Review: The Women (by Kristin Hannah)

My Rating: 4.5 stars

"There were no women in Vietnam."   As Kristin Hannah states in the Author's Note to her magnificent new novel The Women, this sentiment – that no women served in Vietnam, despite numerous first-hand accounts of women who were there as nurses, medical personnel, news correspondents, volunteers, etc. --  was the prevailing one during a time period that saw a country torn apart by a senseless war that should never have happened in the first place.  As someone born in the late 1970s, long after the war was over, I of course had to rely on history books to learn about the Vietnam War – books that I realize now were mostly lacking in detailed information.  In fact, the mentions of the Vietnam War were always so brief to the point that I had no idea how bad things actually got in America:  that there had been a period of "collective amnesia" spurred on by the government where even the mere mention of "Vietnam" was taboo; that Vietnam vets were shamefully mistreated by both the government and ordinary citizens to the point that many had to go into hiding and were even afraid to mention they had served;  and most frustratingly, that women's efforts in the war were rarely (if ever) acknowledged and their experiences were largely discounted – in being constantly told that "there were no women in Vietnam," they were rendered invisible, forcibly forgotten and "disappeared" from history.  With this novel, Hannah brings these women's experiences to the forefront and once again, delivers a heart-wrenching, emotional story that provides more depth of insight into aspects of American history than many history books are able to do.

The woman at the center of the story is Frances "Frankie" McGrath, a nursing student from a wealthy, conservative family, who decides to follow her brother's footsteps when he ships out to serve in Vietnam in 1965.  At the age of 21, inexperienced and with barely any training, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and arrives in Vietnam without the faintest idea what she would be up against. Surrounded by devastation and destruction everywhere she turns, Frankie comes face-to-face with the atrocities of war on a daily basis and learns to survive amongst the chaos.  In Vietnam, she meets two other nurses – Barb and Ethel – and together, they endure horrific violence, death, loss, and heartbreak mingled with moments of incredible courage, bravery, and hope.  In circumstances where both life and death hang by a thread, the deep friendships that Frankie forms with those whom she works untiringly side-by-side every day, along with a strong belief in the good they are doing for the war effort, carry her through the darkest of days.  But when Frankie and her friends return home to a country deeply divided, where tensions run high and the overwhelming sentiment is to forget the war ever happened, the women realize that what they endured in Vietnam was only the beginning of a long battle for justice — for themselves as well as for those who sacrificed life and limb for a country that doesn't want to recognize their existence. 

I will be honest in saying that this was a difficult read for me, but also one that I couldn't put down (I finished this one in two sittings, as I couldn't stop myself from turning the pages, desperately wanting to find out what happens next).  Hannah has proven time and time again that she definitely knows how to tell a gripping, atmospheric story with complex female characters who are deeply flawed, yet realistic and relatable in ways that you don't see coming until you're so immersed in their world that it's too late to pull back. It wasn't until I finished the book that, upon reflection, I realized that perhaps the book was a little longer than it needed to be and some scenes were a bit repetitive and maybe not really necessary.  But overall, this was a well-thought-out, meticulously researched story, poignantly told in a way that, I felt, did justice to the history and complexity of the Vietnam War era.  I especially appreciated Hannah's Author Note where she talked about the decades-long process of how this novel came to be and I definitely feel she made the right choice to wait until she was ready to tackle this subject.  In my opinion, she did a magnificent job!

Kristin Hannah has become one of my favorite historical fiction authors whose works are high on my "must-read" list (though admittedly, I still have many books in her extensive backlist that I need to get to at some point).  While initially, I had felt bad about not getting to this one before publication date (I realize I missed it by a few days), I now know that I need not have worried, as Hannah's work pretty much speaks for itself.  I'm sure this will be one of the buzziest, most-read books of the year (and deservingly so in my opinion).  

Review: The Four Winds (by Kristin Hannah)

My Rating:  5 stars

As a fan of Kristin Hannah's work, it should come as no surprise that I went into her newest novel The Four Winds with a high amount of eagerness and anticipation.  Having read and loved several of Hannah's previous novels, the bar was already set high and of course, Hannah did not disappoint – this book was every bit as good as I expected it to be, and then some!

