My Quick Takes:
- 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Genre 📚 Historical Fiction
- Language 🤐 strong, God/JC name in vain,
- Spice ❤️🔥 descriptive fade to black, ch. 16 (p. 193-194), ch. 26 (p.335)
- Content* 🤔 on page graphic death, violence, war, affair, grief, pregnancy loss, alcohol/drug abuse, ptsd, themes of suicide
Wow. I don’t know that I have the words to even begin reviewing this book.
Set during the Vietnam war, The Women follows a young nurse trying to make her family proud by serving her country. I, sadly, never learned about the Vietnam war in school and was astounded by the nation’s reaction to the war portrayed in this book. Reader’s eyes will be opened to the realities of war, how trauma and PTSD can shape a life, and the heartbreaking way that America responded to Vietnam vets in general, but especially the women.
This type of book proves why I think difficult content, in specific instances, can be used successfully and is even necessary in certain books. This is a historical fiction depicting a real war, where lives were ruined, lost, and broken. Hannah holds nothing back when presenting the realities to readers both on the ground in a war torn country, and during the long road of coping with those realities and their effects when reintegrating into civilian life.
This narrative also sheds light on the realities that those who serve our nation face when reintegrating. If nothing else, this narrative will help the average civilian reader view our nation’s military with compassion and grace. While some readers may find issues with some of the themes in this book, I don’t believe they were glorified, language use reflects what you would expect hear among the military and during active duty combat. In the same vein, other themes I have outlined in my content quick takes above all come as a response to a battered, broken, imperfect human trying to find her way in life after facing horrific tragedies. On a spiritual level, as the reader sees the valleys continue to grow deeper and deeper for the main character, it made me reflect on how grateful I am to live with hope. As a Christian, I can hold onto my eternal hope and salvation in the midst of the hardest and darkest times. Praise God this broken world is not my eternal home.
*If you are a sensitive reader I would not recommend this book as it is real and raw.
I don’t remember the last time I’ve cried so continually and thoroughly during a novel. Starting in chapter 2, I was tearing up almost every chapter and lost count of the times I was truly sobbing, all the way up to the very end. I love when a historical fiction can truly transport me to a new place and time I haven’t learned about and The Women did just that. I binged this book on audio in 2 sittings, mainly because I didn’t want to drag out my emotional upheaval. This book is in close contention for my favorite book I’ve read by Kristin Hannah.
*Some of the links on this website are affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. My goal is to provide valuable and helpful content, and any commissions help me maintain this site and the continual creation of high-quality content for my readers (that's you!) Thank you for supporting the content I create!
