reviews of books by kristin hannah

Supported by

Kristin Hannah’s New Novel Puts Combat Nurses Front and Center in Vietnam

“The Women” follows a San Diego debutante into a world of gut wounds and napalm. But the real challenge comes when she arrives home.

Share full article

The cover of "The Women" shows the silhouette of a helicopter and palm trees against a gold backdrop that appears to have been smudged from a large red rectangle. The title appears in white.

By Beatriz Williams

Beatriz Williams’s latest novel is “The Beach at Summerly.”

Apple Books
Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million

When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.

THE WOMEN, by Kristin Hannah

A few chapters into “The Women,” I experienced a wave of déjà vu — and it wasn’t just the warm Tab and the creme rinse. If you grew up in the 1980s, the Vietnam redemption arc was imprinted on your gray matter by a stampede of young novelists and filmmakers coming to grips with their foundational trauma: patriotic innocence shattered by the barbarity of jungle warfare; the return home to a hostile nation; the chasm of despair and addiction; and finally, the healing power of activism. This was the generational narrative, told and retold in classics like “Born on the Fourth of July” and “The Things They Carried” — the ballad of the boomer, a masculine coming-of-age cri de coeur .

Now Kristin Hannah takes up the Vietnam epic and re-centers the story on the experience of women — in this instance, the military nurses who worked under fire, on bases and in field hospitals, to patch soldiers back together. Or not.

The familiar beats snare you from the outset. In 1966, after her adored older brother leaves for a “cushy” assignment on a ship, the sheltered San Diego debutante Frances “Frankie” McGrath is inspired to enlist as an Army nurse. “Women can be heroes, too,” her brother’s friend tells her. Frankie laughs. Her flag-waving, emotionally constipated parents are not amused.

Dumped in-country without adequate training, Frankie learns the ropes from seasoned nurses and battle-scarred male doctors who propel her past internalized insecurities with barks of no-nonsense encouragement: “Damn it, McGrath! We don’t have time for fear. You’re good enough. Do it!”

Indeed, there’s something special about Frankie. Within months, she becomes an experienced trauma nurse, confronts the horrors of gut wounds and napalm with courage and compassion, rages against the naïve indifference of her family and friends back home — and attracts the devotion of handsome, tormented, unexpectedly married men.

Hannah is in top form here, plunging the reader into the chaotic miseries of the combat zone. She deploys details to visceral effect, whether Frankie’s performing an emergency tracheotomy during a mortar attack or sipping Fresca in the O Club afterward, while an evocative soundtrack of the Doors, the Beatles and the Turtles plays in the background. (“Music followed the smoke, infusing it with memories of home. ‘I wanna hold your ha-aa-aa-nd.’”)

With Hannah confidently in control, we swoop above the jungle canopy in a Huey chopper, peppered by sniper fire, and skid across the Mekong Delta on a pair of water skis. The historical scenery is rendered with such earnest authenticity that the few millennialisms — “girl squad,” for instance, snapped me back to the present day, as did a pair of kids named Kaylee and Braden — jar precisely because the author otherwise recreates this world so convincingly.

But 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. If the story loses a little momentum after Frankie completes her second tour — slingshot to the finish by a series of occasionally strained plot twists — well, isn’t that the way it went for so many veterans returning home? Without the imperatives of war, you stumble along until you find your way.

In the end, I was struck not by the way “The Women” radically reshapes the contours of our Vietnam narrative, but instead by how vividly the novel affirms them. Hannah may not offer any revolutionary takes on the war and its aftermath, but she gathers women into the experience with moving conviction. And maybe this story’s time has come again. Over dinner one night, I described “The Women” to my college-age daughter — a young woman with her finger on the cultural pulse — and she perked right up.

“Wow, the Vietnam War,” she said. “You don’t see much about that.”

THE WOMEN | By Kristin Hannah | St. Martin’s | 480 pp. | $27

An earlier version of this review referred incorrectly to the book’s protagonist, Frankie McGrath. Frankie enlists before she learns her brother has been killed in the Vietnam War, not after.

How we handle corrections

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

James McBride’s novel sold a million copies, and he isn’t sure how he feels about that, as he considers the critical and commercial success of “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.”

How did gender become a scary word? Judith Butler, the theorist who got us talking about the subject , has answers.

You never know what’s going to go wrong in these graphic novels, where Circus tigers, giant spiders, shifting borders and motherhood all threaten to end life as we know it .

When the author Tommy Orange received an impassioned email from a teacher in the Bronx, he dropped everything to visit the students who inspired it.

Do you want to be a better reader? Here’s some helpful advice to show you how to get the most out of your literary endeavor .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

Skip to content
Skip to secondary menu
Skip to primary sidebar
Skip to footer

Kristin Hannah Books: Best Rated Novels

Last updated: January 14, 2021 by Emma Robinson

Kristin Hannah is a famous American novelist and winner of multiple prestigious awards. Her name is well recognized by readers of romance. Almost every book published by this author becomes an international bestseller. Her novels are sold in million copies, translated into more than 40 languages, formatted as Kindle editions, and adapted for screenplays.

These reviews describe the top 10 books that range from the most to the least successful novels that have received recognition from critics and high ratings on Amazon. If you are a fan reader of Hannah’s works or just want to feel a surge of romance and love, discover the following selection.

Best of Kristin Hannah: Top Books to Read

Night road 1st edition text only.

Night Road is a story about an overprotective mother, Jude Farraday, whose life revolves around her inseparable twins, Mia and Zach. One day, a former foster child Lexi enters their life. She befriends with Mia, who is a social outcast, while Zach falls in love with the girl.

One night, the three get in a car accident with Lexi being a driver. The life of the whole family is not idyllic anymore. Mia dies, and Judi charges against Lexi, who ends up pleading guilty and going to prison.

After she returns, can the two women forgive each other?

Deeply emotional characters
A heart-touching story
The narration is brilliant
Some readers find the plot a bit predictable

Magic Hour is a melodramatic novel about a 6-year-old feral girl, who was presumably raised by wolves in the deep woods and appears one day on the edge of the town chased by hunger. Dr. Julia Cates, a child psychiatrist, names the girl Alice and tries to help this alone and speechless kid. Along with Dr. Max Cerrasin, they want to find a clue to the girl’s identity.

In their attempts to free Alice from fear and isolation, the doctors find out the bewildering facts about her past. While they cure the girl and work together, the romance will inevitably blossom between them.

Shows the triumph of hope
Raises a spectrum of important social problems like life after divorce, kidnapping, second chances, etc.
The book gets everyone involved in
Readers who are savvy in medicine criticize the author’s knowledge in this sphere because of a number of incorrect statements
Some parts seem unrealistic

Home Again: G. K. Hall Large Print Book Series

Home Again is a best selling novel that describes the life of Madeleine Hillyard, a famous cardiologist who raised her daughter Lina alone because her lover Angel DeMarco abandoned her 16 years ago. He left in search of fortune and fame. His brother Francis DeMarco, who is a priest, has always been a helping hand for this family.

Angel becomes a famous actor. As a heart transplant patient, he meets Madeleine again. He reappears to seek help from the people he betrayed. Are they strong enough to forgive the betrayals of the past and love again?

The read is very captivating and impossible to put down
The author uses the right words that flesh out the characters
A lot of romance
The book is full of inconsistencies

Angel Falls

Angel Falls is one more novel written by Kristin Hannah about passion, duty, and family bonds. Mikaela and Liam Campbell have a perfect marriage and a family with 2 children. After a tragic accident, Mikaela falls into a coma. The doctors don’t expect a recovery, but Liam believes that true love makes magic. As his wife responds to the sound of the name of her previous husband, Liam decides to contact that man.

He takes a risky step and may lose his wife forever in order to save her life. Mikaela awakes with retrograde amnesia with no memory of Liam. Nothing in their lives will ever be the same.

Portrays true feelings
A fast and interesting read with a touching plot
Makes readers understand what is really important in life
Some author’s fans find the novel too soppy as if “made for TV” movies

Winter Garden: Large Print

In Winter Garden, you meet Meredith Cooper and Nina Whitson, 2 sisters raised by a cold and dispassionate mother and an adoring father. The absence of maternal love had an impact on both sisters. One of them became a famous photojournalist who runs away from family life, while the marriage life of another sister is about to be destroyed by an emotional wall she has built between herself and the spouse.

On the deathbed, their father tries to unite the three women. His daughters hear a terrifying story about their Russian-born mother and her life in war-torn Leningrad. The book is ideal to be read in the Christmas period.

A heartbreaking narration about the life of people during World War II
Illustrates intricate mother-daughter relationships
Vivid descriptions of the surroundings and characters
In the beginning, the narration is a bit slow
The women in the book are too unemotional

Home Front is one of the most relevant and rated novels of the author. The story is about an average couple, Michael and Jolene Zarkades, who have normal family issues – children, work, chores, bills, etc.

