Welcome to Litsy!

Have reached the halfway point in the tagged book and feeling…indifferent?

I get why so many people like this author because she really paints an evocative picture but in terms of plot…it just feels soapy? I think I want it to feel denser.

Points for the focus on the hardworking women during the horrors of the Vietnam War. I wish that was more the overall focus rather than the flimsy love stories.

I'm going to an IRL book club meeting for this book soon. My 1st time at a book club in almost 7 years (since I sold my bookstore) & the 1st time I'll be at a book club & not leading the meeting. I really wish I'd liked the book more! The 1st part was like Cherry Ames Goes to Vietnam, then there were far too many romances & the plot twists...good lord. I felt like it went on far too long. And what's with the cover art cribbing from Miss Saigon?

Mixed feelings on The Women:
Pro- readable, I learned a bit about the Vietnam War, book club attendees love Kristin Hannah, lots to discuss
Con- melodramatic, over-the-top/too much happens to one individual
So, in all, a mixed bag. I see why Hannah is so popular and I honestly don‘t dislike it, but she‘s not an author I would pick up on my own. Spoiler in comments ⬇️

Shifting gears and queuing this up - my next in person book club pick and my first Kristin Hannah novel. So many friends wax so poetic about her writing.

I think I‘m ready to cry. Wow me, Kristin! 😅

19.2025

I‘m a hater for this but I only liked this book a little. I wanted more of the army nursing story and got tired of all the plot twists at the end. I‘m also a hater because I just want Kristin Hannah to write a book set in Washington State, a girl can dream.

“Thank God for girlfriends. In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the women.”
#March2025

5✨ It took me a while to sit down and really digest all that this book had to offer. We follow a grieving sister as she follows her late brother to the Vietnam war front. As a nurse she sees her fair share of the violence as she tries to encourage and save the men in her care. Making friends, falling in love, and coming home broken are all part of the heart wrenching pages of a book that tears your heart out repeatedly and you keep coming back…

This novel is full of heartbreaking historical fiction based on the experiences of a young nurse and her peers during the Vietnam War. The characters all had battles they faced while serving in country and more when they returned. The unpopular war was difficult for all the soldiers and those back at home. Returning to the US was difficult. PTSD was a huge part of daily life for many. This book touched me in all ways. 4.75/5

Big month! I get to pick a free birthday book and a free one from the top 5 of 2024 in addition to my monthly pick. Woo hoo! #BOTM

I already own the hardback. But this was far too gorgeous to leave in the bookshop 😍😍😍

I was wary of reading this, having had issues with other Hannah novels. But the premise pulled me in, especially since it felt so reminiscent of a play I was in during college (A Piece of My Heart).

I wish I‘d skipped it. A bad soap opera masquerading as historical fiction, it forfeited the depth & nuance the topic deserved in favor of cheap & tawdry “twists.”

I know she‘s a popular author, but I just can‘t take the melodrama.

Omg I‘m broken now. This book broke my heart, I actually borrowed it from the library just to read the end, I‘ve been listening to it on audible. So beautiful. So tragic.

I‘m listening to this on audible whenever I‘m in the car. I‘ve sat in a LOT of parking lots 🤣 I still have 5 hours to go, and I‘m worried about the ending 🤣 this girl cannot catch a break, she needs a shrink to help her with her ptsd, and she has the worst luck with men! Her parents also suck. Everyone sucks. Ugh! It‘s so good

I borrowed this book from the library and I waited for months to get it. But now I‘m not in the right frame of mind to listen to this story. This is not a review of me saying that I bailed. I didn‘t make it very far in this book at all before realizing that I‘m looking for something lighter. I‘m just returning it to the library and I‘ll borrow it again later when I‘m in a different frame of mind. However, if anyone is interested in (cont)⬇️

I loved this book so much. I cried while reading the book. The characters were amazing. I rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

I showed up for a prescription just after they closed for lunch 🙄 so now I‘m waiting in line after sitting in the parking lot for 30 minutes 🤣 this book is killing me

I had mixed feelings about this book, but I‘m glad I read it. Definitely recommended, but with some reservations!

The first third of this book, I wasn‘t convinced. I felt it was trying to ram too many “stating the obvious” lines of prose in there and didn‘t give the reader room to explore. But about halfway it takes such a deep, human experience to a new level and has a profound and meaningful purpose. Although not as strong as The Nightingales, this is still a story that deserves to be told and a great read.

