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A review by kimberlyjgav
The Women by Kristin Hannah
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
4.0
My first Kristin Hannah and I had high expectations given how many people were talking about this book since it came out. It did not disappoint.
Frankie is a young woman from an upper crust, conservative, country-club family in Coronado, CA. Her family has a long history of military service and in the late 1960s, her brother enlists to fight in Vietnam. Shortly thereafter, she enlists as a combat nurse in an attempt to make her parents proud. Once deployed "in country," she fully experiences the horrors of war - treating the broken bodies of countless young men, many of whom don't make it home over two consecutive tours. She also forms deep, lasting relationships with two of her fellow nurses - Barb and Ethel - and falls in love for the first time. I found this part of the book both riveting and heartbreaking.
The second part of the book takes place after Frankie returns home, where she does not receive the heroes welcome she expects from neither her family nor the public in general. She struggles with PTSD (though no one puts a name to it for many years later), including nightmares, flashbacks, trouble relating to others, and addiction. She receives no sympathy or help, and is told repeatedly how she needs to move on, and stop focusing on the war. I think this second part was a bit uneven and while I know many Vietnam vets deeply struggled with their reentry into the US, her making one horrible decision after another did start to wear a bit thin. (In reading reviews, a stream of bad things happening to characters seems to be a theme in Hannah's books).
I also agree with others who said having POV chapters from Barb and Ethel in this section would have been interesting.
Despite Frankie sometimes driving me a little crazy, I was rooting for her and enjoyed the ending. I'm glad to have read this and will give one of Hannah's other books a go.
Frankie is a young woman from an upper crust, conservative, country-club family in Coronado, CA. Her family has a long history of military service and in the late 1960s, her brother enlists to fight in Vietnam. Shortly thereafter, she enlists as a combat nurse in an attempt to make her parents proud. Once deployed "in country," she fully experiences the horrors of war - treating the broken bodies of countless young men, many of whom don't make it home over two consecutive tours. She also forms deep, lasting relationships with two of her fellow nurses - Barb and Ethel - and falls in love for the first time. I found this part of the book both riveting and heartbreaking.
The second part of the book takes place after Frankie returns home, where she does not receive the heroes welcome she expects from neither her family nor the public in general. She struggles with PTSD (though no one puts a name to it for many years later), including nightmares, flashbacks, trouble relating to others, and addiction. She receives no sympathy or help, and is told repeatedly how she needs to move on, and stop focusing on the war. I think this second part was a bit uneven and while I know many Vietnam vets deeply struggled with their reentry into the US, her making one horrible decision after another did start to wear a bit thin. (In reading reviews, a stream of bad things happening to characters seems to be a theme in Hannah's books).
I also agree with others who said having POV chapters from Barb and Ethel in this section would have been interesting.
Despite Frankie sometimes driving me a little crazy, I was rooting for her and enjoyed the ending. I'm glad to have read this and will give one of Hannah's other books a go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Torture