Their 12-year marriage is falling apart, and the situation becomes more complicated when Jo, being a helicopter pilot, is called to active duty into a war zone in Iraq. Michael, a defense attorney, is unaccustomed to be a single parent to his 2 daughters and hardly struggles with the day-to-day routine.

In her letters home, Jolene describes her life on the front line in a rose-colored version. When a tragedy brings her home, both partners re-evaluate their feelings for each other.

An honest look at modern marriage
Describes eternal questions and values like love, honor, heroism, hope, etc.
An extremely emotional read
The story lacks originality

The Nightingale

This historical fiction novel occupies the top best seller lists and is inspired by a real-life story. Plotted in 1939, the book portrays the lives of 2 sisters Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac, and their dangerous way to love and survival in German-occupied France during WWII.

Vianne says goodbye to her husband who heads for the Front and is captured by German soldiers. Isabelle decides to join the Resistance, earns the code name “Nightingale,” and risks her life to save others.

The women’s war is a part of history that is seldom seen, but in the book, it is skillfully illuminated.

The narration is fast-paced
Full of romance
The characters are perfectly developed
The book is dark at times describing violence, death, slavery, sexual assault, etc.
There are some geographical and historical inaccuracies

Fly Away is a sequel to a story portrayed in Firefly Lane. The book is based on the same characters and starts 4 years after Kate dies from breast cancer. As the best friend of Kate, Tully promises to work on her last wish and take care of her 3 kids. Tully is overwhelmed as she knows nothing about motherhood.

The situation becomes more complicated when Tully’s mother, Dorothy, who abandoned her as a child, comes back to her.

Can we expect another book in the series?

A great story about forgiveness, family, and love
A thoughtful reading experience
An emotionally-driven read
Too much of depression and anxiety

Firefly Lane

As mentioned, this is the first book about two friends (and opposite personalities), Kate and Tully. Kate is a shy girl with thick glasses who feels lonely and has no close friends but an overbearing mother. Tully is a popular and beautiful girl with lots of friends, who was dropped by her mother at her grandma’s house.

Dealing with their own pain, the girls become best friends. This 30-year friendship continues through high school, college, work, and all their ups and downs.

The reading strikes and absorbs
The story is about a beautiful friendship
Emotionally charged and can bring readers to tears
Some chapters are dragged on
A new generation of readers may not understand the realities typical for the 70s and 80s

The Great Alone

The action of the book is set in Alaska in 1974. The Allbrights’ are a family of three: Ernt, Cora, and their 13-year-old daughter Leni. Ernt is a damaged veteran who has come home from the Vietnam War and got some property in Alaska from his dead friend. They move to this inhospitable land. Because of the brutality of the Alaskan winter, they all need tremendous effort to survive in this place of beauty and danger.

Shows the strength of human spirit
The Alaskan landscapes are beautifully described
A fascinating and thought-provoking read
The dialogues suffer from cliches and repetitions

Interesting Facts

Each book always has a true story behind or is inspired by certain events in the life of an author. These unknown facts about Kristin Hannah and her novels will be interesting for both regular and new readers:

The Nightingale is one of the most recognizable novels of the author. The book spent 20 weeks on the New York bestseller list and 45 weeks on the National Public Radio Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List. The novel was optioned by TriStar Pictures for a screen adaptation. Elle Fanning and Dakota star in the film, which is scheduled to be released in 2021.
Kristin Hannah graduated from a law school and practiced law before she became a writer. She confesses, she doesn’t miss her previous job.
The author took inspiration for The Nightingale from a real person, Andree de Jongh. This 24-year Belgian woman helped aviators and other people escape and escorted them over the Pyrenees. She saved 118 people. When the Nazis captured her and sent to a concentration camp, they didn’t believe that she was the organizer of that route. Andree died in 2007.
Kristin Hannah has a couple of protagonists in her own novels she likes most: Tully from Firefly Lane, Alice from Magic Hour, and Anya Whitson from Winter Garden.
It takes a year for Hannah to write a book. It took her up to 2 years to write The Nightingale and Firefly Lane.

These facts can inspire you to re-read her novels and notice peculiarities that you’ve missed the first time.

This list of the best Kristin Hannah books includes the latest works of the author and some novels written when she got started on this career. Her novels will always find a way to the hearts of readers because they feature strong characters and touch unique things important for every woman. They grab your attention and immerse you in the atmosphere of reality. While living life with each protagonist, you can solve a problem and find the right decision for yourself.

Are you looking forward to her next heart-touching masterpiece?

Kristin Hannah – Author – https://kristinhannah.com/
Kristin Hannah – https://en.wikipedia.org/

About Emma Robinson

Hi there, my name’s Emma - I’m a professional journalist and I adore reading books. Actually, they are my source of appeasement and daily energy. My personal achievement is my contribution to my friends’ willingness to develop through books. Thus, I have a huge list of the best books to be read and reviewed. Stay up-to-date with me and BooKKooks! You may also want to visit my page on Facebook - I would be glad to see new followers there, so I can share my recent reviews.

Kristin Hannah's 22 most popular books, based on Goodreads reviews

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Kristin Hannah is the bestselling author of over 20 books, most recently " The Four Winds ."
She writes romance books, historical fiction novels, and stories with magical twists.
Goodreads members' top favorites include " The Nightingale " and " The Great Alone ."

Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author perhaps best known for " The Nightingale " and " Firefly Lane ," the latter of which has become a hit Netflix show . Though Hannah primarily writes moving romances with devastating twists, her more recent works have been vivid historical fiction stories that transport readers through time.

To rank Kristin Hannah's best books, we turned to Goodreads members . With over 125 million users, Goodreads lets readers rate, review, and recommend their favorite novels. So whether you're a new Kristin Hannah reader wondering where to start, or a long-time fan looking for a new read, we've ranked the best Kristin Hannah books, according to Goodreads members.

'The Nightingale'

"The Nightingale," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $11.15

With nearly 600,000 five-star ratings on Goodreads, "The Nightingale" is Kristin Hannah's most popular book. Set during World War II, this deeply moving novel focuses on two sisters living through the Nazi occupation of France. While 18-year-old Isabelle courageously risks her life to join the Resistance, Vianne is left at home to protect her daughter and herself as a German captain requisitions her home in her husband's absence.

'The Great Alone'

"The Great Alone ," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $11.69

When Ernt Allbright returns from the Vietnam war broken and volatile, he impulsively moves his family to the Alaskan wilderness, determined to live off the land amongst other fiercely independent locals. But as the brutal winter darkness sets in, the Allbright family discovers they are far less physically — and mentally — prepared than they thought.

'Firefly Lane'

"Firefly Lane," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $9.19

In this powerful story about the magic of friendship, Tully and Kate became inseparable friends during the summer of 1974, forming a bond that would last a lifetime. As the decades pass, Tully and Kate act as buoys in each other's turbulent lives — until a devastating act of betrayal puts their bond to the ultimate test.

'The Four Winds'

"The Four Winds," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.49

As the Great Depression continues to devastate Americans in the early 1930s, a ruthless drought tears through Texas, leaving families torn between fighting for their land and heading west for the chance of a better life. A portrait of the strength of American women, this historical fiction novel follows young Elsa Martinelli as she agonizes over her own choice during the Dust Bowl era, a particularly dark period of history.

'Winter Garden'

"Winter Garden," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.56

"Winter Garden" is a novel that explores the intricacies of a mother-daughter bond through Meredith and Nina, two starkly different sisters who are brought home over their father's illness. With little connection besides old memories and their mother's disdain, the sisters finally learn the devastating truth of their mother's past, revealing more about their family and themselves than they ever knew.

'Night Road'

"Night Road," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.56

Jude is a stay-at-home mom who always puts the needs of her children ahead of her own. So when former foster child, Lexi, enters her twins' lives, she welcomes her in and the three kids become inseparable. But when a terrible accident happens, everyone blames Lexi and she's forced to leave behind the closest thing to family she's ever known. Years later, Lexi returns to face Jude, the past, and the night that changed their lives forever.

'Fly Away'

"Fly Away," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.67

"Fly Away" is the touching sequel to "Firefly Lane" and while it can be read as a standalone novel, it's recommended to read "Firefly Lane" first to truly understand the depth of heartbreak in this book. As Kate struggles against her battle with breast cancer, her best friend, Tully, promises to be there for her children in any way she can. As Tully and Kate's family reel from grief, Tully struggles to keep Kate's daughters safe and come to terms with her own past in this story about forgiveness and redemption.

'Magic Hour'

"Magic Hour," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.26

After a sudden tragedy ruined her career as a child psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Cates returned to her hometown to quietly recover. When she meets a peculiar six-year-old girl who seems to have emerged from the nearby woods, Julia dedicates herself to saving the child — even if it means asking for help.

