Frankie McGrath is a pampered daughter of Coronado Island, California, socialites. She lives in a walled and gated estate on the Pacific, and expectations of her in 1966 are traditional. She should marry a nice boy from her family’s circle and live a nice life.
But her beloved brother, Finley, has to live up to the family’s “hero’s wall” where each generation went to war and brought honor to the McGrath's. Finley will go to Vietnam.
As the story unfolds, Frankie chooses for herself. She goes to nursing school and before she’s ever had real hospital experience, she enlists to be with her brother.
This book shows people who didn’t live through the time just how different Vietnam was for the United States. With the war unwinnable, and turmoil at home, innocent Frankie is swept into a nightmare. But she’s strong, and the other men and women she works alongside make the time there not only bearable but give her the confidence she will need after her term is up. When her “welcome home” was not what anyone would expect, and as someone who lived through the time, I can only say, sadly, it is an accurate depiction.
We’ve had great books written about this war, but I’ve not read one that focused on the plight of the brave women who served and were instrumental in bringing some of our soldiers home, but also comfort for those who didn’t. Kristin Hannah writes with clarity, compassion and honesty, and The Women is a book long overdue. Brava to Kristin for tackling this challenge and doing it justice.
Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this advanced review copy. I can’t recommend it enough, especially to anyone who wants to understand how we got to where we are today.
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