nurse with no experience. After arriving in Vietnam, Frankie quickly realizes she’s in over her head and woefully unprepared as a nurse. Fellow nurses, Barb and Ethel, take Frankie under their wings and Frankie soon becomes a proficient combat nurse. But as her tour ends and she returns home, Frankie finds out that surviving Nam was just as hard as returning home—and it’s often the women in our lives that are always there to hold us together so we can keep going. 

My thoughts: 

I am absolutely not ok after reading this book. Honestly, I don’t see how anyone could be. It’s fiction, sure, but it’s really not. 

This is an incredible yet brutal story. But as brutal as the war is described, I’m sure it is still probably a puppies-and-kittens version of what it actually felt like to be in Vietnam and then suffer the lifelong after-effects of the trauma from living through it. 

If books had sponsors then this one’s should be Kleenex. I absolutely sobbed through what has to be at least half the book. Kristin Hannah’s writing is just so REAL. I felt like I was there. I felt like I was experiencing every trauma and heartbreak and unfairness right along with Frankie. And then I cried some more because it’s not just realistic fiction, it’s likely similar to many people’s true story. 

I put off reading this book for months because I knew I wasn’t ready for the emotional devastation I knew it would cause. And, yeah, it was even more emotionally devastating than I had expected. That being said, I think this is an incredibly powerful story that NEEDS to be told and put in people’s hands. I can’t think of enough accolades that Kristin Hannah deserves for such a moving story about such an important subject. 

Have you ever wondered which modern books will become classics? Which ones will win literary awards? I feel like this one fits the bill in both respects. It’s hard to think of many others that are as deserving as this one. 

I think Kristin Hannah is unmatched in her writing ability to tell this story that is so evocative and doing it in such a way that feels real while honoring the women (and men) that lived through the front lines of the Vietnam war. 

On the lighter side, I loved all the music references throughout the book. Even in some of the saddest parts, it made me smile a bit. I also loved the lifelong friendship that Barb, Ethel, and Frankie had with each other. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Torture, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Violence, War, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Infidelity, Genocide, and Self harm

Moderate: Pregnancy and Child death

Minor: Confinement

mbgibson825's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Grief, Medical content, Addiction, Blood, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Self harm

dev921's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Cursing, Alcoholism, Car accident, Medical content, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual content, Self harm, Sexism, and Pregnancy