Kristin Hannah: The Women, paperback, St. Martins Press, 9781035005680, paperback

( Deutsch: Die Frauen jenseits des Flusses, Rütten & Loenig, hardback - really ill suited title!)

The Vietnam war was a big issue for my generation and the country always held a fascination for me resulting in a trip a few years ago. I am in absolute awe of the Vietnamese people and their resilience.

 "The Women" starts in 1965 and has the women who served mostly as nurses with the US military in Vietnam at the heart of the novel. I was totally drawn in from first to the last page and loved the character of Frankie McGrath who is  synonym for all the women who were in Vietnam helping to save lives for a change.  Hannah does a great job portraying the hardship these nurses endured, their bravery,  getting absolutely no credit for it in the US,  being denied help with PSTD when they returned argueing they had not been actively fighting. I found the book fascinating, powerful and of course there is also love involved. The cameraderie of the nurses supporting each other is a greatvportrait of female solidarity. One of my favorite novels this year.