This novel chronicles the life of Frankie McGrath, from a young woman with dreams to a combat nurse in the Vietnam War, and then navigating the aftermath of war. It sheds light on the often overlooked experiences of women who served in Vietnam and the shameful way veterans were treated upon their return. Hannah captures the complexity of a tumultuous era while offering a deep exploration of resilience, trauma, and healing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 ❤️📚

Truthfully when I first started this I was a bit meh, but it grew on me and by the end I was sobbing. I‘m glad the nurses of Vietnam‘s story has been told, I can‘t even imagine how brave and strong you‘d have to be to finally ask for help and then be dismissed

Breakfast in bed with my first ever KH book

The subject matter is important and riveting. I learned a lot about women‘s unheralded service in Vietnam. It is absolutely a story worth reading. The combat nursing events in Vietnam field hospitals were the most compelling by far. The romantic elements came off too cheesy and the general tone was a tad too melodramatic for me. I think Hannah‘s style is just not quite my vibe. Julia Whelan‘s narration is top notch. I‘m glad I listened to it.

#favebk‘24 #25alive @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

9-12 Jan 25 (audiobook)
It would be dishonest to pan this: I listened voraciously and wanted to find out what happened to Frankie. But Hannah‘s books are not for me. She throws obstacle after (predictable) obstacle at her heroine before coming to the also predictable happy ending. Reminds me of other bestselling writers such as Bryce Courtenay.
I did appreciate the prompt to think more about nurses in war and the role of women in Vietnam.

“…however she healed, it would fall on her to do the heavy lifting. Her friends could be there for her, help her stand, but she had to walk alone.”

I had to pull myself out of a pit after suffering a loss. As much as our friends can help, we have to do the hard work ourselves. And it is very lonely.

I‘m happy to have a sweet reading buddy while reading such an emotionally resonant book. Grounds me back in the present and reality. ❤️📚❤️‍🩹🐾

I‘m late to this party. But what a book!

#12Booksof2024 Day 6

My favorite book of June was The Women, which I read with my IRL book club.

@Andrew65

My favorite read in March. It was a slow month for me. But this book was fantastic.
#12BooksOf2024 @Andrew65

An easy clear winner for my favourite book in February in the #12Booksof2024.

The Women by Kristin Hannah was an excellent book, and possibly my favourite book of 2024.

Notable Mentions : The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood, Blood Lines by Angela Marsons

#12Booksof2024 #TheWoman #KristinHannah #January2024

The Women by Kristin Hannah ***** 1/29/2024
Frankie McGrath chose to follow her brother, Finley, and joined the Army Nurse Corps and followed his path into the Vietnam War. Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and a country that wants to forget Vietnam

Gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads. It‘s enlightening

Tagged but really anything by Kristin Hannah!

#sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

So far it‘s really good but also sad

I‘m an outlier on this one…I didn‘t love it. It‘s okay historical fiction but I was hoping for something less predictable/formulaic. It‘s a pick because it IS very readable & it‘s an important story to tell—something which the author & the characters themselves also tell us. I did enjoy the chapters set in Vietnam, the friendship between the three nurses was believable & one of the strongest aspects of the book. The men were terrible, the plot ok.

Mom recommended it so of course I have to read it.

4.5⭐
•This was great in the way it shed light on a woman‘s role in Vietnam and in the way it opened my eyes to the horrors of the War in general. However, I wasn‘t always a fan of the story's direction. I mean, how much heartache can one woman take?
•The narration by Julia Whelan was wonderfully done.

#WeekendReads
@rachelsbrittain

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Soft pick for me .While I applaud Hannah for showing the woman‘s war through heroic nurses in Vietnam, the romantic entanglements seemed so unlikely & melodramatic.Frankie McGrath came from a privileged background where her families hope was she‘d turn out a lady.Nursing school & the war going on w/ her brother shipped over there made her want to do something to help.Frankie learned quickly how to become an asset in the most dangerous conditions

Kristin Hannah does it again! One of the best writers of all-time! Such beautiful, exquisite writing that kept me engaged throughout the entirety of the book! The development of Frankie into her confidence and sense of self was realistic and heart-wrenching. The portrayal of the war was descriptive and told necessary realities. Hannah is truly giving an ode to women in the Vietnam War and throughout history who have been forgotten. A must-read!

🎋

🦸‍♀️

Can‘t believe this amazing book is almost coming to and end. I feel like I‘ve been on such a roller coaster of emotions with the main character Frankie. I‘ve watched her grow from a naive young woman starting out in the army to a strong woman with supportive best friends. 👩‍⚕️

🫡