Off The TBR List: The Women by Kristin Hannah

I’m late to the party on all things Kristin Hannah — yes, this means I have not read “The Nightingale” yet. But it was that or her latest, “The Women,” which honestly, it seemed like everyone was talking up to be as good if not better.

<Maybe a hot take, incoming ….>

I thought it was fine. Good. I didn’t abandon it, though I thought about it during the first 75 pages or so. Once I got into a “this feels like a soap opera on paper” vibe, I enjoyed reading it to see what was going to happen next.

But I did not love it. I won’t be gushing over it.

The beauty of having read this after so many others is that I am not in danger of spoiling it, really — so I can say out loud that I had a really hard time getting behind the notion of a character like Frankie heading off to Vietnam with hardly any training only to have her months later performing lifesaving surgery solo on wounded soldiers. And I freely admit — this very well could have been the case. I was a toddler during Vietnam so I have no practical knowledge of my own to assess how much feels like too far with this particular storyline. Hence, committing my brain to a “this is a Lifetime movie, girl, go with it” track improved the experience tremendously.

Tragedy aside, the twists and turns Frankie’s life take make for every entertaining summer reading. Because OF COURSE Xxxxx is alive. And OF COURSE Xxx is alive. And a snake. Duh.

I loved Frankie’s friendships with Barb and Ethel. I loved her love for her mission overseas. I loved the camaraderie that dangerous circumstances breeds. For those reasons, it’s a great read.

I think I would have liked a larger circle of protagonists, though. To understand Barb’s perspective given her brother’s connection to the Black Panthers. To understand Frankie’s father’s reticence better. To hear Rye’s side of the story and if there’s any contrition on his part. So much more to say.

Should I have read “The Nightingale” first? Maybe. I hope to get to it after a bunch of others. In the meantime, if you like war fiction, this may be up your alley.