In 1965, nursing student Frankie McGrath, after hearing the words “Women can be heroes, too,” impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows her brother to Vietnam where she is overwhelmed by the destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America. - (Baker & Taylor)

"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 agood 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."-- - (Baker & Taylor)

A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times!

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 over-whelmed 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 Four Winds, The Nightingale and The Great Alone. A former lawyer turned writer, she lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest. - (McMillan Palgrave)

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* Frankie McGrath is just 20 when she enlists in the army to go to Vietnam as a nurse in 1965, planning to follow in the footsteps of her older brother, Finley. Frankie's parents are dismayed by her decision, even more so once they get the horrible news that Finley has been killed in action. Frankie deploys to Vietnam and is quickly overwhelmed by the horrors of war, but with the help of two new friends, Barb and Ethel, and a handsome doctor, Jamie, she adjusts to the rigors of nursing in a war zone. Her attraction to Jamie is stymied by complications, then she finds love with her brother's best friend, a charming pilot named Rye. When Frankie's service comes to an end, she is distressed when she returns to the States to find that Vietnam vets are not lauded as heroes and that many vets don't acknowledge the service of military women. As she grapples with PTSD and finds her place in antiwar protests, Frankie is dealt a terrible blow. Hannah (The Four Winds, 2021) continues her winning streak of compelling historical novels, capturing the tumultuous atmosphere of the 1960s and '70s in a moving, gripping tale that pays tribute to the under-appreciated skill and courage of combat nurses.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hannah's popularity ensures enormous interest in each new novel, and the unusual historical context and focus of this one will stir up additional curiosity. Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.

Library Journal Reviews

In No. 1 New York Times best-selling Hannah's The Women, good-girl nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows her brother to Vietnam but finds herself unprepared for the brutality of war and the tumult of a divided United States when she returns home (one-million-copy first printing). Following the brightly received The Ingenue, Prepub Alert. Copyright 2023 Library Journal