The Women cover art

The Women

The Bestselling, Unforgettable Novel That Has Captured Millions of Hearts

Preview
Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Women

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Try Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $25.99

Buy Now for $25.99

About this listen

Read by Julia Whelan, including an Author's Note read by Kristin, revealing her inspiration for telling the women's heroic stories, which had been either forgotten or entirely overlooked.

Adored by millions and soon to be a major motion picture, The Women is a sweeping story of epic love, heartbreaking loss, extraordinary bravery and the unbreakable bond of female friendship about the women who answered the call of the Vietnam War and paid the price.

'Utterly absorbing . . . A triumph' - Taylor Jenkins Reid

'Stuns with sacrifice. Uplifts with heroism' – Bonnie Garmus

'Never has a novel of war metamorphosed so profoundly into a story of the human heart. The female heart' - Delia Owens


They answered the call. Then they fought to be remembered.

'Women can be heroes, too'.

When twenty-year-old nursing student, Frances "Frankie" McGrath, hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on California's idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl.

But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different path for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the young men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed America. But Frankie will also discover the true value of female friendship and the heartbreak that love can cause.

'Thank God for girlfriends. In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the women'

Listeners love The Women:

'The sure touch of Golden Voice narrator Julia Whelan transforms Kristin Hannah's absorbing novel about Vietnam War combat nurses into an addictive listen' - AudioFile

'It honours ALL women: those who have fought for their rights and freedoms, those who have been overlooked and underappreciated, those who have been forgotten by families and society'

'I’ve been looking forward to this book’s release for months'

'Kristin Hannah has done it again'


The Women was a Sunday Times bestseller from 17.2.24-13.4.24

Coming of Age Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Medical War & Military Women's Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Tear-jerking

Critic Reviews

Hannah’s tale, rich with period detail, is an impassioned tribute to the heroism of the many thousands who did serve, as well as a hymn to female solidarity in the darkest of settings. It’s a surprisingly original take on a well-trodden subject
Stuns . . . Uplifts with heroism (Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry)
Astonishing. Compelling. Powerful (Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing )
A sweeping, powerful story of courage with a detail-rich setting
An epic story
Hannah is in top form
Moving, exceptionally well researched (Stephen King)
Kristin Hannah’s novel shines a light on the sacrifice, commitment and heroism of the incredible women often forgotten about in history books. A truly emotional, realistic and unforgettable book
Epic and immersive, this is a moving novel
The author weaves an epic, luminous novel that explores the forgotten stories of heroic women who sacrificed all for their country
Hannah explores the forgotten stories of heroic women who sacrificed everything for their country
A beautifully written tribute to a group of veterans who deserve more appreciation for the incredible sacrifices they made (Bill Gates)
All stars
Most relevant
The story of Franky McGrath a young nurse who volunteers to join the US army and serve in Vietnam after her brother dies there. first half of the book describes Vietnam, the comradery, the horror, the endless stream of damaged and dying men. The government lies and the changing public opinion. The book then describes after the war, the invisibility of the women who served and the struggle to fit in back at home. part romance, part story of female friendship, part family drama, part military story. a story of recovery. I cried several times . highly recommend.

A well researched and moving story of the nurses in the Vietnam war.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Kristin Hannah does not disappoint with this one, Beautifully narrated , it feels historically accurate and important to tell the story of women at war. I could just put it down.

Heart wrenching and amazing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Another amazing read by this author. I could not stop listening, I was there with the characters and felt all the feels. Truly amazing!

Love, tears and hope

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Loved all of it ,story line was accurate and moving with twists and turns ,we are reading it at book club

Fabulous

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book was an eye opener. I grew up watching and re-watcing M*A*S*H with my dad, the actors were my childhood heroes. I started my career as an Ambulance officer in 2009 because of their stories and my Father's support. I had NO idea the true story behind the Vietnam War (genoside). Thought the book I was googling the places, the stories and it broke my heart. what pains me most is, the Vietnam war sounds so similar to the Genoside that is currently ongoing in Gaza. It baffles me that in our day and age with free access to real time videos and publications of what is going on over there the same ignorance, ignoring and miss information that was spat out in the stars and stripes is happening again.

Thank you for writing this book, it has reignited something in me I had forgotten.

wow

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.