It was not that long ago that a woman’s path in life was chosen for her. That started to change when some females decided to take fate into their own hands.
The Women: A Novel is the latest book by Kristin Hannah. It was published in February. It’s 1965. Frances “Frankie” McGrath is a twenty-year-old nursing student from an upper-class conservative California family. She could marry a nice boy and become a mother. But that is not what Frankie wants.
When her brother joins the Navy to fight for his country in Vietnam, she follows him by enlisting in the Army Nurse Corps. Over the next few years, Frankie will experience death, destruction, life, and loss on a scale that leaves an emotional scar that never truly heals.
Upon returning home, she discovers that a whole new set of battles await her. Sexism, mental illness, and a country torn by conflict create new wounds that only add to the unspoken emotional scars.
Wow. Hannah has outdone herself. Frankie’s arc over twenty-odd years is mindblowing. She goes from an enthusiastic and idealistic young woman to a survivor who has walked through the darkness and made it out alive.
Beyond the narrative, it is a reminder that the women who served for (and died for) their country in Vietnam deserve as much recognition as their male counterparts.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely. It is so far, one of my favorite books of the year.
The Women: A Novel is available wherever books are sold.
Writergurlny 
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