Review: The Women | A Visit to the Danbury Barnes & Noble

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

Publisher’s Description: “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.”

I’ve been putting off this review because I’m not sure I have the right words to describe this book.

You’ve likely already heard of it, read it, or have seen the cover at your bookstore.

Here’s what I knew going into it-

The Women won Reader’s Favorite Historical Fiction for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards, which is quite a high honor.

And a friend recommended it to me, saying simply, “You will cry.”

Well, about a week ago, I was ready to cry and read something that would stick with me longer than my other recent lighter reads, so I decided it was time.

This book hit so hard. I’m not sure what I was expecting from a book about women in war, but this hit every emotion I had. And not even in the ways I was expecting.

I don’t read many heavy historical fiction books, but I felt like Kristin Hannah did a wonderful job of sharing the horrors of war while also keeping things very human. There were moments of light and joy amidst the terror, and enough of a romantic plot that I couldn’t put the book away.

But that was just the first half…. Somehow things got much worse for Frankie after she returned home from war.

I am glad that this story was told the way it was, but I also had a hard time getting through the second half of the book. While I couldn’t stop reading at first, I did have to take a short break near the end of the novel because it was a lot to take on. So make sure you start this one when you’re mentally in a good place.

I liked the heroine. I appreciated the reality of the things she faced. I think this story is important, and I’m glad to have learned more about this era of history.

I just think I should have paced myself more, instead of making it my whole world, consuming it non-stop for four straight days and then burning out and needing to drop it to recover. I was literally scared to open it again, not sure how much more Frankie could take.

I also read this book while I had the flu. I’m wondering if that added to the all-consuming misery I was feeling.

While I eventually dove back in and did think the ending was solid, I think that’s why I keep putting off writing this review…. I’m still a little burnt out? I can’t seem to get into a new book now. This one still seems so much more important than anything else I’ll read and will stay in my mind for quite some time.

I need something light and silly next to get me out of this Kristin Hannah funk. I’ve been here before…. It’s the only way to move forward.

My rating: 4.5/5

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Barnes & Noble (Danbury, CT)

Okay, so it’s not an indie bookstore. But I’ve featured a Barnes & Noble before, and this one was just so pretty I had to share it.

This may be my favorite Barnes. Attached to a mall, the store is two levels and has tons of room to explore, get lost, and forget where you are. I love that each genre is sectioned off like you are in your own special room. And I love the generous indoor and outdoor cafe seating.

I am here QUITE often, so expect to see many more shots from this store (in fact if you follow my notes, you may have seen several shots already!).

Thanks for reading this week! See you all Friday for a bonus article.