'Home Front'

"Home Front," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.89

Defense attorney Michael and soldier Jolene have been married for 12 years and are already struggling through everyday life when Jolene is sent on a dangerous deployment and Michael is left caring for their daughters back home. In this story of love, loss, war, and duty, Jolene tries to quell her family's fears from the other side of the world until tragedy strikes and leaves Michael living his worst nightmare.

'True Colors'

"True Colors," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.39

"True Colors" is a heartfelt family story that follows the Grey sisters, whose bond strengthened as they leaned on each other when their mother passed away. After a devastating event threatens to tear their sisterhood apart, the girls must fight through the tension to forgive each other in this compelling and emotional story loved for its romantic and dramatic elements.

'Between Sisters'

"Between Sisters," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.49

When Meg was 16 and Claire was nine, a misunderstanding led the sisters to an estrangement that it seemed would last a lifetime. But as Claire's wedding day quickly approaches, Meg decides to take time off from her successful law career to help Claire and try to reignite their bond, hoping to become the family they always wanted.

'On Mystic Lake'

"On Mystic Lake," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.19

When Annie Colwater's husband tells her that he's in love with a younger woman, she returns to her hometown to heal and is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacrox. As Nick recovers from his own loss and tries to help his daughter do the same, the three find comfort in each other — until a shocking twist forces Annie to make an impossible choice.

'Summer Island'

"Summer Island," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.35

Ruby hasn't spoken to her famous talk show-host mother in more than a decade, resentful after Nora chose to walk out of their home, leaving her husband and daughters behind. So when a shocking scandal from Nora's past is exposed, Ruby is offered a small fortune to write a tell-all book. Returning to her family home, Ruby confronts her mother's past and her own in this exhilarating Kristin Hannah read.

'The Things We Do for Love'

"The Things We Do for Love," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.27

Angela DeSaria Malone thought her life would unfold perfectly just as it had for her sisters and cousins: High school, college, marriage, motherhood. But when Angela and her husband divorce after she repeatedly fails to get pregnant, she moves back to her hometown and meets a teenage girl who will change her life forever.

'Angel Falls'

"Angel Falls," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $5.98

"Angel Falls" is an inspirational romance novel about Liam Campbell, who sits at his wife's bedside every day despite the doctor's warning that she may never wake from her coma. When Liam discovers a painful secret from his wife's past — a previous marriage — he knows he must solicit the help of her ex-husband in the desperate hope for her recovery.

'Distant Shores'

"Distant Shores," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.99

Elizabeth and Jackson Shore appeared to live a beautiful and happy life but when their daughters leave home, the couple finds themselves slowly drifting apart. When Jack gets an amazing job opportunity, Elizabeth decides to follow him — until a horrible tragedy forces her to question everything about her life and decide who she wants to be.

'Home Again'

"Home Again," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.99

Dr. Madeline Hillyard is a famous heart surgeon whose teenage daughter feels more like a stranger to her every day: Angry, resentful, and desperate to find the father that abandoned her so many years ago. When her father, Angel DeMarco, comes back into their lives despite his devastating betrayal, it's in search of help as a patient.

'Comfort & Joy'

"Comfort & Joy," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.36

In this holiday-themed story, Joy Candellaro is struggling to find her Christmas spirit after her divorce and spontaneously buys a ticket to the Pacific Northwest, hoping for an adventure that will reignite her enthusiasm for life. In a small town, Joy meets six-year-old Bobby who, along with his father, is struggling to celebrate the holidays after losing his mom. Together, Joy, Bobby, and Daniel help each other heal and find the courage to believe in love and family once again.

'If You Believe'

"If You Believe," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.27

"If You Believe" is a demonstration of the emotional intensity Kristin Hannah is able to convey in a novel. When professional fighter Mad Dog Stone answers an ad to live and help on an apple farm before his next fight, he meets Mariah Throckmorton, self-exiled and hiding from a scandalous past. Against all odds, the two begin to fall for each other. As they confront their pasts, they must decide if they should stay in each other's lives or let their love fade with the season.

'Waiting for the Moon'

"Waiting for the Moon," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.69

Selena can't remember who she is or how she came to be in a beautiful mansion on the Maine coast, but she finds comfort in a strange physician-turned-recluse she meets nearby. Ian Carrick is haunted by a telepathic gift that destroyed his career but when he meets Selena, he finds she's the only one whose thoughts he can't hear. Selena and Ian bring light into each other's dark lives and help each other heal, even as a figure from the past threatens to end their fantasy romance.

'Once in Every Life'

"Once in Every Life," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.99

When brilliant research scientist Tess Gregory suddenly dies before she can fulfill her longings for a husband and child, an angel allows her to choose the life into which she'd be reincarnated. Waking in a hospital bed, Tess finds herself in the body of a post-Civil War woman with a husband, children, and plenty of family and marital problems that she must conquer if she wants to find her magical love story after all.

'When Lightning Strikes'

"When Lightning Strikes," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.99

In this time-travel romance, Alaina Costanza, a romance writer, is thrust straight into the wild west of her most recent novel during a peculiar storm. When she's kidnapped by her own character, the handsome outlaw Killian, the two fall into a whirlwind romance that they know must end if Alaina has any chance of reaching her child, left behind in the present.

Main content

clock This article was published more than 3 years ago

‘The Four Winds’ is Kristin Hannah’s next inevitable bestseller. Don’t forget the tissues.

Labor is hot. Look for the union label in the pages of a best-selling novel lately, and you might find it.

Last fall, Jess Walter published “ The Cold Millions ,” a terrific story about union organizers in Spokane, Wash., in the early 20th century. The Washington Post named it one of the top 10 books of 2020 .

And now comes mega-seller Kristin Hannah with “ The Four Winds ,” an emotional novel about efforts to organize migrant workers in California during the Depression.

Admittedly, literary fiction is not the surest bellwether of American cultural attitudes. But with income inequality soaring even as union membership plummets, Walter and Hannah are leading readers back to an era when desperate workers linked arms to fight for their income, their honor, their very lives.

“The Four Winds” begins in northwestern Texas in 1921. Elsa Wolcott is the eldest daughter in a middle-class family that treats her like an ugly heirloom. Her unloving parents keep Elsa cloistered in her room reading, insisting she’s too weak to endure any social interaction. At 25 — a hopeless spinster! — she’s constantly reminded that “no man of note wants an unattractive wife.”

But Elsa is about one strip of yellow wallpaper away from a nervous breakdown. Her heart is a thumping muscle of unsatisfied longings and unrealized ambitions. Like Jane Eyre, she fumes with the exasperation of a passionate woman long dismissed and repressed. “If she didn’t do something soon, something drastic, her future would look no different from her present,” Hannah writes. “She would stay in this house for all her life” with novels as her only friends.

Inspired by the scandalous story of Fanny Hill, Elsa sews a red dress that shows her knees and storms off for a night of romantic adventure. She gets what she wants — for a few seconds, at least — but it turns out that novels have provided her with a very limited understanding of how sex actually works.

This great storm of sighs and shame is mere introduction designed to transform Elsa from Imprisoned Virgin to Outcast Mother. Expelled from the confines of her bedroom and the enervating control of her parents, she emerges as a classic Hannah heroine girded for the harrowing adventures ahead.

When “The Four Winds” picks up again in 1934, we’re deep in the Great Depression, and Hannah lets her story bake under the cloudless sky. A conspiracy of bad weather, bad agriculture and bad government gradually desiccates the entire area, bringing one farm after another to ruin.

The evaporation of water, the withering of seedlings, the boredom of unemployment — such calamities are not easy to dramatize, but as the drought grinds on, Hannah makes the heat radiate off these pages. And for sheer physical terror, she swirls up apocalyptic dust storms, ordeals of gritty insistence that last for days, transforming the landscape, burying homes and filling lungs. Faced with the possibility of starvation, Elsa must decide whether to stay on her land or head off to California, that oasis of milk and honey with jobs aplenty.

Clearly, while Elsa was reading “ Sense and Sensibility ,” Hannah was reading “ The Grapes of Wrath .” Elsa keeps reminding people that she’s a Texan, not an Okie, but the echoes of Steinbeck’s classic are sometimes so strong that I expected to see the Joads’ Hudson Super Six chugging along the road. Like Tom and his family, Elsa discovers that the paradise she expected to find is no such thing. California is overwhelmed by impoverished people desperate for work and food. With no safety standards, labor regulations or minimum wage — all those pesky burdens that Republicans are still whining about — giant farm owners are free to treat their laborers as brutally as they want. The country is entranced by the pernicious lie that providing government aid would weaken workers’ initiative.

12 novels that changed the way we live

Of course, when “The Grapes of Wrath” appeared in 1939, much of America was crippled by the poverty that Steinbeck had reported on for the San Francisco News. A few months later, when Congress began hearings on wages and farm regulations, his novel felt devastatingly current.

