The Women : A Novel
The Women : A Novel
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A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times!
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.
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Very much liked in my book club. A much more emotional read than I expected as I have family members who were MIA/POW in Vietnam and another who served 2 tours. We agreed that maybe a better written book as Hannah was older when written and-or published.
Kristin Hannah always delivers amazing stories and this one is a shining example. It follows Frankie a 20 year old nurse from San Diego who enlists in the Vietnam war after her brother writes her letters from the front line. Her experience in Vietnam is horrific and pushes her to her limits but also helped define her character. Her experience when she returns to the US was tragic and frustrating. This is a journey of discovery in reconciling loss, healing, and rebuilding the life you want.
From the first sentence, I could not put this down. This book really gave me a whole new perspective of women in war.
A remarkable book telling it like it was. The characters are so well drawn and the plot reveals the tragedy of the forgotten veterans who returned home to hostility and were made to feel ashamed. The same thing happened in Australia and New Zealand as well. PTSD was unknown back then and most of them received no help for their trauma. But there is hope and redemption as well. The real tragedy is that have been so many wars since - Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine…..On and on. It never stops.
I’m about the same age as Frankie which made this book so personal. My husband was in Vietnam 1965 in the marines. He did not experience combat because the war escalated after he was discharged from marines. But the rejection was there when he returned to college. Seeing the Vietnam memorial ment so much to him. He found several buddies on the wall.Thank you for writing this book. It means much to this generation. It was a horrible time. We can’t change what occurred but face it and prevent future politicians from sending our youth to war. You’re an amazingly gifted author. I’ve enjoyed many of your books. Thank you.Gretchen Williams