 

Set in the rural Great Plains in Texas, the story centers around 25-year-old Elsa Wolcott, who longs for a different life other than the sheltered existence she grew up in.  Her parents view her as "unattractive" due to her plain looks and looming height, which also makes her "unmarriageable" and therefore not worthy of their love and attention.  One day when she goes into town, Elsa meets Rafe Martinelli, who finds her beautiful and gives her the affection she has yearned for her entire life.  When Elsa becomes pregnant, her parents disown her and abandon her at the Martinelli's farm, giving Rafe no choice but to own up to his actions and marry her.  Over the next 13 years, Elsa grows into her role as wife and mother, but more than that, she comes to love both the land as well as the people who cultivate it – namely, her in-laws, Tony and Rose, who see the strength and beauty in her that her own parents never did.  In 1934, as years of drought devastates the land and threatens the farmers' livelihoods, the Dust Bowl arrives and further decimates the land.  When the destruction gets to the point where her children's survival is at stake, Elsa must make the difficult decision to either endure and continue to fight for the land she loves or head west to California in hopes of more opportunities and a better life.

 

This story is not an easy one to read, as it covers one of the darkest periods of the Great Depression where there was a lot of suffering all across the country.  The characters go through hardships both natural and man-made, enduring horrible circumstances so bleak and heartbreaking that it's hard not to admire the indomitable nature of the human spirit and a person's will to survive.  Kristin Hannah always manages to create realistically drawn and memorable characters – flawed characters who mess up and who may not even be entirely likable, yet no matter what, you can't help rooting for them.  For me though, it was more than just rooting for these characters – they ended up endearing themselves to my heart, to the point that I just didn't want to let them go.  I love all the strong, courageous women in this story – from Rose to Elsa to Loreda – all of whom are fictional, yet they felt so real to me.  Hannah states in her Author's note that Elsa and several of the other characters represent the thousands of brave and courageous migrants who headed west back then, bringing with them "nothing more than a will to survive and a hope for a better future."

 

Hannah is a masterful storyteller at the top of her game, whose beautifully immersive writing style never fails to impress me.  The atmospheric way in which she describes the landscape and the characters' surroundings, along with rich historical details seamlessly woven into the narrative, combine to evoke a strong sense of time and place, which is one of the aspects of Hannah's writing that I love.  I also appreciate the depth of research that went into establishing the historical context for the story – not only did I learn a lot about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era, I was also compelled to do additional reading on my own after finishing the book.  

This is my first 5 star read this year and it was definitely well worth the time (though I actually surprised myself by finishing this nearly 500 page book in just 2 sittings).  As I wait (impatiently) for Hannah's next book, I hope I'll have time to continue working through her backlist at some point.

Received ARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley 

Review: The Great Alone (by Kristin Hannah)

My Rating: 5 stars

Set in Alaska in the 1970s, this wonderfully atmospheric story is about the Allbright family -- Ernt and Cora, and their teenage daughter Leni – and the struggles they endure both as a family and as individuals trying to survive in a harsh, unfamiliar environment for which they were totally unprepared.  A POW from the Vietnam War, Ernt returned after the war a changed man – suffering from PTSD, Ernt has a volatile temper and is unable to hold down a job.  When he inherits a piece of land from his late wartime buddy Bo Harlan, Ernt makes the impulsive decision to move his family out to the Alaskan wilderness, thinking that this will be the perfect place for them to rebuild their lives.  Thirteen years old when her family moves to Alaska, Leni has always lived under the shadow of her parents' stormy relationship – she was never able to make any friends due to her family moving non-stop (she'd gone to 5 different schools in 4 years) and feeling constantly lonely, Leni sought refuge in her love of reading and books that helped her escape the realities of her difficult life.  Leni always did as she was told and went along with whatever decision her parents made – whether good or bad -- partially because it made her life easier due to her dad's volatile behavior, but mostly because she loved her mother, who was her anchor, someone whom she felt a fierce need to protect.  In the rough wilderness of Alaska, a place of unbridled beauty yet also potential danger at every turn, the Allbrights are welcomed into the tightly-knit community and soon adapt to life in their remote little cabin, despite the harsh environment -- it seemed that finally, they found the answer to their prayers.  But as the dark winters and unpredictability of the weather cause Ernt's PTSD to worsen, Leni and her mother soon find themselves in a situation where the biggest threat to their lives wasn't from external factors, but rather the one person whom they were supposed to love the most.