Hannah’s negotiation with this 80-year-old material — during a global pandemic that’s weighing on our economy — is necessarily more complicated. She’s examining a traumatic era in American history while also using it to reflect on the current scourges of xenophobia and economic exploitation tearing through the United States.

Then as now, demagogues scream about the dangers of socialism while ignoring the damages of crushed lives and spirits. In lines that sound tragically contemporary, Hannah describes 1930s citizens crouching in fear and resentment, conflating poverty with immorality. “The schools and hospitals were overrun, they said, unable to survive the demands of so many outsiders. They worried about bankruptcy and losing their way of life and being made unsafe by the wave of crime and disease they blamed on migrants.”

Like Steinbeck, Hannah attends to the economic and political forces killing these workers. “This is America,” a young woman tells Elsa. “How can this be happening to us?” Migrant children are effectively excluded from public schools. Hospitals refuse to treat laborers. Any talk of resistance or organizing is beaten into silence by bat-wielding police. And Hannah offers a particularly powerful illustration of the way the company store traps farmworkers in a cycle of consumption and debt — an almost quaint version of the insidious credit industry that enslaves millions of Americans today.

Conquer ‘Moby-Dick,’ finish ‘Infinite Jest’: Avid readers share their resolutions for 2021

But if Hannah demonstrates a socialist’s faith in the need for stronger controls over the powers of capital, she still makes a bad Marxist. After all, her primary interest in “The Four Winds” remains Elsa’s potential for independence. Yes, the fight to unionize the farmworkers eventually provides the story’s climactic action — and its frosted-lens romance — but the real focus is always Elsa’s struggle to be brave, to understand that “courage is fear you ignore.” This is, almost from the first page, a story about Elsa’s efforts to cast off the crippling limits imposed by her parents and be the person she wants to be.

In fact, despite the strong echoes to “The Grapes of Wrath,” Hannah may be working closer to 19th-century melodrama. The heroines of “The Four Winds” are purely heroic; its villains wholly evil. Hannah never risks ambiguity; her pages are 100 percent irony-free. And she moves with a relentless pace. Her prose, so ordinary line by line, nevertheless accumulates into scenes that rush from one emergency to the next — starving! beating! flooding! — pausing only for respites of sentimentality. (There’s a little boy in these pages so sweet he could be ground up to flavor 8 million cupcakes.)

Despite Hannah’s extraordinary commercial success, the snob in me wonders what this indefatigable author could produce if she endured a little tougher editorial criticism and gave herself a little more time. (She’s published 24 novels in 30 years.) But that would mean fiddling with the well-oiled machine that reliably produces such marketable passion. I confess, I spent too long rolling my eyes at the flat style, the shiny characters and the clunky polemics of “The Four Winds” before finally giving in and snuffling, “ I’m not crying — you’re crying!”

Ron Charles writes about books for The Washington Post and hosts TotallyHipVideoBookReview.com .

From our archives:

Review: “The Great Alone,” by Kristin Hannah

The Four Winds

By Kristin Hannah

St. Martin’s. 464 pp. $28.99

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Review: Kristin Hannah's 'The Four Winds' is a 'stirring' tale of love and hardship in Dust Bowl-era America

Corrections & clarifications: A previous version of this story misidentified a 2018 film titled “The Nightingale.” The adaptation of Kristin Hannah's book of the same name has not yet been released.

As the Dust Bowl ravages Texas, one woman must make a choice: Leave the farm that has been her family’s livelihood or stay and risk succumbing to cyclones of dirt.

Kristin Hannah ’s absorbing new novel begins just a few years before, when it seemed as if Elsa Wolcott might finally have a peaceful, fulfilling life ahead. After a rough childhood with parents who didn’t love her, she met Rafe Martinelli, the soulful and handsome son of Italian immigrants. Unlike any other person in her life, he made her feel valued. She moved in with his family, and together they made a healthy living, raising two children while they worked the earth.

There are greater forces in the world than love and dedication, however. "The Four Winds" (St. Martin’s Press, 464 pp., *** ½ out of four stars) plays out against the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl that together gutted the American economy and turned beloved farms into ruins. As the Texas panhandle parches out, Elsa watches their crops wither and has to send her children scrambling through the dirt to find any scrap potatoes that might remain in the fields. Meanwhile, her parents-in-law sweep and sweep, trying to rid the house of ever-accumulating dust. Hannah’s writing is at its strongest when she takes us into the vivid hardships of the drought, as overuse of the land results in storms of topsoil that flay skin from muscle and fill the bellies of staggered cattle with dirt.

5 books not to miss: Kristin Hannah’s ‘The Four Winds,’ 'Mike Nichols: A Life'

Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist

Elsa is resilient, and readers will be drawn to her devotion to her children and her tireless efforts to keep her family well, efforts that bring her to pack them up and head west. On the journey she has to contend not just with the hardships of picking cotton for pitiful wages, but with the weaker wills of the men around her, who abandon family or run ruthless corporate farms that exploit their employees. Along the way, Elsa develops a greater consciousness of the plight of laborers in Depression-era America, joining them in protests against the larger political and economic engines that exploit people and land alike, leading to the Dust Bowl in the first place.

"The Four Winds" is epic and transporting, a stirring story of hardship and love that is likely to lead to a film adaptation (Hannah’s previous best-selling novel, "The Nightingale," is getting a film adaptation later this year starring Dakota and Elle Fanning). At times this book feels a little too ready for Hollywood. While most of Hannah’s writing is specific and surprising, the novel’s beating heart weakens a little in the last section as it falls into familiar crowd-pleaser story beats, with a simplified villain and a quick epiphany just in time to give a rousing speech. But these ninth inning fumbles do little to diminish the overall power of this majestic and absorbing story that turns attention to the unsung women of the Dust Bowl, who “worked from sunup to sundown, too, toiled on wheat farms until we were as dry and baked as the land we loved.”

Book Review: Wild by Kristin Hannah

Title: Wild

Author: Kristin Hannah

Published: July 28th 2020

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Pages: 400

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

RRP: $32.99

Rating: 4.5 stars

From the New York Times number one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah, comes Wild , a remarkable story about the resilience of the human spirit, the triumph of hope, and the promise of new beginnings.

In the rugged Pacific Northwest of the United States lies the Olympic National Forest – a vast expanse of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. From deep within this mysterious land, a six-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she offers no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past.

Having retreated to her hometown after a scandal left her career in ruins, child psychiatrist Dr. Julia Cates begins working with the extraordinary little girl. Naming her Alice, Julia is determined to free her from a prison of unimaginable fear and isolation, and discover the truth about Alice’s past. The shocking facts of Alice’s life test the limits of Julia’s faith and strength, even as she struggles to make a home for Alice – and find a new one for herself.

** Published in the US as Magic Hour **

First published in 2006 as The Magic Hour , Wild by Kristin Hannah has seen a recent re-release. My copy is 2020 Macmillan edition. The story of a fragile young girl who mysteriously emerges from the forest with no family, Wild is an intriguing domestic drama. With the help of a disgraced child psychologist, secrets and heartbreaking revelations come to light concerning this little girl’s past. Wild was another highly riveting tale from the New York Times bestselling author.

Trekking to the Pacific North West region in the US, Wild unveils the astonishing story of a little girl who emerges unaccompanied from the Olympic National Forest, a place of rugged beauty and depth. This child appears with only a wolf as company and is deemed mute to her lack of interaction with those who come into contact with her. Huge questions surround this girl. As the local townsfolk battle to uncover the girl’s identity and her past, this proves to be a perplexing case. The local law enforcement realise they are in over their heads with this strange situation. One local officer calls on her sister, a renowned child psychologist, to assist with this baffling case. Doctor Julia works tirelessly to try and unlock the secrets of the little girl’s past. Julia nicknames the girl Alice and slowly they begin to take some steps towards uncovering Alice’s true identity, along with her tragic past. As the bond between doctor and patient grows, this proves to be a case that will test all involved in order to attain a just resolution.

Since the global success of her novel The Nightingale Kristin Hannah has amassed a legion of fans. It is great to see this author gain such worthy recognition, as I consider Hannah one of my own favorite authors. Thanks to this success, we have seen some of Hannah’s older titles re-released with new covers and fresh titles, as is the case with Wild . Previously released in 2006 as The Magic Hour , Macmillan has rebadged this compelling story for new readers to discover. Wild was a book I couldn’t draw myself away from. It was riveting from start to finish, offering moments of heartbreak, sentiment and mystery.

