$0.00$0.00
- Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
- One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
- You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
- $14.95$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
-12% $21.65$21.65
The Women: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
"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.
- Listening Length14 hours and 57 minutes
- Audible release dateFebruary 6, 2024
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB0C4QD5VPB
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
Read & Listen
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $7.49 after you buy the Kindle book.
People who viewed this also viewed
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
People who bought this also bought
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
Related to this topic
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
- Audible Audiobook
Product details
Listening Length | 14 hours and 57 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Kristin Hannah |
Narrator | Kristin Hannah, Julia Whelan |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com Release Date | February 06, 2024 |
Publisher | Macmillan Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B0C4QD5VPB |
Best Sellers Rank | #1 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #1 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #1 in Historical Fiction (Books) #1 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction |
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Frankie’s journey from the beaches of Coronado, CA to her following her brother into the military, her parents and her expectations, the training, her experiences in getting to Vietnam, earning the trust of her colleagues and medical professionals while serving, the camaraderie, the relationships, the realism of war and the lack of respect for serving when home will ALL ring true to any “In-Country” Vietnam veteran.
Kristin Hannah’s style of writing, the riveting and realistic descriptions of the challenges of nursing in a combat zone and the idealism to be an Army nurse in the 1960’s are so authentic. Then, the intensity of Kristin Hannah’s “war stories” detailing the gritty service at the 36th Evac Hospital at Vung Tau and the 71st Evac Hospital in the Central Highlands in Pleiku are so realistic, so moving and so relatable.
An example: “Outside, the whump-whump of the helicopters was defending. Frankie and Barb ran past the helipad, where the wounded were being offloaded from a Dust Off and coming in by ambulance. Men covered in mud and blood, working, shouting at one another beneath the womping rotors. In the air, a row of helicopters hovered, waited their turn to touch down” describing a mass casualty event for their medical team when helicopters were landing during a major enemy offensive.
Parts of “The Women” read like Diane Carlson Evans memoir “Healing Wounds” and informed by Diane’s experiences as a U.S. Army nurse from service in the same areas of Vietnam. Diane Carlson Evans is the founder of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC.
“The Women” is very relatable to any Vietnam veteran who served at that time and anyone that lived thru the 1960’s-1970’s, especially women. “Women Can Be Heroes” and the Vietnam era continues to matter!
-Bill Shugarts, Vietnam Veteran (1969-1970) 23rd Infantry Division-Americal, National Park Service Master Docent at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Church Military Ministry Leader, Fawn Lake Veterans Group Co-Founder.
March 2024
While I was a very young girl, I remember the later years covered in this book. I, too, had an MIA bracelet, so hearing about them again brought back so many memories of this time. I recently discovered the details of the MIA Air Force pilot on my bracelet. Unfortunately, his plane was shot down by a rocket; he ejected and then landed south of Dong Lam. He died and was buried there, although his remains were recovered and returned to his family many years later.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Women" and didn't want to put it down. There is no point in me bringing attention to just one or two minor things I would have written differently. It doesn't matter. It was another great read by Kristin Hannah, and I can't wait for her next one.
I don’t even know where to begin this review. Hannah illustrates what it was like to be a women at the time – that they were supposed to get married and have babies. She also illustrates just exactly it was like to be a woman to decided to enter the military to help out. Not thought of as a real veteran. It’s heartbreaking how women during that time were treated. These women (and men) are really inspiring. They were selfless and brave. They had so much courage. I wish I could be half of what they were.
Hannah did a wonderful job describing what it was like in Vietnam for the men and women who served in their various roles. I honestly felt that I was right there along side of each of the characters. It felt scary. They never knew if that day was going to be their last, but they kept moving forward doing what was expected of them. Frankie saw some difficult situations in the hospital working as a nurse, ones that I don’t think I could ever handle.
Hannah also did a wonderful job with dealing with all of the after effects of war after a soldier/nurse comes home, especially at that time. How women were turned away from getting help, and everything that they go through in those days and years ahead.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure about this book. But it’s wonderful; it’s beautiful; it’s a must read.
Top reviews from other countries
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another great work of fiction, inspired by firsthand accounts of the women who served in Vietnam.
This was my 7th book by this author and I read it in two sittings.
My favourites to date are “The Nightingale” and “The Four Winds”.
Although this book was melodramatic and the main character a bit unlikeable (and spoiled), I really enjoyed it.
The storytelling was terrific and heartfelt, especially when it came to PTSD.
The development of the story made this a compelling read, although some parts were a bit repetitive, but I wished that there were other voices (different perspectives or POV).
The writing was really good, as expected.
The conclusion was a bit chaotic (and rushed), but believable. Love can be so complicated for some.
My ratings were based on its entertaining level.
I may revisit this review later on, but for now this is all I have to say.
By the way, I simultaneously listened to the audiobook. Julia Whelan is a terrific narrator.
Hardcover (St Mark Press): 480 pages (2 parts, 35 chapters)
ebook (Kobo): 426 pages (default), 142k words
audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan: 15 hours (normal speed)
(and yes, I have all 3 formats)
PS. Don’t miss the author’s notes at the end of the book. This book was conceived in 1997, but the author felt she was too young and inexperienced at the time. It took her years to revisit her concept.
Further readings recommended by the author:
“Healing Wounds”, by Diane Carlson Evans & Bob Welch
“American Daughter Gone to War”, by Winnie Smith & William Morrow
“Home Before Morning”, by Lynda Van Devanter
“Women in Vietnam: the oral history”, by Ron Steinman
“A Piece of My Heart”, by Keith Walker
“After the Hero’s Welcome”, by Dorothy H. McDaniel
“The League of Wives”, by Heath Hardage Lee
“In Love and War”, by Jim and Sybil Stockdale
“The Turning: A History of Vietnam Veterans Against the War “, by Andrew E. Hunt