Reading Kristin Hannah’s novel The Nightingale made me a fan of the author. I had no idea until recently that she’s been publishing books for over thirty years. The oldest novel of hers that I read was Night Road. It didn’t have near the depth of characters or plot I expected after reading her newer works, but like most authors, she’s improved over time.
I followed The Nightingale with Firefly Lane, a book that stays with me today ten years later. Sadly, the short-lived television series was a colossal failure; I couldn’t stomach the first episode. There wasn’t even the faintest spark of that which made the novel shine. In my opinion, it was poorly cast, and the storyline was nearly unrecognizable.
The Great Alone is one I thought my husband would enjoy since he has a deep adventurous streak. The setting is Alaska in the 70s, and is so richly incorporated into the storyline, it becomes an antagonistic character. However, for whatever reason, it didn’t hold Chris’s attention.
Last week, we had to take an unexpected road trip to Oklahoma. Twenty hours in the car for a quick visit is a challenge. One that requires books on tape, don’t you think? I was thrilled to find Kristin Hannah’s latest novel, The Women, available through Libby. Although it was released over a year ago, I hadn’t been aware that she’d written another book.
As with many of Hannah’s novels, this is considered historical fiction. It spans the years from 1965 with the Vietnam War to November 13, 1982, when the Vietnam War Memorial was opened in Washington, D.C.
The audio is fifteen hours long, and considering the print length of the book is almost 500 pages, I can see why.
Before I move into the review, be aware that this novel is not Christian fiction. I’m not sure how an author could write about being in the trenches of the Vietnam War with any authenticity and keep it “sweet and clean.” There was nothing remotely gentle about this war, and the effect it had on those who fought in it (or worked as a field nurse in it) was highly traumatic.
The story includes a lot of gore, as the main character, Frankie McGrath, was treating men brought in from the battlefield. There are some suggestive sexual scenes, although nothing steamy.
When the POWs from Vietnam were returning to U.S. soil, I was too young to know anything about the war. My memories of it come from things I heard my mom say. But in reading this novel, it’s clear that many American citizens were lied to about what was happening, which colored their perspectives.
There was a point in the story where I felt it dragged. The first half covers Frankie’s experiences while in Vietnam (or “in country” as they called it), and the other half was about the difficulty when she returned.
Hannah could have made as much of an impact by shortening the novel by a hundred pages (or three hours of reading). However, the narrator was one of the best I’ve ever listened to. Of course, since I don’t do audiobooks that often, you might want to consider that.
However, I still highly recommend this book. The historical context alone makes it worth the time. But be advised, you won’t be left with warm, fuzzy feelings at the end. It’s an in-depth, gut-wrenching look at the atrocities of this war and how we, as Americans, exacerbated the issue when we treated the vets so horrifically on their return.
But then, if you’ve read many of Hannah’s books, you already know she delves into the dark side of humanity when telling a story. That’s not to say you won’t walk away feeling satisfied at the end.
Read on for the Back Cover Blurb of The Women:
From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah’s The Women―at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.
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.
As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.
But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
