This is my first Kristin Hannah book. I decided to read this book because it is famous on Bookstagram. Everyone was raving about it.
I went in blind without knowing what to expect. All I knew was that this is a historical fiction based on the Vietnam War.
I can say with absolute certainty that I am glad to have picked up this book.
This is a book every woman should read at least once in life.
About the Book
Genre: Historical fiction
Author: Kristin Hannah
Rating: 4.5/5
Frances ‘Frankie’ McGrath grew up in a family that celebrates heroes. When she heard ‘Women can be heroes, too’, it changed her life. Because this thought had never crossed her mind.
She decides to follow her brother Finley who volunteered to fight the Vietnam War as a pilot. With a few months of basic training, she flies to the heart of the Vietnam War not knowing what to expect.
Her first experience is a MASCAL (mass casualty) and it comes as a blow to her. Throughout her tour, she has to experience many such events that will change her life forever in ways she never thought.
After enduring all the trauma and saving lives in the middle of a full-blown war, Frankie comes back to her country only to realize that so much has changed. Never did Frankie imagine that being home would be more difficult than being at war.
This book is about war. It is also about how one falls to the lowest in life and gets back on track, slowly and steadily, one step at a time.
Themes that the Book Explores
- Forgotten History
When you hear of war, women rarely come to your mind, isn’t it?
History sidelines women’s contributions even though they show up with as much courage (or greater than) their male counterparts.
The Women explores this theme perfectly.
“There were no women in Vietnam.” This is what Frankie hears repeatedly when she comes back home.
You will feel rage boiling within yourself when Frankie is being dismissed so easily for her contributions.
- Trauma and PTSD
Trauma and PTSD are the gifts of war. It doesn’t end even when the war does. It changes a person in ways no one can imagine.
Since this is a book about war, PTSD and trauma are major themes. It’s gut-wrenching to read how these invisible wounds tear through Frankie. The journey of healing becomes more difficult than usual because of the systemic societal disregard for war veterans’ services, especially the women’s.
- Identity and Self-Discovery
Frankie is expected to get married and embrace motherhood. Going to the war helps her to discover herself and embrace her true calling. She explores who she is outside her family and upbringing.
- Resilience and Survival
Frankie hits her rock bottom. But she fights back with the help of her friends and family. She loses herself only to find herself.
Kristin Hannah doesn’t glorify healing. She shows that it isn’t linear.
The book honors the slow, quiet, powerful process of surviving one’s worst phase of life.
- Female Friendship and Sisterhood
Frankie, Ethel, and Barb’s friendship is so deep and strong that you will wish for such friends in your life. The female friendship is the backbone of this book. It will warm your heart and heal your soul.
What Reading It Felt Like
Heartbreaking. Emotional. Raw. Deep.
This book broke my heart and healed my soul. I enjoy such books immensely.
The women gave their everything to the war yet they were sidelined. It is difficult to survive a war. Society makes it almost impossible to heal and move ahead in life.
There were moments when I could feel anger building up, eyes filled with tears, and my heart being ripped apart.
A slow unraveling of grief and grit gripped me.
The writing is crisp, strong, and beautiful. It just flows.
I personally enjoyed the first part, where she goes to the war, more than her homecoming.
What This Book Taught Me
The impact of being forgotten and unacknowledged for one’s sacrifices, services, and efforts can have on a person is immense. I have never given a thought about this.
This brilliant book taught me that being forgotten is its own kind of violence. Silence can be more brutal than bullets.
I reflected on how women must be feeling when they aren’t given credit. Not just for serving in war. But in general, normal life situations.
This book taught me the importance of making people feel seen and appreciating and giving credit for what they do. Especially women.
Who This Book Is For
This book is a treat for readers who enjoy historical fiction.
If you want a story that lingers long after reading the last page, this one is for you.
You don’t need to know much about the war to read this book. Because this book is more than war.
A Few Lines That Hit Hard
How did a woman go about opening up her world? How did one begin a journey when no invitation had been issued?
There is no going back, Frankie. You have to find a way to go forward, to become the new you. Fighting for who you were at twenty-one is a losing game. If that’s what you’ve been trying for, no wonder you’re struggling.
Life was like that, she guessed; it was all wrong until suddenly it was right, and you didn’t really know how to act in either instance.
Final Thought
This is a book that is going to stay with you. It will change how you see sacrifice, silence, and strength.
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