Book Review: The Women by Kristin Hannah

The Gist: The Women is a powerful novel about the erasure and resilience of women during the Vietnam War through the lens of friendship, societal challenges, and the lasting impacts of conflict.

Series: Standalone

Release Date: February 6, 2024

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 5-stars

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While The Women is told through a single perspective, Kristin Hannah explores how women were erased, made small, and invalidated during the decades surrounding the Vietnam War through the protagonist, Frankie.

At the story’s beginning, Frankie is an incredibly privileged young woman who grew up on the coast of California. Her family has a proud history of serving in the US Army and dedicates a wall of honour to the men who served in her family. Despite being the 1960s, Frankie observes that the only way (and time) women end up on this wall is through their marriage (it displays their marriage portrait). In contrast, the men’s accomplishments throughout their life are captured. Therefore, Frankie enlists as an Army Nurse to impress her father and family to serve in the Vietnam War.

What follows is a social commentary on Vietnam and the civil unrest in the US during the 1960s. However, the author also closely examines womanhood during this time, specifically what it meant to defy the social archetypes of being a woman.

Vietnam: Conflict and Consequence

In hindsight, it’s clear that the Vietnam War was a conflict that should not have occurred, resulting in a resounding loss for the US. The war led to the deaths of many soldiers and civilians (it’s estimated up to 2,000,000 Vietnamese soldiers and civilians and upward of 50,000 US soldiers were killed), exacerbated by inadequate preparation and resources and the US tactics of ecocide.

The brutal scenes in Vietnam, where Frankie witnesses unimaginable death and trauma in the hospitals and operating rooms where she works, starkly contrast with the sanitized after-action reports released by the government. These graphic depictions are not gratuitous but realistically show Frankie’s role as a surgical nurse under war conditions (e.g., operating without electricity and during bombings).

The Women vividly portrays this grim reality through Frankie’s narrative. The novel highlights the insulation of those who served in Vietnam, who were largely unaware of the war protests happening back home. Their information about the war was filtered through military propaganda, creating cognitive dissonance for Frankie and her peers when they returned home.

The novel also introduces characters who represent the broader social issues of the time. Barb is a Black woman who contends with racism and becomes an active member of the civil rights movement upon returning to the US. Rounding out their trio is Ethel, a white woman from the rural South looking to get married and have kids after her time in service. While The Women is very much Frankie’s story, these supporting characters highlight women’s diverse experiences and struggles during this period, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of womanhood and friendship amidst the backdrop of war.

Coping with the Aftermath

One of the novel’s strengths is its portrayal of Frankie’s journey from enlistment to her post-war life. Initially a sheltered and privileged young woman, Frankie grows into a capable and resourceful nurse. However, she faces a profound cognitive dissonance upon returning to the US. Despite her pride in surviving and performing her duties well, she is met with heavy criticism for serving in the Vietnam War and a society (including the government and men who served) that refuses to acknowledge the contributions of women in the war.

This lack of recognition from society and Veterans Affairs leaves Frankie struggling to cope with her experiences and grief. Her personal life is in disarray: her father sees her service as disgraceful, her mother remains indifferent to her trauma and grief, and her best friends have moved back home. The Veterans Affairs’ refusal to provide support further exacerbates her struggle, leaving her untethered and grappling with the trauma and loss she endured. This powerful depiction of reintegrating back into society and PTSD underscores the novel’s exploration of the enduring impacts of war on individuals and the challenges of finding support and understanding in a divided society.

Womanhood and Enduring Friendships

Frankie’s friendships with Barb and Ethel are integral to how Frankie grows throughout the novel. Both women take her under their wing when Frankie arrives and shows her the ropes of life as an army nurse in Vietnam. I loved their camaraderie during enlistment. However, I also appreciated that neither woman was reduced to a two-dimensional supporting character whose only purpose was to follow Frankie and provide support. Both women had their own lives, goals and dreams to chase.

Since Barb and Ethel enlisted before Frankie, they also left the war before her. Both return to the US to discover who they were outside a war zone and achieve their dreams. Barb became heavily involved in the civil rights movement and protests to draw attention to the Vietnam War vets, including women, who were neglected by the government. Ethel embraces life back in her hometown, looking forward to marrying and becoming a mom.

Therefore, while these women are best friends — they continue to show up for each other throughout their lives — Kristin Hannah also recognizes how busy life becomes and how, as people age and create their own families, being there for their friends changes. Instead of dropping everything and flying out to meet Frankie (or each other), they stay in contact through letters or phone calls (it is the mid-60s). I also loved that through Frankie’s friends, we saw two women engage with womanhood on their own terms — whether that meant conforming to traditional roles because that’s what they wanted or defying them.

In Conclusion

The Women offers a powerful look at the erasure of women’s experiences during the Vietnam War era. I visited DC in 2022 and saw the Vietnam War memorial — reading this book has given me a new perspective to view the statue dedicated to all the women erased by history who served in the war. This novel is a compelling commentary on womanhood, friendship, and the lasting impact of war.

The Women resonates across generations. I’ve recommended this book to so many women in my family. My mom, grandmother, and aunt have all reported loving it. At the moment, not only was this book my favourite read of February, but it’s definitely in my Top Three books of 2024.

As a caveat, it’s important to note that while the author is critical of the Vietnam War, this is not the objective of The Women. Kristin Hannah wanted to highlight the service of women that was erased. Consequently, Vietnam is not engaged in a nuanced way — it’s simply the setting of the war and where Frankie worked as a nurse for two years. If you want to read a book about the Vietnam War and its lasting impact on the following generations, I recommend Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, An American Daughter by Lan Cao and Harlan Margaret Van Cao.

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