The principal mystery of this tale revolves around the remarkable discovery of a young girl of approximately six years old, who emerges from a dense forest, with only a wolf as company. It seems quite unbelievable, but we learn through the author’s background work on this book that there have been a number of cases of ‘wild’ children, left to fend for themselves in unpopulated areas across the world. I found this quite fascinating. I also thought it was a fantastic opener and overall concept for a novel. The way in which Hannah sets the scene and the early intrigue surrounding this girl’s true identity is what enticed me to turn page after page of Wild at fairly breakneck speed. I found my enjoyment in this tale was sustained throughout, my only criticism of Wild would be the fast resolution and the questions I had concerning the nitty gritty details of how the wild girl came to remain in the forest.

There is a side focus on tenuous sisterly relations in Wild . We have Doctor Julia facing a career crisis when she is called in by her law enforcement sister to assist with the wild girl case. I enjoyed the dynamics and issues that arose between the two sisters as the story progressed. We are also given an insight into a number of other supporting characters and their personal impact on the case at hand. I enjoyed these interactions. In addition, we are privy to two separate romances that spark between the two sisters in the novel, which offsets the mystery focus of the tale.

The most fascinating aspect of Wild has to be the young wild girl herself – nicknamed Alice by Doctor Julia. I worked alongside Julia with my educational framework, trying to diagnose this young girl. With Julia, I questioned the possibility of Alice being mute, autistic or impacted by trauma. Either way, it is both eye opening and heartbreaking. The development and progression Alice takes towards assimilating into society, along with her slow steps in reaching out for human contact was touching. It was interesting to be able to develop some theories on what happened to Alice. In the end the final turn events did seem plausible, but I did have some lingering thoughts on the scenario presented.

Wild is a story of connection, disconnection, hope, bravery, mystery, revelations and belonging. Kristin Hannah has produced another emotional contemporary drama with this release.

Wild by Kristin Hannah was published on 28th July 2020 by Pan Macmillan. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.

To learn more about the author of Wild, Kristin Hannah, visit here.

Book Review: Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan

POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE 2020: The Yankee Widow by Linda Lael Miller

THE FOUR WINDS

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 9, 2021

For devoted Hannah fans in search of a good cry.

The miseries of the Depression and Dust Bowl years shape the destiny of a Texas family.

“Hope is a coin I carry: an American penny, given to me by a man I came to love. There were times in my journey when I felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going.” We meet Elsa Wolcott in Dalhart, Texas, in 1921, on the eve of her 25th birthday, and wind up with her in California in 1936 in a saga of almost unrelieved woe. Despised by her shallow parents and sisters for being sickly and unattractive—“too tall, too thin, too pale, too unsure of herself”—Elsa escapes their cruelty when a single night of abandon leads to pregnancy and forced marriage to the son of Italian immigrant farmers. Though she finds some joy working the land, tending the animals, and learning her way around Mama Rose's kitchen, her marriage is never happy, the pleasures of early motherhood are brief, and soon the disastrous droughts of the 1930s drive all the farmers of the area to despair and starvation. Elsa's search for a better life for her children takes them out west to California, where things turn out to be even worse. While she never overcomes her low self-esteem about her looks, Elsa displays an iron core of character and courage as she faces dust storms, floods, hunger riots, homelessness, poverty, the misery of migrant labor, bigotry, union busting, violent goons, and more. The pedantic aims of the novel are hard to ignore as Hannah embodies her history lesson in what feels like a series of sepia-toned postcards depicting melodramatic scenes and clichéd emotions.

Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-2501-7860-2

Page Count: 464

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020

HISTORICAL FICTION | GENERAL FICTION

Share your opinion of this book

More by Kristin Hannah

BOOK REVIEW

by Kristin Hannah

More About This Book

Bush Hager Announces February Book Club Picks

SEEN & HEARD

B&N Announces Its Favorite 2021 Books (So Far)

Our Verdict

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.

A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.

When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781250178633

Page Count: 480

Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL FICTION | HISTORICAL FICTION

PERSPECTIVES

Film Adaptation of ‘The Women’ in the Works

BOOK TO SCREEN

Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2015

Kirkus Prize winner

National Book Award Finalist

A LITTLE LIFE

by Hanya Yanagihara ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.

Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.

Yanagihara ( The People in the Trees , 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.

Pub Date: March 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8

Page Count: 720

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015

GENERAL FICTION

More by Hanya Yanagihara

by Hanya Yanagihara

Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

Review of “The Women” by Kristin Hannah with Summary

08 Mar Review of “The Women” by Kristin Hannah with Summary

Buy this captivating novel!

Summary of The Women

Set against the backdrop of the 1960s, “The Women” follows Frankie as she leaves her sheltered life on Coronado Island and steps into the chaos of the Vietnam War. Hannah vividly portrays Frankie’s transformation from a naïve nursing student to a skilled surgical nurse, immersed in the stark realities of war. The narrative is not just about Frankie’s experiences in the war, but also her challenging return to a divided America and her struggles with PTSD.

Hannah masterfully recreates the atmosphere of the 1960s, weaving Frankie’s personal story into the larger fabric of historical events. The book shines a light on the immense sacrifices and contributions of American military nurses in Vietnam, a subject often sidelined in historical discussions. Her portrayal of Frankie and other characters is rich and layered, reflecting the complexity of their experiences.

The depictions of war’s harsh realities are vivid and immersive. Readers might feel as if they are alongside Frankie in the operation units and the barracks. Hannah does not shy away from detailing the emotional and physical toll of the war on its participants, including the impact of returning home to a country largely indifferent or even hostile to their service.

The main characters include:

Frances “Frankie” McGrath : The protagonist, Frankie is a young nursing student from Coronado Island. She is initially naïve and sheltered, shaped by her conservative upbringing. Her character undergoes a significant transformation throughout the novel as she joins the Army Nurse Corps, serves in Vietnam, and confronts the harsh realities of war. Her experiences in Vietnam and the subsequent return to a divided America mark her journey with PTSD, leading to profound personal growth and a deeper understanding of the complexities of war and service.
Jamie : A handsome young doctor working in Vietnam, Jamie plays a crucial role in Frankie’s life during the war. He is a married man, adding complexity to their interactions and the emotional landscape of the story. His character represents the moral ambiguities and personal struggles that many faced during the war.
Rye : A pilot who Frankie knew from home, Rye becomes a part of her life in Vietnam. His presence in the story adds another layer to the romantic and personal challenges Frankie faces amidst the backdrop of war.
Barb and Ethel : Frankie’s roommates at her post in Vietnam. They play a key role in her adaptation to the war environment. Through their interactions and shared experiences, the novel explores themes of friendship, solidarity, and the shared hardships of women in war.
Frankie’s Family : Her conservative parents who shape her early life and perspectives. The contrast between her pre-war life and the experiences she has in Vietnam highlights the generational and ideological divides of the era.
Fellow Nurses and Soldiers : These characters, though not always central, add authenticity to the depiction of war. They represent the diverse experiences and backgrounds of those who served in Vietnam, contributing to the rich tapestry of the story.

Each character in “The Women” contributes to the novel’s exploration of themes such as sacrifice, heroism, the complexities of war, and the often-undervalued role of women in military history. Through these characters, Kristin Hannah paints a vivid picture of an era defined by its conflicts and societal shifts, making the story both emotionally resonant and historically significant.

Themes and Literary Devices

“The Women” tackles themes of sacrifice, heroism, and the often-painful journey of self-discovery. Hannah’s use of imagery and character development is particularly notable, bringing the era and its challenges to life. Her exploration of PTSD and the societal attitudes towards female veterans adds depth and relevance to the narrative.

Audience and Reception

This book is likely to resonate with fans of historical fiction and those interested in untold stories of women’s contributions to significant historical events. It’s received positive acclaim for its emotional depth and historical accuracy. Critics and readers have praised Hannah’s storytelling skills and her ability to capture the essence of the era and its challenges.

About Kristen Hannah

Kristin Hannah is a highly acclaimed American writer, known for her richly drawn characters and emotionally gripping narratives. Born on September 25, 1960, in Garden Grove, California, Hannah developed an early love for literature, influenced by her mother’s passion for writing and reading. Here’s more about her background and career:

Early Life and Education

Family Influence : Kristin was encouraged to read and write from a young age, thanks to her mother’s enthusiasm for literature.
Education : She pursued a degree in Communications at the University of Washington and later went to law school.
Legal Career : Before becoming a full-time writer, Hannah practiced law.

Writing Career

Debut Novel : Hannah’s writing career began in the early 1990s with her first book, “A Handful of Heaven,” published in 1991.
Themes and Style : Her works often explore themes like family, love, resilience, and the complexities of relationships. She is known for her evocative prose and the ability to weave historical details into her stories seamlessly.
Notable Works : Among her most notable books are “The Nightingale” (2015) and “The Great Alone” (2018). “The Nightingale,” a World War II drama, has received widespread acclaim and has been published in 43 languages.
Awards : Kristin Hannah has received several awards for her work, including the Golden Heart Award, the Maggie Award, and the National Reader’s Choice award.

