The Women
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
February 6, 2024
Hardcover/Audio
480
Purchased/Library
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.
My review:
This one ended up being a tale of two parts for me. Part one of the book takes place with Frankie headed off to Vietnam as a nurse. With very little experience under her belt, the tales of what she encounters dealing with the casualties of war (not for the faint of heart) were engaging and intense. Even her mistakes on a personal level I could forgive because of her age (21 when she arrived). I thought the author did a wonderful job shedding light on not only what transpired in Vietnam, but the aftereffects of the war when the men and women returned stateside. I loved the way women were depicted as heroes, even though a majority never even thought about there being women who served. I loved her friends, who were always there for Frankie (and I mean always, stay tuned for my part two thoughts), I wish we had more written about them. The first part of the book was a 5 star read. Then we get to part two, where things start to slide on the ratings scale. I absolutely appreciated the portrayal of the PTSD many enlisted experienced. I was not terribly old at the end of the war so did not realize what kind of a reception the soldiers returning home were given, and that was enlightening. However, by the time she gets home, Frankie is now older and should be wiser, but she keeps making stupid decisions, and constantly relies on others (those friends I was talking about) to fly to her rescue (no small feat in those years). It got a bit tedious with her relationships, and then something happens not once, but twice (I can't give spoilers, but you'll know if you read it) that totally put the story into soap opera mode.
Overall a really masterful account of the Vietnam War, and those who served. While I liked the exploration of life for those after the war, I could have used less of Frankie's woe is me attitude, and definitely less of her relationships. Definitely still a solid read, and it appears I may be in the minority when it comes to my quibbles 🙂
