THE WOMEN
by Kristin Hannah
Although this is only the second book I’ve read by Kristin Hannah, please consider me officially a Hannah fan-girl. (Read my review of The Great Alone here and Liz’s review of The Four Winds here.) In the last week, reading this book managed to make me feel excited when my 300th cold of the winter woke me up at 5am; I made a cup of tea and read for an hour before even my earliest riser got up.
Set during the Vietnam War, The Women chronicles the extraordinary story of Frankie McGrath, a 21-year-old woman who volunteers as an Army nurse in Vietnam. She enlists, adding to her family’s history of patriotism serving their country and to join her brother “in-country.” But before she even begins basic training, a telegram arrives saying her brother has died in a helicopter crash. Frankie honors her commitment to the Army, despite her parents’ dismay, pleas and anger.
Hannah follows with the harrowing account of Frankie's nursing experiences in one of the bloodiest, deadly conflicts in which America has even been involved. But in true Kristin Hannah fashion, Frankie also experiences love, fast friendships and a journey of self-discovery. The second half of the book carries the story through Frankie’s return to California. Not only does she experience severe post-traumatic stress disorder, she is shunned and even spit on by family and strangers. Even other veterans and employees at veterans' services respond to her pleas for help with the oft-repeated phrase, “There were no women in Vietnam.”
I enjoyed this book so much, I would love to tell you every last detail here, but I won't. I want you to have the pleasure (and some exquisitely written pain as well) of experiencing it for yourself. (Lily)
A SECOND HELPING
Kristin Hannah’s novels often explore interesting topics in U.S. history. The Women does just that and is her most powerful novel yet. Hannah has written the heartbreaking story of women who served in Viet Nam, mainly as nurses, who came home to a country that not only did not celebrate their service, but vilified them as “baby killers,” refused to believe there had ever been women serving in Viet Nam, and even spit on them for good measure. A wrenching story of friendships forged in the throes of a war, Hannah also explores how observing first-hand the casualties of war forever changes your outlook on life. Upon finishing this book, I realized I’ve never read a novel about the Viet Nam war – certainly not one written from a woman’s point of view. Are they out there and I just don’t know about them? Or is the memory of that awful period in our history still too fresh to write about? For so many reasons, The Women is absolutely a must-read. (Liz)
