A review by minibabble
The Women by Kristin Hannah

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

DNF at 70%.

For a book that is supposed to be about the forgotten and taken-for-granted female veterans of the Vietnam war, this book overwhelmingly centers the male gaze, rushed insta-love romantic relationships, and femme-fatale tropes that undermine the strength of the female characters. It turns an otherwise resilient and strong character into a joke. There was so much potential, and it completely fell apart. I'm shocked this book has raving reviews.

Likes:

• Womanhood, sisterhood, and a female perspective/experience of the Vietnam war/war veteran
• Touches on the intersection of the civil rights and anti-war movements, and how it influences women
  • Had so much more potential to be fleshed out 
• Portraying challenges of breaking out of social expectations for white, wealthy women who were "not supposed" to go to war/challenge the "good girl" narrative  
• Descriptions of the destruction of war 

Dislikes:

• Overt emphasis on the romantic relationships
• Excessive number of relationships, all of which were the same predictable pattern
  • Insta-love, and moving on from previous "meaningful" relationships extremely quickly
• Femme-fatale and unrealistic depiction of dating within the military  
• Very repetitive and predictable pattern of falling "in love" with every and any male character that even briefly interacts/passes through the story