The Women is a historical fiction novel about a young woman that joins the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam and comes back irretrievably changed. 

Twenty-year-old Frankie McGrath is a good Catholic girl from Coronado Island when the war in Vietnam intensifies and her brother ships out. Inspired by the “hero wall” in her father’s study Frankie decides to join the Army Nurse Corps and serve as well. Her two years in Vietnam are a trial by fire and an education in trauma medicine, the horrors of war, the bonds of friendship and the grief of losing people you love too soon. Two years later Frankie returns to a changed America that does not understand the role of the women who served or what they suffered. Over the coming decades she will stumble, fall and get back again up trying to find her place in the world and escape the ghosts of Vietnam. 

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. And although the book covers over fifteen years the pacing keeps the pages turning and it’s a hard book to put down. I highly recommend it to readers that enjoy stories about women’s journeys, American history and complicated family relationships. I know this book will stay with me for a long time. 

🎧 audiobook review: The Women is expertly narrated by Julia Whelan who brings Frankie’s story to life and captures all of the emotion and drama of her story. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️