Reviews with content warning for Cursing - The Women

The story gets dragged along kicking and screaming by Hannah, a writer who seems incredibly eager to show you something but doesn't want your gaze to linger too long. The plots weaves and winds from trauma to trauma as our main character, Frankie, struggles to cope with her experiences during and after the Vietnam War. Hannah seems terrified to slow down and take her time with a few key moments instead of bombarding the reader. This leads to the plot whizzing by in a whirlwind so rapid that it dulls their impact.

On top of that, her descriptions of the different settings from the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands of Vietnam, to the sunny coasts of southern California, are all formulaic. They offer paper-thin window dressing that is quickly tossed aside as we race from plot point to plot point.

The focus on romantic subplots also distracts the central plot and muddles its messaging. While it's understandable that a young woman, away from home for the first time and surrounded by young men, would feel attracted to some of them, the emphasis the story places on it drags attention away from the suffering of the Vietnamese people, and the American servicemen and women. The final pages of the story completely encapsulate what I'm talking about, but I won't specify why to avoid spoilers. Suffice to say, our main character's romantic troubles persist throughout the book, and wax and wane between being central to the story and off in the periphery, despite the fact that this book is meant to be a story about experiencing and recovering from the horrors of war. It reads like a cheap addition meant to tittilate the reader, but serves little purpose aside from, once again, traumatizing the main character.

Also, the depiction of the main chracter as a victim of war trauma is riddled with clichés that would have been more tolerable were they not repeated so many times. After the third or fourth time the main character recounts a terrifying war story to a horrified listener, again, the event loses its impact.

The story shines best when Hannah writes about the sisterhood of the nurses, coming together to support each other during and after the war. Of course, a huge segment of their time gets skipped over so the main character can go back to enduring hardships. The excessive focus on the traumas the character suffers ultimately overrides their purpose, making the reader turn away out lf exhaustion instead of sympathizing.

It was a quick read which I'm unlikely to repeat, and I wouldn't recommend it to others.

Content Warnings

kwthor's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

jessailene's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book deserves more than five stars. After initially getting the book, I set it aside for a few days, unsure of what to expect. (I initially picked up the book because my sister read it and highly recommended it along with my best friend who hadn’t actually read the book yet, but has praised a lot of Kristin Hannah’s works.) However, once I started reading, I was hooked within 30 minutes, fully immersed and committed. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve read a book as quickly as I did The Women, and that speaks volumes about how captivating this story is.

Growing up post-Vietnam War, I didn’t have a full understanding of the complexities surrounding that time. This book was an eye-opener, shedding light on the emotional and psychological scars left behind. Many people, especially those who have relatives that served in the war, seldom speak of it, and this story helped me understand why.

There are so many layers to The Women. The fictional characters are brilliantly crafted, and the storyline is deeply immersive. I’ve never read a book that so vividly captures the true chaos of war while showing the impossible task of trying to maintain control in a medical setting under fire. The balance between romance, sorrow, excitement, stress, and sadness is masterfully done. It evokes such strong emotions—especially if you’re an empathetic person, you’ll feel like you’ve been through the emotional wringer.

If you’re looking for a powerful, multi-layered narrative that not only entertains but also educates and challenges your perspective, The Women is a must-read.

Content Warnings

burnourhistory's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Content Warnings

raquellecollins's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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