The Women

Kristin Hannah

Historical Fiction 2024 | 480 pages

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The longest wait at the library finally came to an end!  After months of moving up the wait list, I finally received a library copy of the immensely popular The Women.

It was worth the wait.

I thought it was a non-fiction book until I brought it home and discovered it was a novel.  A novel about Frankie McGrath, who, with two weeks experience after nursing school, volunteers to be a nurse in Vietnam, coincidentally on the morning of the same day she and her parents receive notice that her beloved brother Finley was shot down and killed in Vietnam.

Frankie's story is a conglomerate of the women nurses who served in Vietnam, invisible to most people both in-country and back home, except for those soldiers who were injured and medivac-ed into the nurse's care.  This is a page-turning book, but often not an easy read.  It is by no means light and flowery.

The first section is about her experience in Vietnam.  I would not personally call it gruesome, but the realism is heart-breaking.  You will read about the men who are put in body bags and placed on sawhorses for the morgue; about the "expectants" who are not treated because they are expected to die momentarily; about shrapnel and chest wounds and bomb carnage and buddies carrying in their friend, holding his leg in one of their hands.  You will read about napalm, about bombings done by the US of Vietnamese villages, and about helicopters arriving at 2 am and rousing the nurses out of their beds.

And then Frankie comes home, to parents who were so ashamed of her for going to war that they told their friends she was studying in Florence.  You will read about the myriads of people, including Vietnam veterans, who deny her experience because "there were no women in Vietnam."  You will read about her being spit upon. Most important, you will read a lie that she chose to not question for years ... that her job is to "forget."  This was a time before PTSD was recognized by the AMA, and Frankie had no help, recognition, nor validation of nightmares that threw her off her bed, of her screaming, of anger and fear of noises, of her eventual drug addiction and suicide attempt.

Some reviewers did not like that Hannah included Frankie’s love affairs.  I did!  This is normal for an early-20-something woman.  However, Kristin Hannah says in an interview on her website:  "You’ll probably be surprised to hear that the most difficult aspects of this story for me, as the writer, centered on the love story."  I am not surprised at all. She seemed uncomfortable writing about Frankie's love life.  I didn't feel as though she truly saw and could relate to this part of Frankie.  The one aspect that made this clear is Hannah never saw anything good in these liaisons.  They all end in trauma or tragedy, and never just the way relationships typically end ... a growing apart, or development of different awareness.

Yes, for sure, I recommend The Women. If you were alive during the Vietnam war, you will find this book brings up memories for you.  Perhaps, like me, it may remind you of some action you took personally that you are no longer proud of.  It is worth the introspection.  Thank you, Nina, for your recommendation.

October 2024

 

One response on “The Women

  1. Melinda Curran

    My friend Melinda asked me to post this for her…

    I, too, just finished this book. It brought back so many memories as it was my generation of young men who were herded to hell. We had a small senior high school class and I know of 3 boys who didn’t come home and several who were never the same emotionally. These were the boys who didn’t have parents who could or would lie to keep them out of Nam. I have a friend who was exposed to Agent Orange and is suffering the consequences. The list goes on and on.

    So this was a hard book to read, being reminded of the whole bloody thing.
    And yet, I could not put it down. I dreamed about it, had nightmares, could not sleep. I hope those who read it, will believe it. Hard to believe but true.

    As far as the “affairs”, what is the problem? I don’t understand. Wouldn’t anyone in that hellhole want human comfort. A connection to another human going through the same thing.

    I believe PTSD was finally acknowledged as a result of the vets return. Maybe I have PTSD as I can’t seem to kick this sick feeling I have since reading it. I did march in small town gatherings, but didn’t burn my bra because i didn’t wear one.

    I am a Fangirl of Kristin Hannah.

    Thanks for listening and I hope you are doing and feeling well.

    💙🫶💙

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