Quick Synopsis

From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah’s The Women―at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam. 

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Book Review

The Women is Kristin Hannah’s newest release about one woman’s experience as a member of the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War and after returning home. While that is the primary premise, the novel also covers Frankie’s life and friendships post-service.

At face value, I enjoyed The Women, and it wrecked me repeatedly. I was riveted, despite my initial skepticism, and the plot’s predictability. However, after finishing, the more I thought about the novel the more irritated I became.

I cried at least once before I was finished with the book’s first third. And there were a lot more tear to come. Thinking back, I started asking myself if some of the major plot points were necessary and realized that I felt emotionally manipulated by Kristin Hannah (and not in a positive way). While I would not quite categorize The Women as trauma porn, there are a lot of death and difficulties throughout the book, and I would argue that some of them are unnecessary and excessive.

For a book titled The Women, this novel really focuses on men. Sure, women were not in the jungle battling the Viet Cong, but I was not expecting a Vietnam War version of On the Western Front. The protagonist’s entire life revolves around men – her brother, her father, her surgeon, her love interests. Outside of her friends and family, she cares little about anything that is not centered on one or more men. The only part of the story that felt like it is centered on “the women” was how the Army Nurse Corps were treated after returning to the U.S., and there was very little text dedicated to this issue.

In fact, I did not learn much about the Vietnam War or its aftermath, despite it being The Women‘s central subject. Some major events are mentioned in passing, but Hannah did not give page space to explaining the war’s context. In addition, a large portion of the novel takes place after Frankie is discharged and catalogues the public’s growing discontent to the Vietnam War. Yet, the reasons for this opposition are never clearly specified or explored. I acknowledge that The Women is a piece of fiction and its intention is not to educate. However, the lack of this basic context made me repeatedly stop reading and ask questions.

In addition to these issues with the plot, I felt like the characters are gravely underdeveloped for a novel approaching on 500 pages. Frankie, the protagonist, is a blank canvas of a character. In some ways, this allows you to become Frankie and see yourself in her actions. But if this is not what you do, she is a boring character without real personal motivations. Moreover, the side characters in the The Women are similarly lacking in personalities, whether they are Frankie’s friends or lovers.

Overall, The Women is a long novel about a privileged white woman, her brief military service, and her tumultuous personal life. Although the title promises a book centered on women, it really focuses on one women’s orbit around men. If you love Kristin Hannah, I think you will read this book regardless of my opinion. But if you are unsure about reading The Women, I would recommend skipping it in favor of Dust Child.

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