Ah, the wonderful, innocent world of the early 1960s. I remember it so well. But then it strikes home: how wonderful it was actually? When we talk about the 1960s, we reminisce about the Beatles, JFK, and rock and roll. But this was a very turbulent time. We all lost someone. And at that exact moment, we lost our innocence. Bouffant hairdos. Really?!? White lips. And the list goes on. But there was one instance when it all hit home and became all-encompassing. The Vietnam War. Military service lottery. Those are the things we faced.
So, in the time of the flower children, the musical Hair the 60's brats grew up quickly. The visits from military police could only mean one thing. Sobering. Life changing. And in THE WOMEN, Kristin Hannah pulls no punches. Women are often the unsung heroes. In Frankie’s home, heroes earned a framed photo on the wall. She wasn’t looking to be a hero. She wanted her parents to be proud of her.
Remember MASH? Different war. Same issues. Nurses doing stuff they weren’t trained to do, see, handle or cure. The bottom line was a patient is a patient. Frankie is going to have to create a new vision for herself. No longer safely ensconced by a loving mother and father. Doted on by an older brother. She is going to have to reinvent Frankie. And in Vietnam. Trained but not prepared.
Just keep on keeping on. It seemed to be the motto of those in Nam. What they faced there was harsh. What they faced when they went back to the world was harsh. It doesn’t seem fair, but what exactly is fair?
It was an unpopular war - is there such a thing as a popular war? Kristin Hannah’s descriptions are succinct and honest. THE WOMEN may be the most important book to read. It illustrates how strong and relevant women are through amazing dialog and character development. These characters will reside in your mind way after you close this book. Just as those that Frankie shares her life and experiences with. Bring some tissues. Be prepared to say oh no. Kristin Hannah tells the truth of that time as THE WOMEN develops and expands past Frankie’s time in Nam. Fast reading and can’t put down describe THE WOMEN. It’s an experience for those too young to remember, an emotional moment for those of us who do.
From master storyteller Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, comes the story of a turbulent, transformative era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels—at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics, of a generation both fueled by dreams and lost on the battlefield.
“Women can be heroes, too.”
When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. A novel of searing insight and lyric beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional, richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose extraordinary idealism and courage under fire define a generation
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