The Women by Kristin Hannah

Amy   

historical fiction

Franky was raised in a wealthy family with a long military history. All of the men in her family served their country (unless, as was the case with her father, they were physically unable). When her brother decides to volunteer to serve in Vietnam in 1966, Franky also decides that she’d like to use her new nursing degree to serve American soldiers in Vietnam.

Franky wasn’t satisfied with the limited expectations for women and naively got in over her head when trying to do what she felt was the right thing. Yet, despite the new difficulties facing her, she rose to the occasion. In fact, she thrived in the awful, despicable conditions in Vietnam. She made a difference saving lives and found friendships dearer than any others she’d known before.

Then, I found myself only halfway through the novel at about the time it felt like it could end. Knowing the title of the novel was The Women, I figured there was more to come in which Franky and her female friends would need to stand together and support each other. Oh no. I then knew Kristin Hannah would break my heart as she has in two other novels. I kept reading with great dread. But this was an outstanding novel.

I thought I knew enough about Vietnam but realized, as I was reading this novel, that my knowledge only touched the surface.  I was born the year this novel begins so all of my Vietnam impressions came from hearing adults talk about it and seeing a few Vietnam movies and a musical (which were heartbreaking). I can recall very little that was actually in my history books in the 1980s about the realities of Vietnam. But The Women felt so real and I feel like I have gained so much knowledge about the realities in Vietnam. The United States really failed its soldiers with that war. When the female nurses returned to the U.S., they were not even acknowledged or given consideration, let alone support and resources. Franky seemed to have PTSD yet she kept encountering people promising her that there were no women in Vietnam, including a VA doctor and a Vietnam soldier! Even the hospitals in the States did not count her 2 years of Vietnam operating room experience as actual experience and made her start over with making phone calls and washing bedpans.  I was infuriated on her behalf throughout much of the third quarter of the novel. And she was relatively lucky in that her family had money and she had two good friends she could lean on. How many other Vietnam nurses fell into despair and destruction upon their return to the States? The vets were really treated horribly.

And then, the last quarter of the novel was devastating. Of course, I knew (and hoped) the plot twists were coming due to foreshadowing. But I couldn’t put it down. The way substance abuse was described was visceral. Hannah’s writing was fantastic.  In her novels, she transports the reader to interesting places and times, gives us characters of such depth that we see things clearly through their eyes, and presents captivating challenges for those characters.  I thought about the characters all day, wondering how they were doing and what would happen with their lives. A quote from the book perfectly captures my experience reading this book: “fear and joy in equal measure”.

The narrator, Julia Whelan, did her usual fantastic job. I always appreciate her large vocal repertoire including male voices. She did an awesome job with accents. I’ll give her an A+.