The Women by Kristin Hannah
Week 1: Before the War — Frankie's World in 1965
Read the opening chapters of The Women by Kristin Hannah, through Frankie's decision to enlist in the Army Nurse Corps.
Free Week 1 sampleRead all of Week 1 free — no card.
When you’re ready, choose this complete guide once or get every guide for a year.
Before we follow Frankie into war, Hannah takes care to show us exactly what she is leaving behind — and why that matters for everything that follows.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Hannah opens the novel with an epigraph and then places us immediately in Frankie's sheltered, sun-drenched world in Coronado, California. What specific details does she use to establish the McGrath family's social standing, values, and expectations — and how do those details make Frankie's eventual decision to enlist feel both inevitable and transgressive?
2.Frankie is described as someone who has always prided herself on doing the right thing. How does Hannah distinguish between Frankie's genuine goodness and the passivity that has been trained into her by her upbringing and her conservative parents?
3.Her brother Finley's departure for Vietnam is the catalyst for Frankie's own enlistment. What does their relationship tell us about Frankie's sense of identity at the novel's outset? In what ways is she following him, and in what ways is she stepping out of his shadow?
a.How does the McGrath family's pride in military service create both permission and pressure for Frankie?
b.What does it mean that it takes a man — her brother — to say 'women can be heroes' before Frankie allows herself to imagine that future?
Get the complete 14-week guide
All 99 questions across 14 weeks, with thoughtful discussion prompts, a PDF and printable weekly handouts for your group.
Where your receipt and sign-in link go. No password to remember.
Full Library
Every guide in the library, all year
The first-year discount is already applied — there’s no code to type. $59 is the first-year price for new customers, then it renews at $79/year.
- Every week of The Women on the web, plus printable weekly handouts
- Every guide in the library (200+ and growing)
- 4 full-guide PDF downloads every 30 days, so you can print a whole study ahead
- If your group picks a book we don’t have yet, we write the guide — 3 included a year, $9 each after that
- A leader email each week of the study: that week’s questions and a short prep note
$59 today, then it renews at $79/year.
First-year price for eligible new customers. Everything unlocks right away. We email you 30 days before it renews — cancel or pause online anytime, no phone call.
This Guide Only
One study, no renewal
Nothing renews. 7-day money-back guarantee before downloading the PDF or handouts.
- Every week of The Women (14 weeks, 99 questions)
- PDF for you, printable handouts for the group
- A link you can send to everyone in your group
- One purchase covers your whole group — no per-person fee
- No account to set up — we email you a sign-in link
Upgrade within 60 days and your $29 comes off the regular $79 year — you never pay for this guide twice.
Full Library, monthly — $25/month, renews monthly until you cancel. The same library, with 2 PDF downloads and 1 requested book a month. Worth knowing: four months of it costs more than a full year.
More than one leader at your church? Church Plan — 5 leader seats for $199/year, then $29 a year per extra seat. Renews yearly at that price plus any extra seats, unless canceled. Pay by card, or ask for an invoice your treasurer can pay. See the Church Plan
- 30-day money-back guarantee on the year (with 2 or fewer guides downloaded)
- A receipt you can hand your treasurer for reimbursement
- Every guide you download stays yours — even if you cancel
- Secure checkout by Stripe — we never see your card number