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jessailene's reviews
26 reviews
The Women by Kristin Hannah
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book deserves more than five stars. After initially getting the book, I set it aside for a few days, unsure of what to expect. (I initially picked up the book because my sister read it and highly recommended it along with my best friend who hadn’t actually read the book yet, but has praised a lot of Kristin Hannah’s works.) However, once I started reading, I was hooked within 30 minutes, fully immersed and committed. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve read a book as quickly as I did The Women, and that speaks volumes about how captivating this story is.
Growing up post-Vietnam War, I didn’t have a full understanding of the complexities surrounding that time. This book was an eye-opener, shedding light on the emotional and psychological scars left behind. Many people, especially those who have relatives that served in the war, seldom speak of it, and this story helped me understand why.
There are so many layers to The Women. The fictional characters are brilliantly crafted, and the storyline is deeply immersive. I’ve never read a book that so vividly captures the true chaos of war while showing the impossible task of trying to maintain control in a medical setting under fire. The balance between romance, sorrow, excitement, stress, and sadness is masterfully done. It evokes such strong emotions—especially if you’re an empathetic person, you’ll feel like you’ve been through the emotional wringer.
If you’re looking for a powerful, multi-layered narrative that not only entertains but also educates and challenges your perspective, The Women is a must-read.
Growing up post-Vietnam War, I didn’t have a full understanding of the complexities surrounding that time. This book was an eye-opener, shedding light on the emotional and psychological scars left behind. Many people, especially those who have relatives that served in the war, seldom speak of it, and this story helped me understand why.
There are so many layers to The Women. The fictional characters are brilliantly crafted, and the storyline is deeply immersive. I’ve never read a book that so vividly captures the true chaos of war while showing the impossible task of trying to maintain control in a medical setting under fire. The balance between romance, sorrow, excitement, stress, and sadness is masterfully done. It evokes such strong emotions—especially if you’re an empathetic person, you’ll feel like you’ve been through the emotional wringer.
If you’re looking for a powerful, multi-layered narrative that not only entertains but also educates and challenges your perspective, The Women is a must-read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
We Used to Live Here by Daniel Hurst
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I'm giving this book a solid 2.5 stars—half for keeping my attention and avoiding unnecessary filler, but the other half is lost due to a frustratingly weak and predictable ending. In hindsight, the lack of depth in the characters made the outcome pretty obvious. As soon as I started questioning how the characters connected, it was clear the story was headed in a disappointing direction. By the time the big reveal came, I had lost interest entirely and sped through the rest just to finish it.
Side note: How does a house built in the 60s end up with wood floors so poorly constructed that a paper airplane could fall through the gaps? 🤔
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.