Book Review: The Women by Kristin Hannah

I haven’t been that great about leaving reviews for books, but I wanted to review this one. It was recommended to me by a student who was reading it while we were reading The Things They Carried in literature class.

The story follows a young woman who signs up to serve as a nurse in Vietnam after her brother was killed in action. It’s a long read, but it really picked up and did not feel long. The story divides into several sections, and I will try not to leave any spoilers.

The protagonist is Frances, known as Frankie, and her name/nickname is appropriate. She hails from a conservative and well-to-do family to the extent that she does not have to worry about literal challenges like housing or eating. But with that life comes the expectation that the men in the family serve their country and the women get married.

Frankie takes on a masculine role in joining the small group of woman serving as nurses in Vietnam. Her father is distressed and her mother is confused by her decision.

First, she goes to Vietnam. The book contains all the grim details of the war, and since she is a war nurse, she sees the worst of the injuries. It’s especially disturbing to hear about the “expectants,” those who arrive and are expected to succumb to their injuries. Frankie shows compassion ans strength to the soldiers there, but she is scarred by her witnessing the injuries of soldiers and locals injured in the fighting, not to mention the living conditions she encounters.

At one point, Frankie becomes comfortable in her role, despite the emotional toll it takes on her. In some ways, she could probably stay in Vietnam until she manages to get herself killed, as her role as a nurse gives her extensive medical training and allows her to shine. But of course, the war is an artificial situation.

There are several love interests in the book that Frankie pursues despite her family’s conservative values, both in Vietnam and in the states. I won’t get into spoilers, but the book did keep the focus on the war and its impact on Frankie, never crossing the line into a romance novel.

The book continues when Frankie arrives home. There were many clues while she was in Vietnam that America had stopped supporting the war and that the American government was being dishonest. When she returns, she does not receive the gratitude she expected for living as she did and sacrificing so much of herself in service of her country. As she tells us, she felt the troops should be supported personally regardless of public opinion of the war. The cold reception even extends to her family. I won’t go into more details, but for me, this was the most important part of the novel–seeing the lack of support returning troops received for a war that the government forced so many to fight. For Frankie, the challenge was even more difficult since she did not receive support even among some veterans, who believed women didn’t truly serve in the war.

Her rock is composed of two women she served with. They keep in touch with Frankie’s mom and show up when needed. They have their own struggles but seem to adapt more easily than Frankie.

In the end, the second part of the book is about Frankie’s journey of self discovery and healing. She realizes that the war scarred her and changed her, and she cannot go back to the person she was supposed to become before the war started. It’s a good book to give an added perspective on the Vietnam War, especially from the perspective of the women who served.

The writing was accessible. At times, the narration “told” us things in a bit of a distanced perspective from Frankie, but for the most part we stay in Frankie’s perspective in an engaging way.