The Women
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
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What you might want to know about The Women
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
On Coronado Island, California in 1965, twenty-year-old nursing student Frankie McGrath sees her brother Finley off to Vietnam, then signs up for the Army Nurse Corps after his death.
The Women is fictional but built around the documented experience of American women who served as nurses in the Vietnam War. Kristin Hannah researched the period extensively, including the postwar experiences of returning women veterans.
Yes. A film adaptation has been announced. As of 2025, the project remains in development.
The Women was written by Kristin Hannah, published in 2024 by Boekerij.
The Women is 480 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Women takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
The Women is a standalone novel by Kristin Hannah, not part of a series.
The Women is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.