The Women Kristen Hannah is only the second book I’ve read by this author. The other was Four Winds, which I enjoyed for the history lesson but didn’t like the protagonist who seemed to simply bend with each of those winds, and came across as a lacklustre soul. But The Women came as part of my monthly sub to Toadstools Bookshop in Newent, and huge thanks to Holly for sending it to me.
But where to start on this? I was initially totally rapt, engaged with Frankie as she sets off to nurse in Vietnam following the death of her brother there, without even a body to bury. Hannah’s research is thorough, and she can certainly bring a scene to life. Frankie’s baptism by fire, her shift from well-brought-up young lady to smoking, drinking and cussing tough old hand was fun to watch. I felt for her over her unattainable love, and rejoiced over the new love.
When Frankie returns home to her naval family and what she expects to be a hero’s welcome, she is sadly disappointed. The war’s unpopularity in the US is reaching its peak and Nam vets are spurned, and worse. She’s not even accepted by the organisations which help the vets because she didn’t see actual combat. The spiral of hurt which becomes full blown, and untreated, PTSD (a term not known initially) is also well told in its bleak despair.
But the back end of the book didn’t grab me like the first half as it largely turned into a narrative of what Frankie did next and how badly she was done by and how badly she did others by. I know there were a lot of years to cover, but I think it could have been handled better. For example, the project which heals her I think deserved more ‘real time’, especially as it introduces a new character very late in the book. Still, The Women is both an educational and engrossing read which I finished quickly.
A footnote:
I was very taken with the parallels to my own new book, The Gift of Belonging, which is the story of a young woman finding her way through nursing in WW1 in France. There’s even a sub-plot which is essentially the same. Honestly, I’d finished writing mine before I read The Women! And The Women has helped me at the editing stage – for example, Hannah is obsessed with including the minutiae of clothes, furnishings, songs etc in the 60s and 70s. Every new character gets their appearance described, even if they’re in the book for one sentence. I’m going over mine to make sure I haven’t done the same. On the other hand, given The Women has sold 5 mio copies or something, maybe I should shove more in?? Or perhaps that’s not the main appeal?!
Find The Women here.
More reviews here and my monthly round up of what I’ve read here.