The Women: A Novel

Kristin Hannah

Feb 2024 · Macmillan Audio · Narrated by Kristin Hannah and Julia Whelan

About this audiobook

"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.

Ratings and reviews

I expected this to be a really good book. It was even more. Ms. Hannah has taken a subject very few know much about and educated the reader about a very painful time for our country. I was thirteen when the Vietnam War ended. I was aware of the war but certainly never had the insight into what those who served went through, much less how traumatic it was for the women who served. The story of Frankie's service as a nurse, her return home, and her resuling PTSD was deeply emotional and filled with despair. It was definitely not an easy story to read, but such an important story to read. It makes you stop and ponder your own beliefs about the war and those who served their country and were ridiculed for it. It made me stop and think about my husband's service in Afghanistan and his resulting PTSD (and yes, they really do wind up on the floor during nightmares). It makes me wish I had spent more time listening to him when he came home. This story has made me determined to listen to him more about his service and ask questions. Thank you for this book, Ms. Hannah. I listened to the amazing audio version of this book narrated by Julia Whelan, who did an amazing job, mixed with reading the book. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the gifted copies. All thoughts are my own.

What an amazing story! This was so much more than I was expecting. I knew this author would keep things authentic, but holy heck, I never realized how it was going to send me on an emotional roller coaster. Ms. Whelan did an amazing job of bringing this story from the pages and straight into my heart. The scenes written here were so vivid I ached. I felt the agony, the struggle and the complete desolation these characters experienced.

The Women is a historical fiction novel about a young woman that joins the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam and comes back irretrievably changed. The Women is a powerful novel that highlights a war and an era that we don’t see a lot of in historical fiction right now. Frankie’s struggles with PTSD, misogyny, grief, heartbreak and addiction will be relatable to many readers. The Women is expertly narrated by Julia Whelan who brings Frankie’s story to life and captures all of the emotion and drama.

About the author

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.