Personal Life

Family : She is married and has one son. Her family life and experiences as a mother often influence her writing.
Hobbies and Interests : Beyond writing, Hannah enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and skiing.

Impact and Legacy

Literary Influence : Hannah’s books are celebrated for their emotional depth and complex characterizations, making her a favorite among readers of contemporary and historical fiction.
Adaptations : Some of her books, including “The Nightingale” and “Firefly Lane,” have been adapted or are in the process of being adapted into films or TV series, showcasing her appeal across different media.

Kristin Hannah stands out for her ability to blend historical accuracy with deeply personal stories, making her work resonate with a wide audience. Her dedication to exploring the resilience of the human spirit, particularly in times of turmoil, continues to captivate and inspire readers worldwide.

Final Thoughts

“The Women” by Kristin Hannah is a profoundly moving and insightful novel that pays tribute to the often-overlooked sacrifices of women in the Vietnam War. Its gripping narrative and rich character development make it a compelling read, not just for fans of historical fiction, but for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of this turbulent period in American history.

Spoiler Alert: Ending of “The Women”

Frankie’s return and transformation.

Post-War Struggles : After her intense and life-altering experiences in Vietnam, Frankie returns to a United States that is drastically different from the one she left. She struggles to reintegrate into society, grappling with PTSD and feeling alienated in her own country.
Societal Rejection : Frankie faces rejection and misunderstanding from the public, including being spat on and insulted. Even her own family fails to comprehend the depth of her experiences and the trauma she endures.

Recognition and Closure

Internal Conflict : The novel delves deep into Frankie’s internal struggles, showcasing her journey towards healing and acceptance. She battles with feelings of guilt, loss, and the heavy burden of her memories.
Acknowledgment of Women’s Role : Towards the end of the novel, there’s a poignant recognition of the crucial role women like Frankie played in the Vietnam War. This acknowledgment serves as a form of closure, not just for Frankie but symbolically for all women who served.

Final Scenes

Emotional Resolution : The story concludes with an emotionally charged reunion of Frankie and her fellow nurses. This reunion represents a collective healing process and a recognition of their shared sacrifices.
Enduring Impact : Frankie’s story, although fictional, is representative of the many real women who served in Vietnam. The novel leaves readers with a profound sense of respect and recognition for these women’s contributions and sacrifices.

Reflection on War and Heroism

Thematic Conclusion : Kristin Hannah ties the novel together with a powerful commentary on war, heroism, and the often-ignored stories of women in conflict. Frankie’s journey from innocence to awakening serves as a microcosm of the larger societal shifts of the era.

Legacy of “The Women”

Impact on Readers : “The Women” is a novel that stays with readers long after the last page is turned. It’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the unacknowledged heroism of women in wartime.
Cultural Relevance : The novel’s ending underscores the importance of remembering and honoring all participants in war, particularly those whose stories have been marginalized.

The Women (Review, Synopsis & Summary)

By kristin hannah.

Book review and synopsis for The Women by Kristin Hannah, a intimate historical drama about a young woman who enlists as a nurse in the Vietnam War.

In Kristin Hannah's The Women , Frankie McGrath is a young woman from a wealthy family who decides to enlist as a nurse in the Vietnam War after her older brother is killed in action.

In doing so, she leaves her sheltered and comfortable life in California to serve in a war-ravaged country working under dangerous conditions. When she returns, the atmosphere in America is hostile to veterans, dismissive of women's contributions in the war and she struggles to reassimilate.

In a story about patriotism, friendship, remembrance and defying expectations, The Women tells an often-overlooked story of the courageous women who served in Vietnam.

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

The two-paragraph version: Frankie McGrath is a young woman from a wealthy family who enlists to serve in Vietnam and becomes a skilled surgical nurse over the course of two tours of duty. She becomes close with a doctor, Jamie, who is killed. She falls in love with a navy pilot, Rye, but he is killed just before returning home. When Frankie return home, she struggles to assimilate. Her service to her country is dismissed -- as being un-ladylike and because she was a non-combat veteran. She has a mental breakdown, but with the support of her friends and fellow former nurses Barb and Ethel, Frankie is able to find her footing as a surgical nurse again, reconcile with her parents and begins seeing a nice man.

However, when the war ends and the POWs arrive home, she realizes Rye is alive -- but that he was married and with a child the whole time. Distraught, Frankie goes on a downward spiral, getting suspended from work and taking pills, while she starts secretly seeing Rye who insists he will leave his wife. Frankie finally realizes Rye has been lying when his wife delivers their second child, and Frankie accidentally overdoses on pills. Frankie is taken to a treatment facility and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. When she leaves, Frankie starts over in Montana, buying a farmhouse which she turns into a ranch called The Last Best Place to serve as a refuge for women who served in Vietnam. In November 1982, she attends the unveiling of the Vietnam War Memorial and sees Jamie there who apparently survived his injuries.

In Part One , in May 1966, Frances "Frankie" Grace McGrath , 20, is a young woman from a wealthy family with a decorated military history whose brother Finley is about to ship out to serve in the navy in the Vietnam War, along with his best friend Rye Walsh . Finley is killed in action, but Frankie decides to enlists as a nurse. She attends Basic training and ships out in March 1967. She befriend two fellow nurses, Barb and Ethel . Frankie eventually becomes a surgical nurse, working with surgeon Dr. Jamie Callahan . They become close, but just before his tour of duty is complete, Jamie's helicopter is shot down and he is killed.

Soon, Frankie is reassigned to more dangerous location and is becoming an increasingly capable nurse. While Frankie's tour of duty is due to be complete in March 1968, she sees that her skills are needed there and decides to re-enlist. At a party, she is reunited with Rye Walsh, who is now a respected navy officer. Rye is initially engaged but breaks it off to be Frankie, and Rye decides to re-enlist so they can be together in Vietnam.

In March 1969, Frankie finally heads back to California after her second tour of duty comes to a close. Rye is due home in 27 days as well. Frankie struggles to reassimilate back home, plagued with nightmares from the war and the realities of hostile war protestors. She alienates friends and her parents are embarrassed of her war record. She is devastated to learn that Rye has been killed in action. After she gets fired from her hospital nursing job, she has a mental breakdown and leaves home after fighting with her parents. Frankie goes to the VA for help with her mental health, but is turned away since she wasn't in combat. Finally, Frankie calls Barb and Ethel in desperation. Ethel decides to move Frankie into the bunkhouse at her father's farmhouse so Frankie can have some time to figure out the next phase of her life.

Part Two opens in Virginia in April 1971. Frankie, now 25, is doing well and working as a surgical nurse. She's been staying with Barb and Ethel in the bunkhouse they remodeled into a two-bedroom cottage. Frankie is in D.C. with Barb attending anti-war protests when she learns that her mother has had a stroke. Frankie finally goes home and reconciles with her parents.

Frankie gets involved with an organization dedicated to bringing home prisoners of war, and begins seeing Henry Acevedo, a psychiatrist and anti-war protestor. When she becomes pregnant, they agree to get married. However, when the war ends and the POWs arrive home, she realizes Rye is alive. When she miscarries, she ends her engagement with Henry. Frankie begins to take a lot of pills, her work life begins to suffer and she gets suspended from work. Meanwhile, she begins secretly seeing Rye, who assures her he plans to leave his wife.

Frankie doesn't realize Rye has been lying until she learns his wife has just given birth to their second child. Distraught, Frankie accidentally overdoses on pills. In response, Frankie's parents check her into a treatment facility run by Henry, who tells her she has probably been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder from her time in Vietnam.

Frankie spends the next few months in treatment. She then decides to leave and start over, purchasing a dilapidated farmhouse in Missoula. She takes in Donna, another nurse struggling with PTSD from Vietnam. Together they rebuild the property a ranch called the Last Best Place that serves as a refuge for women who'd served in Vietnam. The book ends with Frankie attending the unveiling of the Vietnam War Memorial and seeing Jamie there who apparently survived and is divorced now.

For more detail, see the full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary .

If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ( $2 , $3 , or $5 ) or joining the Patreon !

Book Review

In The Women , Kristin Hannah continues her strong record of telling compelling and intimate historical dramas about women, this time focusing on a nurse serving in Vietnam.

Frankie’s character has clearly been crafted to serve the story and provides a vehicle to represent the experiences of the female veterans of Vietnam. Through Frankie, Hannah explores the lives of nurses serving in Vietnam as well as the difficulty of reassimilating afterwards.

Despite the war-ravaged setting and the tumultuous times stateside, The Women is a story gently and compassionately told. Hannah’s writing is as capable and confident as ever. I think in the hands of a less experienced storyteller this story could perhaps drag on or become too dark, too wearisome or just repetitive.

Instead, Hannah manages to tackle this topic and introduce a lot of very real tragedies and difficulties during that time while keeping things interesting and occasionally even lighthearted or hopeful. There are many moments of darkness, but also moments of relief that offer some respite.

