The Women by Kristin HannahSynopsis: “The missing. The forgotten. The brave… The women.
From master storyteller Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, comes the story of a turbulent, transformative era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels—at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics, of a generation both fuelled by dreams and lost on the battlefield. “Women can be heroes, too.”
When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. A novel of searing insight and lyric beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional, richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose extraordinary idealism and courage under fire define a generation. “

My Review

Wow what a book! This is definitely one of my favourite books this year and I can see why it’s got so many rave reviews! 

It transported me back to a time and a place I didn’t know, as I was only baby in the 1960s. Obviously I’ve seen films set during the Vietnam War, but I didn’t know anything about the nurses, or the way they were treated when they came home again. I was shocked, angry and saddened by their treatment, which went on for years! No wonder Frankie behaved the way she did!

I liked Frankie, although she did frustrate me at times, but then I guess that’s how someone in her situation would behave, so Kristin Hannah got it perfectly right. I loved Barb and Ethel, Frankie’s best friends and fellow nurses from Vietnam, they were wonderful characters who you’d definitely want as best friends.

As expected Julia Whelan’s narration was absolutely perfect, her voice talents were superb. I’m so glad I listen to this on audio, as I really don’t think I would’ve had the same experience reading it.

Highly recommended if you enjoy historical fiction.