‘The Women’: Author shines light on forgotten women in war

A novel of searing insight and lyrical beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional and touching story of memorable war heroines with extraordinary courage in the face of danger. Kristin Hannah invites readers into the forgotten lives of the brave nurses who saved so many during the Vietnam War.

Hannah is best known for her gripping historical fiction novels. Her most famous novel is the international bestseller, The Nightingale. Even though Hannah has proven time and time again that she is a writing whiz, her latest work, The Women, has cemented her as the queen of historical fiction.

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‘THE WOMEN’ IS A TRIUMPH IN CHARACTER WRITING AND STORYTELLING

I have always been an avid reader of historical fiction. Because I have read my fair share of these types of novels, finding a really good one that stands out and stays with you has become rare.

However, Kristin Hannah has done it once again with her triumphant novel, The Women. We are not halfway through the year yet and already this novel is on my favorite books list for 2024.

The way Hannah writes the deeply rich and realistic inner lives of characters is utterly gripping. Her stories have a way of drawing you in and absolutely shattering your heart with its sadness. Her characters feel so real that you share in their pain and joy, and you learn their hard life lessons with them.

It is no surprise that The Women has become one of Hannah’s bestsellers as it is, in my opinion, her best work to date.

SYNOPSIS: ‘THE WOMEN’

From master storyteller Kristin Hannah, a #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale comes the story of a turbulent era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels―at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a tumultuous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics.

Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, twenty-year-old nursing student Frankie McGrath has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows him.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. It is the story of women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. She is best known for her international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction.  It was also a selection in Reese Witherspoon Book Club in 2023. Her other famous works are The Four Winds, The Great Alone and Firefly Lane, which all became bestsellers.

Her stories have also been adapted for the big screen. The Nightingale is currently in production at Tri Star, with Dakota and Elle Fanning set to star. Tri Star has also optioned The Great Alone and it is in development.  Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out.  

The Women is published by Pan Macmillan and is available from Exclusive Books stores for R375.