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Sign up todayThe Women
A Novel
Length
14 hours 56 minutes
Language
English
Narrators
Julia Whelan & Kristin Hannah
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“Poignant, accurate, and riveting. This book grabbed me the first chapter and never let go. The characters are relatable and well fleshed-out. Frankie is probably the most interesting character I’ve come across, as she goes from idealistic to realist by the end. The book isn’t preachy or tries to do an agenda, it only tells you the truth about how many people reacted during the Vietnam war. Highly recommended.”
— Dawn • Dawn’s Books and Stuff
Bookseller recommendation
“Kristin Hannah’s new book is here, and I have to tell you, I think it may be her best. In The Women, Hannah tells the story of the invisible veterans of the Vietnam War - the women who served as nurses, Red Cross workers and USO entertainers. Seen through the eyes of 21 year old nurse Frankie McGrath, readers will discover how the fighting impacted everyone who was in country and what they faced when they came home.”
— Kathleen • A Great Good Place for Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Kristin Hannah’s latest book, The Women, will garner her a whole legion of new readers. This historical fiction set during the Vietnam War is based on the story of a young nurse stationed at the front lines. Raw, powerful, and compelling.”
— Liz Welter • Novel Bay Booksellers
Bookseller recommendation
“This book wrecked me. Julia Whelan's narration is compassionate, loving, and dramatic - as always. Kristin Hannah is an author who has a true gift for telling women's stories and The Women is, arguably, her best work. I grew up in an era of children whose parents served in Vietnam (my parents didn't, but my uncle did) and I will never know what those men and women endured, but thanks to Kristin's gorgeous story I was transported back into the years of the war and the years after the war and it helped me understand. Bravo to Kristin for telling this story to make sure that their stories aren't lost to history. This is a book that is REAL and raw and important - and beautiful. ”
— Jennifer • The Bookstore at Fitger's
Bookseller recommendation
“I could not stop listening! This book gutted me. ”
— Tania G. • White Rose Books & More
Bookseller recommendation
“Hannah’s best yet! You’ll care deeply about these characters as you revisit the chaotic 1960’s. When a young American woman with no realistic concept of war joins the Army Nurse Corps she lands on the battlefields of Vietnam and is transformed. She survives by developing deep relationships at the front and shoulders enormous responsibilities there at a time when women’s roles are still limited back at home. Her new found empowerment is tested back home after the war but the ending is wonderful! ”
— Patience • Underground Books
Bookseller recommendation
“This should be required reading for all Americans ”
— Leslie • The Cozy Book Nook
Bookseller recommendation
“For too many years, the story of the women who served in the Vietnam War has been forgotten. We tend to remember the men as well as the tragedy of how this global event tore two countries apart during its 20-year span, but we neglect to recognize the many female army members who fought and died for their country alongside their male counterparts. This summer, take a dive into one woman’s journey serving as a nurse in Vietnam in Kristin Hannah’s newest historical fiction, The Women. Though this novel only reflects one type of war experience - and a very privileged one at that - (the heroine is a white, wealthy young woman), I still found it to be incredibly enlightening and an important read to add to your repertoire if you are hoping to know more about these brave individuals.”
— Maddie • A Great Good Place for Books
"Kristin Hannah’s potent storytelling skills are brilliantly served by narrator Julia Whelan, whose limber, low-pitched voice moves nimbly from person to person, capturing personality and mood, her empathy palpable." —The Washington Post
From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she 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. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.
But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
KRISTIN HANNAH is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels, including The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and The Four Winds. A former lawyer turned writer, she lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.
KRISTIN HANNAH is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels, including The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and The Four Winds. A former lawyer turned writer, she lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.
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Reviews
"Hannah again shines her light on overlooked women in history" —People Magazine (Book of the Week)
"Hannah is in top form here... Hannah’s real superpower is her ability to hook you along from catastrophe to catastrophe, sometimes peering between your fingers, because you simply cannot give up on her characters. She gathers women into the (Vietnam) experience with moving conviction." —The New York Times
“The Women is historical fiction at its very best. So moving, so wrenching, and yet, in the end, uplifting. Brava! I loved The Nightingale and The Four Winds, but The Women is my favorite.” —Nicholas D. Kristof, Pulitzer Prize–winning coauthor of Half the Sky
“One of the greatest storytellers of our time, Kristin Hannah, tackles one of the most cruel and despicable wars of the last century, the Vietnam War. The Women reveals the powerful contributions and horrific sacrifices of the American military nurses who served in a war whose agencies refused to acknowledge that they were
even there. Perhaps no words can bring closure to a nation still ashamed of booing our returning heroes, but the heroine, Frances McGrath, stirs a deep, overdue compassion and tears for every single soldier—and especially the forgotten women who sacrificed so much. Never has a novel of war metamorphosed so profoundly into a story of the human heart.” —Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing
“Stuns with sacrifice; uplifts with heroism . . . an important, long overdue tribute to the brave women nurses who served in Vietnam.” —Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry
"Hannah’s emotionally charged page-turner (after The Four Winds) centers on a young nurse whose life is changed by the Vietnam War. Fans of women’s historicals will enjoy this magnetic wartime story." —Publishers Weekly
"Many would say that the nurses who helped fight the Vietnam War were forgotten. Believe me, for those of us who were there, these women were never forgotten--and never will be. Kristin Hannah honors them with this novel." --Karl Marlantes, author of Matterhorn
"Hannah enjoys the authorial reach to educate legions of readers about the significant subjects she dramatizes. In doing so she demonstrates that, just like the women she writes about, she deserves to be recognized." -Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A moving, gripping tale that pays tribute to the under-appreciated skill and courage of combat nurses." --Booklist, starred review
"Hannah tells the story of real but unsung heroes" --Washington Post
"Enough time has passed that most people acknowledge the individual heroism that took place in Vietnam, even though history doesn't look kindly on the war itself," he wrote. "People over there did things that we can — and should — be proud of. That's one reason why I'm glad to see a book like 'The Women' doing so well. It's a beautifully written tribute to a group of veterans who deserve more appreciation for the incredible sacrifices they made." --Bill Gates
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