Long awaited release from K. Hannah is not the hit I hoped for. **SPOILERS**

The Women, Kristin Hannah

St. Martin's Press, February 6, 2024

480 pages

I'm sad to write that I didn't enjoy this book, which is representing California for my 2024 Book Challenge. It was much anticipated, both by me and members of the book world. I couldn't wait to read it and I was thrilled that it was picked as my book's club pick. Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and The Great Alone are exquisite with amazing storylines and lovable characters, and I fear they have ruined me forever when it comes to Hannah's novels. Even True Colors and The Four Winds didn't carry me away like my first two Kristin Hannah dalliances did. With a topic like Vietnam and women in combat zones not being appreciated for their contributions, I thought surely we were prepping for an unbelievable ride that would sweep me away, pull out my heart, and then hand it back over scarred and forever changed, like I have come to expect from Hannah. I was ready for that ride, but the thrill did not come. For me, this was just okay and a failure at fully exploring contributions of women and female relationships.

Unfortunately, The Women didn't have this great American story plot line that marks The Great Alone and The Nightingale, and makes them so unforgettable. Rather, we focus on Frankie and are only in Vietnam for one third of the book. Having more time in Vietnam, cutting out some of the longwinded descriptive prose would have benefited the storyline. There was a strong emphasis on Frankie's love life with long, drawn out side stories. In contrast, we spend one or two sentences on life-altering, trauma inducing surgeries, attacks, and death scenes that give Frankie such sadness and PTSD. This was unusual, as was the fact that we see almost none of Frankie's mentorship of incoming nurses which I expected her to provide, given that Barb and Ethel (they were amazing characters!) really took Frankie under their wing and got her on her feet. It made everything feel like a distraction instead of really getting invested in Frankie. Without this, the book didn't fully wrap its arms around women in wartime, nor Frankie and made her lackluster.

I also found it strange that none of the nurses that shipped overseas after Frankie's arrival became lifelong friends like Barb and Ethel or strong enough characters to keep in touch with her even at the Memorial visit or with the activism roles she takes on. Certainly, Frankie would have made significant connections with those nurses. Would these connections not have set a better stage to fully comprehend the extent of her commitment to the war, which she struggles with once returning home, and would we not have preferred to see Frankie in this way, instead of her continual inner conflict about falling for married/engaged men? This was a missed opportunity for Hannah and her novel would have been so much better if we weren't stuck in that never ending loop.

So with our lack of emphasis on being "in the shit" as Hannah writes, we look to the next section of the book which focuses on the return home and the horribleness of American treatment to its military members. This was a tough pill to swallow and at some points reflective of our current national political climate - full of people mistreating others. We follow Frankie as she tries to join veterans groups and is denied. This part was enjoyable and interesting as we peek into the turmoil these veterans went through - forced to stifle their memories and experience and just keep on living like nothing had happened. Frankie reaches out to trusty friends Barb and Ethel, but isn't a great friend back and is bitter towards them - surprising, given they are really all she has and quite frankly great friends. Our interactions with Barb and Ethel become minimized and reduced to letter writing. And unfortunately, everything falls back to who Frankie is dating instead of her actual struggles and needs. This leaves out a lot that could be explored with these characters, their friendship, and the real partnerships that were created in Vietnam.

As we move along, the novel is enjoyable, even if it's a bit preachy on the national politics, until Hannah decides that Frankie's love life will then experience a slightly older psychiatrist who she bumped into originally at a protest and then again at her high-brow parents' party. Um, what? And it's not until they break up and Frankie accidentally overdoses on pills that Henry finally tells he she needs help. Would he not have seen the signs of PTSD, nightmares, poor coping mechanisms, drinking, and a slew of other issues before her drug use?

It is at this point everything unravels for me and I couldn't wait for the book to end. Perhaps it is because Hannah makes everything happen to Frankie when she could have demonstrated the effects of the war, both physical and mental, using Barb and Ethel, or even some of the other veterans who could have been featured speaking at a protest. For instance, the miscarriage, and the drug problem, the drinking, and the loss of the jobs, and the lack of family support didn't all have to be suffered by Frankie while Barb and Ethel seemingly had no issues returning home and settling in. Maybe this would have provided an opportunity for Frankie to be a friend and support Barb and Ethel in return and could have made her more likable.

Maybe after my book club, whose members I know are enjoying this tome, I'll have my mind changed and be a bit more sympathetic to Frankie's journey. But for now, my stance is that the women in combat, both past and present, deserve more recognition and greater exploration into their interpersonal relationships forged during wartime.

For those looking for greater emphasis on female leaders during war, check out these great titles:

The Rose Code, Kate Quinn

The Alice Network, Kate Quinn

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, Karen Abbott

The Girl You Left Behind, Jojo Moyes

The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah