"Loss, love, sacrifice and survival — this powerful novel explores the Vietnam war era and the oft-overlooked, pivotal role American women played in saving lives."
From the brutalities of war, government cover-ups and sexism, to love, lust, sisterhood and surviving the worst, Kristin Hannah’s The Women is at once deeply intimate and richly sweeping.
Sharing the coming-of-age story of a young army nurse in Vietnam, and painting a broad and detailed portrait of the war and its aftermath, it’s a immersive emotional story that shows “Women can be heroes, too”, along with the costs of such heroism, and the value of friendship and sisterhood bonds.
In 1966, Frankie lives a seemingly charmed life in California, with wealthy parents who seem to want the best for her, and a brother who seems set to become a hero when he heads to fight in Vietnam. Then, when a handsome guest at a family gathering tells Frankie “Women can be heroes, too”, she signs up as an army nurse, against her parents’ wishes.
On arrival, Frankie is thrown into a dark and devastating deep end, and quickly realises that the folks back home are being spun lies about the numbers of American casualties. At the same time, she’s thrown a lifeline by newfound female friends, with love and romance also on the cards.
After finding her vocation, Frankie signs up for a second tour, but when she eventually returns home, she battles PTSD while being forced to face the hostilities of anti-war protesters and hostilities from her family, amidst very complicated matters of the heart.
Putting paid to the lie that “There were no women in Vietnam” (a statement Frankie and friends hear a lot during protests), The Women weaves a deeply affecting personal story that shines a glaring light on this brutal, complex chapter in American history. It’s also laced with the love of a lifetime, and shot-through with the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
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"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 features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Vietnam War fiction, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, General Fiction, Fiction, War, combat and military adventure fiction, Action Adventure, Fiction: narrative themes, Book Club Recommendations, Family Drama, Recommendations, Books of the Month, Audiobooks of the Month
The Women is available in Paperback, Hardback, Audiobook
The Women was written by Kristin Hannah and published by St. Martin's Press
The Women has 471 pages
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