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The Women

A Novel

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The Women

Written by: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kristin Hannah
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About this listen

Long-listed, Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2024

Long-listed, NPR Best Book of the Year, 2024

Long-listed, Audible.com Best of the Year, 2024

New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, 2024

Long-listed, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, 2024

Long-listed, Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, 2024

Winner, Goodreads Choice Awards, 2024

"Kristin Hannah’s potent storytelling skills are brilliantly served by narrator Julia Whelan, whose limber, low-pitched voice moves nimbly from person to person, capturing personality and mood, her empathy palpable."—The Washington Post

From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

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 overwhelmed 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.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2024 Kristin Hannah (P)2024 Macmillan Audio
Best of 2024 Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Women's Fiction Inspiring Heartfelt War

What the critics say

"Hannah again shines her light on overlooked women in history"—People Magazine (Book of the Week)

"Hannah is in top form here... Hannah’s real superpower is her ability to hook you along from catastrophe to catastrophe, sometimes peering between your fingers, because you simply cannot give up on her characters. She gathers women into the (Vietnam) experience with moving conviction."—The New York Times

The Women is historical fiction at its very best. So moving, so wrenching, and yet, in the end, uplifting. Brava! I loved The Nightingale and The Four Winds, but The Women is my favorite.”—Nicholas D. Kristof, Pulitzer Prize-winning coauthor of Half the Sky

What listeners say about The Women

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I have never had a book affect me so profoundly

I have always been interested in Vietnam and the conflict that happened there. I have been known to watch hours of documentaries on it - kind of weird for a 40-something Canadian woman.
This book—— I can’t even adequately put into words the way to touched me. The story was told in such a way that I was pulled into 1966 from the start almost watching Frankie’s life and experiences in my imagination.
This book made me cry- sob actually… this book made me angry…this book made me happy…. I have never ever cried over a book before. Ever. This needs to be made into a movie. It just does.
Thank you so much to the veterans of the Vietnam war- every. Single. One. Of. Them. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You will never ever be forgotten.

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Didn’t want it to end

Fantastic book about strong, heroic women. It was a learning experience for me. I loved the characters and really enjoyed the narrator. I didn’t want the story to end. Highly recommend this read.

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And I cried … and cried … and cried …

Remarkable story told by my favourite narrator. So many emotions were felt as I listened. I was driving in my car listening and had to pull over in order to really embrace one moment in the story and to cry. Thank you for this story and thank you to ‘the women’.

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Outstanding story!

The story, character development and narration was all top notch. The research put into this book was remarkable. I learned a lot about the Vietnam war. I felt all the emotions with this one. At times I wanted to throw my phone, many times I was sad and other times I was happy for Frankie. It had me wondering what the veterans of Vietnam would think about todays political climate. I couldn’t get enough and I’m sad that it’s done. You won’t regret this one!

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Interesting & Heartfelt

I’ve always enjoyed historical fiction… but this book was different than others, I really enjoyed content on the war from a women’s perspective! Great story line and a tearjerker!

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Kristin Hannah always delivers

Great storytelling, I was wrapped up in the characters world. Could not stop listening, the details and descriptions really made you love vicariously through the characters. You can tell that the author did a great deal of research. This story pulled at my heart strings. Worth the ready/listen.

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Amazing

Kristin Hannah and Julia Whelan such a great combination!!! Absolutely loved the book and performance!!

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Narrator

The narration was excellent! I could listen Whelan all day! I also thoroughly enjoyed the story.

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A credit to women who serve their country in war time everywhere!

A much needed story which manages to shed light on all those underestimated and under appreciated women who serve their country with courage and tenacity! Kristin Hannah brings to light a long overdue aspect of war - the impact of being a woman veteran, whose sacrifice and psychological injury went unacknowledged for a long time. She manages to shed light on the social unrest and confusion of the time surrounding the Vietnam war.

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Beautifully written and captivating!

I couldn’t get enough of this book. Descriptive and captivating! I loved it so much

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