To be honest, I’m not someone with any particular interest in war stories and the Vietnam War period has never been high on my list. But Hannah managed to draw me into these characters and their struggles. I found The Women quite engrossing, which was an unexpected surprise.

Some Criticism

I think the worst thing you could probably say about The Women would be that there is some genericism to the characters. Frankie is the typical smart, likeable young woman with an independent streak that is commonly found in historical fiction novels.

In general, the characters and plot feel very much like they were selected in order to help tell a story that would reflect a certain range of experiences during this time period. That said, I still found them effective and believable, so this aspect of the story didn’t really bother me.

Read it or Skip it?

The Women isn’t a story that breaks new ground or offers any sort of life-changing type insights, and I think that’s okay. I don’t think every story worth being told needs to be.

Instead, it’s a confident and welcome addition to a growing body of beautifully told stories about women, offering depth and infusing life into these figures that for a long time have been largely relegated to the sidelines in books, movies and other media.

The Women is an unchallenging and “safe” type of book, but it’s one I enjoyed. Hannah’s newest offering is a quick read that’s worth the time, and I’ll be looking forward to what she comes up with next.

See The Women on Amazon.

P.S. If you liked this, you might also like Hannah’s previous novel, The Four Winds .

P.P.S. This reminded me a lot of The Giver of Stars , too.

The Women Audiobook

Narrator : Julia Whelan & Kristin Hannah Length : 15 hours

Hear a sample of the The Women audiobook on Libro.fm.

Discussion Questions

Did The Women change your perceptions about nurses in Vietnam or the war in Vietnam?
Why do you think Hannah chose to tell this story?
Why do you think Frankie made the decision to enlist? Do you think you would make the same decision under those circumstances?
What did you think about Frankie’s argument with her father that he glorifies men going off to war, but not women? Why do you think he feels this way? Do you think people still feel this way?
What did you think about Frankie’s relationships with Jamie and Rye? Do you think there was real love there? What do you think this story would sound like from their perspective?
What do you think happens with Jamie after the end of the book?
Who was your favorite character in the book (other than Frankie)? Why and what about them did you find compelling?
What parts of Frankie’s experiences in Vietnam did you find most upsetting? What about as a returning veteran attempting to re-assimilate?
Do you think Frankie is a “hero” and what makes someone a “hero”?
How do you think Frankie’s story would differ if her socioeconomic circumstances were different? If she were poor, if she were a minority or if she didn’t have the support system that she did?

Book Excerpt

Read the first pages of The Women

Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Member Login
Library Patron Login

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR

FREE NEWSLETTERS

Search: Title Author Article Search String:

Reviews of Home Front by Kristin Hannah

by Kristin Hannah

Critics' Opinion:

Readers' Opinion:

Literary Fiction
Contemporary
War Related

Rate this book

Buy This Book

About this Book

Reading Guide

Book Summary

Bestselling author Kristin Hannah explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war.

Part One From a Distance There are some things you learn best in calm, some in storm. — Willa Cather Prologue 1982

The way she saw it, some families were like well-tended parks, with pretty daffodil borders and big, sprawling trees that offered respite from the summer sun. Others— and this she knew firsthand— were battlefields, bloody and dark, littered with shrapnel and body parts. She might only be seventeen, but Jolene Larsen already knew about war. She'd grown up in the midst of a marriage gone bad. Valentine's Day was the worst. The mood at home was always precarious, but on this day, when the television ran ads for flowers and chocolates and red foil hearts, love became a weapon in her parents' careless hands. It started with their drinking, of course. Always. Glasses full of bourbon, refilled again and again. That was the beginning. Then came the screaming and the crying, the throwing of things. For years, Jolene ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

In the prologue of Home Front, we see Jolene’s early life and the incident that leads up to her parents’ deaths. How does this scene lay the groundwork for her personality and her choices in the remainder of the book?
When Michael says, “I don’t love you anymore,” he wonders fleetingly if he’d said the words so that Jolene would fall apart or cry or say that she was in love with him. What does this internal question reveal about Michael? About Jolene?
When Jolene learns of her deployment, she is conflicted. She thinks that she wants to go (to war), but that she doesn’t want to leave (her family). Can you understand the dichotomy she is experiencing? Discuss a mother’s deployment and what it ...
"Beyond the Book" articles
Free books to read and review (US only)
Find books by time period, setting & theme
Read-alike suggestions by book and author
Book club discussions
and much more!
Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
More about membership!

Media Reviews

Reader reviews.

Write your own review!

Read-Alikes

Genres & Themes

If you liked Home Front, try these:

I'll Be Seeing You

by Suzanne Hayes, Loretta Nyhan

Published 2013

About this book

I'll Be Seeing You is a deeply moving union of style and charm. Filled with unforgettable characters and grace, it is a timeless celebration of friendship and the strength and solidarity of women.

Wish You Were Here

by Graham Swift

More by this author

A hauntingly intimate, deeply compassionate story about things that touch and test our human core, Wish You Were Here also looks, inevitably, to a wider, afflicted world. Moving toward a fiercely suspenseful climax, it brilliantly transforms the stuff of headlines into heart-wrenching personal truth.

Books with similar themes

Support bookbrowse.

Join our inner reading circle, go ad-free and get way more!

Find out more

BookBrowse Book Club

Members Recommend

Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray

She took on titans, battled generals, and changed the world as we know it...

The Day Tripper by James Goodhand

The right guy, the right place, the wrong time.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

There's nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory—until it turns out to be true.

Book Club Giveaway!

Douglas Westerbeke's much anticipated debut

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meets Life of Pi in this dazzlingly epic.

Solve this clue:

N N I Good N

and be entered to win..

Your guide to exceptional books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email.

Review: Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah

Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah is about second chances and the magic of the holiday season.

Without a doubt, Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors from The Nightingale to The Four Winds . However, there are so many books of hers that I haven’t read yet. And I kept seeing that she wrote a holiday-themed novel so I knew I had to check it out.

Kristin wrote Comfort & Joy back in 2005. This is when she focused more on contemporary-style fiction rather than the historical fiction she’s known for now. But this one also has a huge dose of magical realism, which is something that is getting quite popular now but not as much so back in 2005. I saw several negative reviews of the book and I think people might have had different expectations—especially with how Kristin presents her historical fiction novels as they are full of epic storytelling and trying to stay true to the era of the novel.

But contemporary fiction with magical realism asks you to suspend disbelief and throw cynicism out the door. You have to or otherwise, you’re utterly confused as what is presented in the novel. I like magical realism in contemporary stories—when they are done right, they’re very impactful.

I personally really enjoyed Comfort & Joy . It’s heartfelt and moving, plus I loved that it was set during the holiday season.

What’s the Story About

It’s Christmastime time but Joy Candellaro is feeling anything but festive. She’s recently divorced and all alone so on a whim, she books a flight to the Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected detour takes her deep into the woods of the Olympic rainforest, Joy makes a bold decision to leave her ordinary life behind—to just walk away—and thus begins an adventure unlike any she could have imagined.

There she meets six-year-old Bobby O’Shea who is facing his first Christmas without a mother. His father Daniel is beside himself, desperate to help his son cope. Yet when the little boy meets Joy, these two unlikely souls form a deep and powerful bond.

But in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart, and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love—and a family—that can’t possibly exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find.

Joy’s Journey

Joe experienced unimaginable infidelity—her sister Stacey had an affair with her husband. And it wasn’t some one-off thing, which is still unforgivable, but they’re in love. And where does that leave Joy? All alone but still has to pick up the pieces. Her sister was her best friend, the only constant in life. This forces Joy to question everything and while she hates Stacey for what she’s done, she misses her too. It’s an unbearable situation, which is why she literally runs away and gets on the first flight out of town.

And this flight takes her to a small town where Joy could start over if she wants to. No one knows that she was betrayed by her sister and her husband. And when she meets Bobby, she wants to do everything she can to help him. I thought their connection and friendship was very touching.

While this is a book that’s been out for a long time, I still don’t want to get into spoilers but let’s say that the dynamic is interesting with the other characters in town, especially with Daniel.

I think Comfort & Joy is the ideal holiday read. You have the setting during Christmastime and it’s not an after thought, it’s very much part of the novel. But there’s a bit of magic in there too, which is a nice touch. And I think we could all use a bit of escape, especially with how the world has been the past couple of years. Go in with an open mind (remember these aren’t her epic historical fiction tales) and just enjoy Kristin’s writing. For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here .

