By: Jill Gunderson

Hi Neighbors! If you don’t already know her, I’d love to introduce you to one of my favorite historical fiction Authors—Kristin Hannah. If you have read any one of her books before, you know that she has an effortless way of transporting you through time, and drops you off in a completely different era!

It’s May! Mother’s Day is just around the corner and I wanted to start the month off with a book about women—strong females who are courageous and bold, standing up for what’s right in a society that tried to silence them.

The Women is a novel that will draw you into a story that you will not want to leave. Set in the 60’s when many young boys were sent to Vietnam, Frankie (Frances McGrath) longs to help serve, just like her older brother did. The problem? Her very conservative father, who has a decorated wall of war heroes in their home, doesn’t see a place for women in the war. Frankie, being strong-willed and determined, enlists with anyone that will take her—in this case, it’s the Army Nurse Corps. Her mom is scared, and her father is furious, but Frankie is determined to follow in her brother’s footsteps.

Vietnam is nothing like Frankie thought. There is chaos and destruction everywhere. She gets close to her bunk mates, and their friendship lasts over the course of the many years that this book takes place. For me, I learned so much about a divided generation and the crippling unnecessary damage that it did. For that reason, this novel is so emotional. It draws out feelings of confusion over that time period, a longing to be seen, heard, and understood, and a feeling of righteous anger over the way veterans were treated. The story is laced with emotion, whether it’s fear during the war, finding love in the jungle, solace with a strong female bond, or longing for healing—both mental and physical. There are characters of fiction, as well as real life heroes interwoven into the pages that helped bring awareness to the new diagnosis that is PTSD and getting help for war veterans.

But there’s also romance and love. As my good friend said, “Who knew Kristin Hannah could also make Vietnam sexy!” The connections that are made between likeminded people because of the experiences only they lived are lifegiving. Coming home to friends and family that knew next to nothing about that war was a shock to one’s system, and so very hard to deal with.

Julia Whalen is the audiobook narrator and friends, she brings this book to LIFE! Narrators can make or break even the best of books…but Julia? I thought she was each character. Not once was I hung up over a voice she did. If you’re not the biggest historical fiction fan (or reader), I would encourage you to listen to the book while you’re walking, working out, or on a long drive. Julia’s storytelling is next level!

I will leave you with a quote directly from the book’s synopsis, because there’s no way I could word it any better! “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.”

Happy reading, neighbors!

XO

Jill Gunderson

@ThatShelfLove

@JillGundersonAuthor