Nancy Keyes's Reviews > The Women

Hannah does a great job of exposing what it was like coming of age during the Vietnam conflict in the US. Having been close to Frankie’s age during this time period, I could relate to the author’s depiction of the social turmoil in the 1960’s and 70’s.
The descriptive passages on PTSD and Frankie’s “in-country” experiences as an Army nurse were brutally clear and heart wrenching; authentically written but hard to continually process. As the story moves on it begins to feel as though this was written for a TV series, very much like MASH. Multiple scenes involving surgical trauma mixed with predictable romantic issues; some too perfectly contrived.
The topics and themes covered in this novel are a valuable testament to the issues of the era - not just for women, but for the young men who were drafted or volunteered to serve our country, and their families. There is much to discuss and not to be forgotten with regard to the mistakes made by those in power at the expense of youth and their families.
Credit to this well respected author for tackling a historical fiction about the Vietnam conflict and its impact on American society through the eyes of a young female nurse.