US-Apple-Books-Top-10

Copy Link copied

Top Paid Books (US Bestseller List):

1. The #1 Lawyer by James Patterson & Nancy Allen (Little, Brown and Company)

2. The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Publishing Group)

3. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (Celadon Books)

4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury Publishing)

5. Dune by Frank Herbert (Penguin Publishing Group)

6. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled Publishing, LLC)

7. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury Publishing)

8. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (Penguin Publishing Group)

9. Worth Dying For by Lee Child (Random House Publishing Group)

10. James by Percival Everett (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)

Top Paid Audiobooks (US Bestseller List):

1. I’m Glad My Mom Died (Unabridged) by Jennette McCurdy (Simon & Schuster Digital Sales…)

2. The Women by Kristin Hannah (Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC)

3. Dune by Frank Herbert (Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC)

4. Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning & End of Suffering (Unabridged) by Joseph Nguyen (Audible)

5. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (Unabridged) by James Clear (Penguin Random House, LLC)

6. A Court of Thorns and Roses (Court of Thorns and Roses) by Sarah J. Maas (Recorded Books, Inc.)

7. A Court of Mist and Fury(Court of Thorns and Roses) by Sarah J. Maas (Recorded Books, Inc.)

8. First Lie Wins: A Novel (Unabridged) by Ashley Elston (Penguin Random House, LLC)

9. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (Recorded Books, Inc.)

10. Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper & Katherine Howe (HarperCollins Publishers )

IMAGES

Annette's Book Spot: Book Review: The Great Alone, by Kristen Hannah
Read Home Again Online by Kristin Hannah
Review of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Book Review
Distant Shores (eBook)

VIDEO

My Top 5 Kristin Hannah Books
KRISTIN HANNAH: author guide, beginner’s guide, and book recommendations!

COMMENTS

Book Review: 'The Women,' by Kristin Hannah
THE WOMEN | By Kristin Hannah | St. Martin's | 480 pp. | $27. A correction was made on. Feb. 27, 2024. : An earlier version of this review referred incorrectly to the book's protagonist ...
8 Best Kristin Hannah Books Ranked (+ Printable List)
The Women (Kristin Hannah's New Book 2024) The Women: A Novel. My Review: ★★★★★. #1 bestseller: The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. Best for fans of feminist storylines. The Women is a Vietnam War story about the experiences of women during and afterward.
Kristin Hannah Books: Best Rated Novels
These reviews describe the top 10 books that range from the most to the least successful novels that have received recognition from critics and high ratings on Amazon. If you are a fan reader of Hannah's works or just want to feel a surge of romance and love, discover the following selection. Best of Kristin Hannah: Top Books to Read
The 22 Best Kristin Hannah Books, According to Goodreads
Kristin Hannah's 22 most popular books, based on Goodreads reviews. Written by Katherine Fiorillo. Oct 14, 2021, 1:26 PM PDT. According to Goodreads, the best Kristin Hannah books include "The ...
'The Women' by Kristin Hannah book review
The thought occurred to me as I reached the bottom of Page 20 in Kristin Hannah's new novel, " The Women .". Barely three chapters in, and already protagonist Frankie McGrath was learning ...
THE WOMEN
38. Our Verdict. GET IT. New York Times Bestseller. A young woman's experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life. When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances "Frankie" McGrath's older brother—"a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften"—who is leaving to ...
Kristin Hannah (Author of The Nightingale)
September 2008. edit data. Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the 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 in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year ...
'The Four Winds,' by Kristin Hannah book review
And now comes mega-seller Kristin Hannah with " The Four Winds ," an emotional novel about efforts to organize migrant workers in California during the Depression. Admittedly, literary fiction ...
Books by Kristin Hannah (Author of The Nightingale)
Kristin Hannah has 131 books on Goodreads with 10510803 ratings. Kristin Hannah's most popular book is The Nightingale. ... Kristin Hannah Average rating 4.35 · 4,834,032 ratings · 400,587 reviews · shelved 10,510,803 times Showing 30 distinct works. ...
Review: The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Women by Kristin Hannah is an extraordinary novel about a woman's experience working as a nurse during the Vietnam War. It's heart wrenching, impactful, moving and fantastic. Join the Book Club Chat Newsletter. I'm a huge fan of Kristin Hannah's novels. Some of my favorites include The Nightingale, The Four Winds and Comfort and Joy.
Review: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is an impactful and epic story set during the Dust Bowl era. I've been looking forward to The Four Winds for quite some time! I knew this would be a big hit for 2021 and that's why I included it in my huge must-read book club picks for 2021 list. This is the exact kind of novel that is perfect for book clubs.
Kristin Hannah best books (25 books)
No comments have been added yet. post a comment ». 25 books based on 56 votes: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, Lights on the Sea by Miquel Reina, Winter Garden by Kri...
'The Four Winds' review: Kristin Hannah's 'epic' Dust Bowl-era novel
Review: Kristin Hannah's 'The Four Winds' is a 'stirring' tale of love and hardship in Dust Bowl-era America. ... At times this book feels a little too ready for Hollywood. While most of Hannah ...
Book Review: Wild by Kristin Hannah
RRP: $32.99. Rating: 4.5 stars. From the New York Times number one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah, comes Wild, a remarkable story about the resilience of the human spirit, the triumph of hope, and the promise of new beginnings. In the rugged Pacific Northwest of the United States lies the Olympic ...
THE FOUR WINDS
The pedantic aims of the novel are hard to ignore as Hannah embodies her history lesson in what feels like a series of sepia-toned postcards depicting melodramatic scenes and clichéd emotions. For devoted Hannah fans in search of a good cry. Share your opinion of this book.
Review of "The Women" by Kristin Hannah with Summary
Kristin Hannah's "The Women" delves into a significant but often overlooked aspect of history—the role of women in the Vietnam War. This novel offers a compelling and emotionally charged narrative focused on Frances "Frankie" McGrath, a young nurse who decides to join the Army Nurse Corps during this tumultuous time. Buy this ...
Summary and Review: The Women by Kristin Hannah
Book Review. In The Women, Kristin Hannah continues her strong record of telling compelling and intimate historical dramas about women, this time focusing on a nurse serving in Vietnam. Frankie's character has clearly been crafted to serve the story and provides a vehicle to represent the experiences of the female veterans of Vietnam.
Home Front by Kristin Hannah: Summary and reviews
Bestselling author Kristin Hannah explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war. From a distance, Michael and Joleen Zarkades seem to have it all: a solid marriage, two exciting careers, and children they adore. But after twelve years together, the ...
Review: Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah
Published: December 21, 2021. Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah is about second chances and the magic of the holiday season. Without a doubt, Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors from The Nightingale to The Four Winds. However, there are so many books of hers that I haven't read yet. And I kept seeing that she wrote a holiday-themed ...
Wild by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah. 4.16. 131,071 ratings8,878 reviews. In the rugged Pacific Northwest lies the Olympic National Forest—nearly a million acres of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. From deep within this old growth forest, a six-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she offers no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past.
List of Books by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is the New York Times bestselling author of several books including The Nightingale, The Four Winds, the mesmerizing novel, Winter Garden, and the wild family drama, The Great Alone.Hannah has received numerous awards including the Golden Heart and and the 1996 National Reader's Choice Award. Her 2024 novel, The Women, about a woman who goes to war in Vietnam, is one of Hannah's ...
Nutrition and Wellness for Women by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is the New York Times bestselling author of several books including The Nightingale, The Four Winds, the mesmerizing novel, Winter Garden, and the wild family drama, The Great Alone.Hannah has received numerous awards including the Golden Heart and and the 1996 National Reader's Choice Award. Her 2024 novel, The Women, about a woman who goes to war in Vietnam, is one of Hannah's ...
US-Apple-Books-Top-10
Top Paid Books (US Bestseller List): 1. The #1 Lawyer by James Patterson & Nancy Allen (Little, Brown and Company). 2. The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's Publishing Group) . 3. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (Celadon Books). 4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury Publishing). 5. Dune by Frank Herbert (Penguin Publishing Group). 6.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah. Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.
Book Review The Women by: Kristin Hannah Read if you like-
452 likes, 25 comments - nestledlitlife on March 25, 2024: " Book Review The Women by: Kristin Hannah Read if you like- - Strong Heroine - Historical Fiction ️ - Female Frie..." Book Review The Women by: Kristin Hannah Read if you like- - Strong Heroine 💪🏼 - Historical Fiction ️ - Female Frie... | Instagram
The Women by Kristin Hannah book review! ⭐️⭐️⭐ ...
The Women by Kristin Hannah book review! 🚁⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #bookreview #kristinhannah #thewomen #bookswithvebrooke #booktok #bookish #fyp #reading #books #tbr. original sound - venessa | booktok 📖🤍 ...
Gerry's review of The Women
5/5: Kristin Hannah's books just keep getting better and better. She knocks it out of the park again with "The Women". My brother and cousin both served our country in the Army in Vietnam. Things were as desperate and bad as Hannah has described them. I would follow the war as I got letters from my brother and cousin--and heard more stories when they got hom. Thanks to the military nurses for ...