This is the first of Kristin Hannah’s books I’ve read and I certainly got a taste for her work.

The Women tells the story of twenty-one-year-old nurse, Frankie who follows her brother to Vietnam. It’s early in the war and her family has a wall of hero’s depicting photos of all the men in the family who have gone to war and fought. Frankie wants to feel useful and to win her father’s approval enlists once her nursing training ends.

Arriving in Vietnam is a baptism of horror for a young woman from a privileged background who was raised to be a future wife and mother. Frankie is thrown into the chaos of death and injury in trying conditions. Once her tour ends and she’s back home her expectations are dashed by a very different America from the one she left. She is thrust into the midst of family disapproval and community disgust about America’s involvement in the war.

I’ve never read anything set during the Vietnam war and certainly nothing about the brave women who were there. Hannah has certainly done her research and puts the reader into the horror of everyday life, of blood and dirt and rain and heat. There is also romance and love and friendship as well.

There are also themes of post-traumatic stress, loss and trauma and while it is a tough one to read at times, there are moments of light and shade. There’s a lot packed into this novel and sometimes the romance angles were a little too predictable particularly in the last quarter.

Otherwise, it’s a solid read which I enjoyed.

This is a novel which I can’t get out of my head.

Set in 1789, the story is inspired by the real-life midwife, Martha Ballard who delivered hundreds of babies in her community around the Kennebec River in the USA.

Unusual for the time Martha was literate and kept a diary of events, particularly the alleged rape of a minister’s wife by the local judge. Lawhon has cleverly used the diaries and fictionalized a story.

Apart from delivering babies and administering women’s health, Martha is also called upon the examine the dead man making the pronouncement that he has been beaten and hung prior to being thrown into the river.  Coincidentally, the man is one of the two men alleged to have raped the young woman.

The story is extremely well done weaving intrigue and mystery around the rape as well as the murder. But more importantly, we learn to understand the daily life of Martha not just as a midwife but as a wife, mother and someone of respect and standing in such a small community. It is her character rather than the murder which stays in my head. I felt a strong connection to her and that is a credit to the author who has managed to get inside the head of Martha. I grew to love her as well as her husband. They are the kind of couple you’d want to meet and get to know.

There were twists along the way and the writing is superb. The chill of winter permeated throughout with descriptions I could feel. The fury of unjust law and women’s rights were fed in between.

Yes, this one is a definite recommend especially if you like your historical fiction laced with mystery and intrigue.