Margaret M - (having a challenging time and on GR as much as I can)'s Reviews > The Women

“The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn't quite yet ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words.
We were there.”

Enlightening, informative and a fitting tribute to the female service women and medical staff who served in Vietnam, but whose voice was never heard because ‘no women were there’.

Kristin Hannah is an author who always demonstrates the immense healing power through storytelling, where voices are no longer silent, and in this book ‘The Women’, she has written a fabulous heartbreaking story and an eye opening account of events in Vietnam that conquers without coercion and agitates without exaggerating.

My own three little words. Superb. Immersive, but shocking.

The Plot

Many know something of the war in Vietnam, yet many like me knew little of the number of the women in service and the female medical staff who suffered, endured, and lived through that conflict.

Frankie brings to life the role and treatment of women, who until later years were barely acknowledged despite the crucial role many played in the war. While the men were branded heroes, the country was dishonourably quiet about the role that their women played. Women who witnessed many of the same horrors, lost their lives, and endured injuries like many men but to American citizens – they weren’t even there.

This very human story of Frankie took us on a journey through this distressing period in history, and takes us through the decision to sign up, how her family relationships became strained with the decision, and then the impact on her because of her parent’s lack of support, particularly her fathers. Add to that the loss of the three men in Frankie's life, her brother and her two loves and her re-integration back into society and 'normal' life and we have one of the most memorable historical fiction books I have ever read.

Review and Comments

'The Women' is an exquisite novel that will leave imprints on your heart and in your mind a long time after reading, not just about the brutality of war and loss on both sides, but the treatment and deafening silence about the role the women played.

The book has an abundance of great characters, particularly Frankie who was portrayed as a very human person. An incredible woman, strong, determined, and courageous with an enormous capacity for love and forgiveness, but who for years suffered from the effects of war and because she ‘was not there’ never received the care and support needed to prevent PTSD.

The storyline is superb, and the writing style is stunning. Historical fiction at its best as Kristin Hannah manages to hold a mirror up to society displaying themes of corruption, dishonour, loss, tragedy, PTSD, family relationships, and isolation as women and society struggled to contend and confront the very harsh reality of the story of ‘The Women’ in Vietnam.

An awakening for many, then and now. An authentic account of an unforgotten and untold story. Sometimes brutal, sometimes beautiful. And for women who embody the phrase ‘love mattered in a ruined world but so did honour’, we salute you.

Poignant, sad, tragic but triumphant and enlightening. Simply brilliant.