The Women by Kristin Hannah

 I am sure that Hannah intended this to be a way to awaken us all to the contribution made by the female nurses in the Vietnam War.  The horrific scenes of the war and the conditions medical personnel lived through clearly explain their sacrifice. But the book is really more about what happened when they, or in this case "Frankie", returned to a country hopelessly divided on the war.  Frankie comes from a privileged background full of naval heroes - an honor she cannot share in the 1960's because she is a woman. She choses nursing specifically to enter the war and prove that thinking wrong. But like many who survive the horror of war, she finds that survival does not mean peace. Most of the story is how the very young innocent Frankie falls in and out of love both in Vietnam and at home. Another big part is about the friendships she makes with fellow nurses during the war - two women who would never have been in her social circle but are essential to her growing up.  They were very interesting characters and I wish their choices had been better developed. Telling just one story from a very privileged life perspective is probably far from the harder reality of the large number of women who served. "Women" needed a bigger lens.

The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich

 In the small farming community of Tabor, North Dakota on the Red River, families work to move on from a tragedy that left two young football players dead. The truth of this accident is frequently referenced but not completely explained until near the end of the book. However, it clearly frames the interactions of the families involved. Although this sounds serious, the characters are all quirky, their decisions humorously flawed and there is a ghost - so more troublesome than serious. You aften expect some indigenous insight from Erdrich and in this story it is about farming techniques, abuse of the land and the mistaken consequences of class.  Sometimes it seems a stretch to make these bigger issues relevant to the story of loves, losses and family which are at the heart of this community. It a pretty straight forward writing style until the closing chapters when the frequent Erdrich magical realism twist enters the story.  Before that there is the economic crash of 2008 and Madame Bovary so there may be a lot for a book group to talk about.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

 I LOVED this book! Martha Ballard was a real midwife in 18th century Maine. As a midwife and often the only medical professional available, she is well respected in the community. Her connection with the women means that she is often the listening ear to cases of rape and unintended pregnancy. This time she has been asked to attend to the body of a man hacked out of the frozen river that runs through town. None of that is part of the real Ballard story but much of this fictional tale draws from Martha's real diary (A Midwife's Tale) also available in book form. Some things are surprising like the fact that the Puritans were a pretty randy lot. Some are expected like the fact that women as a whole have no legal standing in the community - Martha having a slightly different role. There is a scene between Martha and Ephraim her husband right after they rush to get married (it's complicated) that is one of the sexiest scenes ever and they never actually have sex. Tender, suspenseful, so well written. Yep one of my favorites.

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

 This memoir is on everyone's Best of 2015 list and has won numerous awards. I couldn't imagine why.  Macdonald is a writer and naturalist at Cambridge University. As a child, she became fascinated with falconry which set her apart from most of her peers.  Her father was her primary supporter for her unusual preference.  When he dies, the floor falls out of her life.  She fights her way back by training a goshawk named Mabel.  During her training she returns to a book about falconry by T.H. White (the Arthurian author) which she had read as a child.  She sees many parallels between  White's struggles with isolation and her own.  None of this is of any interest to me but I was drawn into this book by the language and the insightful connections between the two lives and the falcons.  Unusual and oddly excellent.

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

 Harriet is a retired teacher and a widow. She fills a few of her empty hours leading a bookgroup for a group of women in a local prison. Frank is a friendly handy man at the book store where Harriet gets ideas for books to share with the group. Frank's wife Lorraine was a popular kindergarten teacher who was killed when a young women named Violet drank too much and caused the accident that killed her. Violet is in Harriet's book group. When she is released from prison early, she finds herself in the same Portland, Maine neighborhood as Frank and Harriet. Can you see where this is going? In rotating chapters, we see each character through the eyes of the others. We see the reality of each life as they reveal their own truths. I loved these characters, including all the book club members - witty, compasionate, tough, forgiving, -  and I loved the way books and book discussion provided insight for them all.  The ending is a quick summary of the decades following the core story. Normally not my favorite easy out for an author but loved it here. I guess I will have to reread the Spoon River Anthology to understand why. And someone would have to read this book to understand the SRA reference.