Thank you to Kristin Hannah (author), Julia Whelan (narrator), Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for this free advanced reader/listener copy of "The Women: A Novel" for an honest review.

After years of hearing about Hannah's work and watching two or three different titles circulate widely as popular and well-reviewed/awarded over the last few years, I decided to take the plunge with this one as my first and was not disappointed at all. This novel is a harrowing, unflinching look at how women's service and work were erased from the ledger of the Vietnam War and how one woman went about refinding herself and her voice.

This book is as beautifully written as it was heartbreaking to read. I absolutely felt for all the characters, and what they went through, for the different people in different generations wrestling with different ways they were raised or acted. I thought it portrayed so well how much truly was changing so fast in America at that time. I absolutely think this book should be read by everyone, and I'll be giving out copies as gifts to close friends next year.