Despite fancying myself a historical fiction aficionado, "The Women" was my first taste of author Kristin Hannah. My freshly-bought copy of Hannah's 2015 novel "The Nightingale" suggests that it will not be my last.

"The Women" is a historical fiction novel set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. It follows military nurse Frances "Frankie" McGrath as she leaves her illustrious family on Coronado Island, California, and enters the muddy trenches -- and even muddier aftermath -- of the war. Frankie enlists as a military nurse for two reasons: to join her brother already on the ground and to finally earn her parents' approval. Suffice to say, that romanticized patriotism does not nearly prepare her for the mortar attacks and napalm wounds that would become her new normal. Frankie begins her first tour in standard-issue pumps that are quickly replaced by combat boots and returns a different woman to a country she can no longer recognize. She is forced to reconcile the war she once believed in with the contentious events that she experienced firsthand. Moreover, she must learn to hide her own scars to rejoin a society that insists "there were no women in Vietnam."

If I could give the first half of "The Women" a rating, it would be nothing short of phenomenal. Hannah has a way with prose that makes devastation tangible and hope beautifully aching. Watching Frankie grow from a naive socialite to a relied-upon trauma nurse is empowering enough that I (briefly) reconsidered pre-med. Hannah's delicately crafted moments of female friendship and intimate glimpses into the bonds wrought by grief conjure a striking image of wartime camaraderie. I will admit, I initially screamed cliché when I read the novel's pseudo-mantra "women can be heroes too," but Hannah goes on to capture it in the most viscerally honest way.

The second half of the novel is equally well-written and rife with relevant, heart-wrenching details. However, the plot does lose me in a few places. Namely, the romance. I can't believe I am saying this (especially as a committed romance defender), but I think the romantic relationships are slightly overplayed. There are just so many complex dynamics of character development and friendship that could be prioritized instead. That said, I do feel Hannah does a tremendous job using romance as a vessel to address other crises of the time. Her consideration of substance abuse and female subjugation are pressing conversations. The time she spends delving into Frankie's psychological challenges and her coming-of-age in a tumultuous social climate are also well-developed.