This was the first book by Kristin Hannah that I've read and it definitely won't be the last.  I actually have a few of Hannah's previous books on my shelf but I decided to read this one first due to getting approved for an ARC and wanting to meet publication timeline.  Despite not having read her other works (yet), I still went into this one with high expectations due to everything I had heard about her other books and I have to say that I absolutely was not disappointed!  There were so many things I loved about this book – the writing, the story, the characters (Large Marge was definitely my favorite character!)…it was one of those books that I couldn't put down the minute I started reading it (one of the longest books I've read so far this year but took me one of the shortest times to read).  Hannah did a great job capturing the Alaska setting and the homestead way of life and even though I've never been to Alaska, I feel as though I already traveled there through the pages of this book.  In fact, I would even say that Alaska was more than just a setting for the story, it was actually a character itself!  While on the surface, this appeared to be a coming-of-age story about Leni having to deal with everything going on around her and how those experiences shaped her into the woman she eventually became, it was actually so much more than that.  Some of the themes explored include loneliness, belonging, survival (both in terms of physical landscape and also challenges within the family), spousal abuse, the long-lasting impact of war (the PTSD angle), societal constraints (i.e. the laws at the time not supporting battered women), love, loss, the intricacies of human relationships and emotions, etc. – all were woven into the story so seamlessly and effortlessly.  I was definitely impressed by the amount of ground Hannah was able to cover and yet still have such a compelling story with characters I couldn't help being drawn to.

For me, what sets this book apart (hence the 5 star rating) was the way the story spoke to me on a personal level more than any other book has so far.  I was all over the place emotionally while reading this book, so much so that I had to wait a little bit to gather my thoughts before writing this review.  As I watched the story unfold, especially the parts of the story told from Leni's perspective, I couldn't help thinking back to my own childhood and my family's "experience" with abuse.  I saw so much of my own past teenage self in Leni – not having many friends since childhood and the loneliness that resulted (though in my case I found solace in both books and television), having a strong bond with my mother throughout childhood and constantly feeling the need to protect her when things went bad, the feelings of resentment, anger, sadness, helplessness, fear – the tremendous fear – and constantly having to "walk on eggshells" not knowing whether "this will be the moment," the dreams of leaving everything behind and living my own life yet second-guessing due to not knowing what might happen to those I loved.  In the story, Ernt had the "excuse" of PTSD, of the horrors of war and being captured as a POW, the damage all of that did to him mentally, to "justify" his horrific and unforgivable actions, but in my family's case, there was no "excuse" aside from the lethal combination of gambling addiction and alcohol, exacerbated by a culture where saving face always mattered more than individual well-being and vocalizing abuse was akin to bringing shame upon the family – a cardinal sin.  As I paralleled some (not all) of Leni's story to my own while I was reading,  my emotions ran the roller coaster of being saddened by what Leni and her mom had to endure, to being angry, oh so angry, both at Ernt (who deserves no forgiveness) but also at Cora for repeatedly accepting the abuse and refusing all offers of help (and also forcing Leni to "go along with it as though nothing happened").  At the same time, I also rejoiced at the few stolen moments of happiness, whether it was for Leni or Cora, that were interspersed throughout the story.  I also loved the entire community that surrounded Leni with so much support, especially Large Marge (wish I had someone like that in my life), the Walker family (especially Matthew) and all the strong women, many of whom were survivors of some type of hardship themselves.  The ending made me cry (though I got teary-eyed during other segments as well), not necessarily with the way things happened, but the HOPE of it.  I read some reviews that felt the ending was too contrived, predictable, perhaps not even completely realistic, but in my eyes, it was a perfect – albeit bittersweet – ending.  Perhaps coming from a broken family myself and understanding first-hand the repercussions of abuse as well as the long-lasting impact it can still have on those who survive, part of me desperately wanted to see Leni have a happy ending to her story. 

This was a powerful, emotional read for me, one that I won't soon forget.  Highly recommended for sure!

Received ARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley