Historical fiction at its best! Four women are part of the historic 1920 matriculation of women to Oxford — the first in over 1,000 years. Roomed together in “corridor eight,” this is the story of their first year, with several flashbacks to flesh out their personal context. Beatrice Sparks — almost 6 feet tall, daughter of a famous (and vigorous!) suffragette, with an appetite for politics; Marianne Gray — the motherless daughter of an English vicar; Dora Greenwood — beautiful and still grieving for the brother and fiancee who died in the war; and Ottoline Wallace-Kerr — wealthy and at odds with her family’s expectations, who keeps herself calm with mathematics. There are some secrets and some surprises — all quite realistic and perfectly embedded in the well-drawn context of the time. And for the girls, a discovery of unexpected, but deeply felt, friendship.

I say this is historical fiction at its best because it finds the right balance between the extremes of dull, historic, facts and overly sensationalized (and manipulatively emotional) story telling with a minimum of historic accuracy. There are no modern sensibilities sneaking in — but plenty of individual reactions and experiences nestled in the very real context of the day. The country had just emerged from WWI, (some) women had just gotten the vote, and now — Oxford was open to women who wanted to pursue a more intellectual path through life. I loved the many small details that peppered the prose: a new mystery author — Agatha Christie — who was set the challenge to write a novel where it was impossible to guess who did it — and succeeded; the introduction of ouija boards; stories of the Bodlein library and how the rare books were protected during the war; the second wave of influenza; the origin of Chequers (home to Britain’s prime ministers); practice trenches in the countryside; suffragette pennies, etc. A pretty interesting Oxford-style debate on whether or not women should be at Oxford at all. I loved the bits of discussions on various studied subjects. The secondary impact of the war on various people after the war was over was equally interesting — more personal, individualized, and detailed. Philosophical and ethical issues pervaded the experiences because how could they not?

I like historical fiction because, when done well, you learn about what history might have meant to the people who lived through it. The author’s note delineates fact from fiction as well as describes inspirations — with a nice bibliography on relevant sources. Also — there is a glossary at the end that I really wish I had known about before I finished! Plenty of period specific slang was used that I had to constantly look up or guess at. Now you know!

3.5 stars, rounded down
The Eights tracks four young women, among the first to matriculate at Oxford University in 1920. The four are as different as can be - the vicar’s daughter, the socialite, a factory owner’s daughter who gets to go only because her brother died in WWI and the daughter of a famous suffragette.
Miller provides each of their backstories, their fears, their secrets and their hopes. But still, I kept struggling throughout the first half to keep them straight. It didn’t help that the book often moves at a sluggish pace and lacks the necessary tension to keep my interest.
The time and place were well painted - the misogyny, the lasting effects of the war, the restrictions. The inclusion of actual “chap rules” and other regulations gave a sense of the imposed limitations. Miller does an excellent job of allowing the reader to feel like they are at Oxford. But at heart, I felt this was women’s fiction in a historical setting rather than historical fiction.
The book definitely picked up in the second half, allowing me to give it a 3.5 star rating.
My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an e-ARC of this book!

The Eights follows four young women as they become part of the first class of women to enroll at Oxford University in 1920. Each of them has their own struggles, but all of them must deal with the after effects of World War I and the prejudices of the men who don't believe women belong in such a prestigious educational institution. As the school year goes on, the four women (nicknamed "the Eights" because of their room assignments) grow closer and closer together, sharing secrets and traumas, and ultimately forming an unbreakable friendship.

Charming is the first word that comes to mind to describe this book. I was charmed by all four of the main characters, each in their own unique way. They were compelling and sympathetic, and I found myself continually wanting to come back to the book just to spend more time with them and dig deeper into each of their stories. I came away from the book really feeling like I had lived in that moment of time with them.

I also loved how the author captured female friendship and especially female friendship in college. It felt so accurate and time period appropriate, but it managed to remind me so much of my own college experiences--the caring for one another, the laughing together until you can't breathe--that it really moved me. Given the current unprecedented times we're all living through, reading this book was comforting and inspiring. Here are four women who, despite all of the obstacles in their way, support each other, love each other, and persist.

Honestly, I would have read a book that was three times as long as this one and followed the Eights all the way through to graduation. Probably because of that, I felt like the ending and wrap up of lose ends was a little rushed. Like I said though, that might just be because I wanted to spend more time with the characters.

If you like historical, feminist fiction this one is for you. I know I'll be thinking about each of these women for a while.

A fantastic debut novel!
"The Eights" follows four dormmates turned friends who are set to become some of the first women to receive degrees from Oxford College. This novel explores the challenges they face as they fight for their right to earn a college education at a predominantly male institution as well as the overarching struggle of returning to a post-WW1 world.
At first, keeping track of the alternating POVs of the four women was a challenge, but the author did a lovely job of giving each character such a distinct personality that soon it becomes easy! I absolutely loved the friendship that blossomed between 'the eights', named for the dorm hall they were staying in. I also loved how well-developed the characters were -we learn of their backstories through flashbacks that were effortless weaved into the story.
I've never read another historical fiction book with this specific focus - I enjoyed learning about the history of women scholars at Oxford through the lenses of these fictional women (I also recommend reading the author's note at the end - I learned a lot there too!). Overall, definitely recommend this for lovers of historical fiction.

The Eights by Joanna Miller gives insight into being the first female students at Oxford through the lives of four women. Beatrice comes from a wealthy family and her mother is a famous suffragette. Dora lost her brother and fiancé to the war. Otto served as a nurse and suffers from the horrors she saw. Marianne is the daughter of a pastor and struggles to fit in.

I recommend this book for historical fiction fans. The Eights focuses on the lives of the women as they navigate their new friendships. While the women come from different backgrounds, they become close and protective of each other. Each girl’s story and background unfolds slowly as they overcome the obstacles of a male dominated world.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved all of the characters in The Eights, I loved the writing and the language. I felt like I was learning at the same time as the Eights were, all about Oxford University and the city itself.
I really enjoyed following along with the lives of Otto, Beatrice, Dora and Marianne and I didn’t want the book to end, it could have continued on for another two hundred pages and I would have been happy!

intelligent page-turner filled with very well-written and real characters and a very strong sense of place and time. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

2025 is off to a very promising start in the historical fiction department. Joanna Miller's The Eights compels on so many levels and is a offers a believable historical setting peopled with characters you care about. It's very hard to put down.

1920 was the first year that women were admitted to Oxford University. Britain is shattered by the carnage of World War I and no one is immune from the horror. The four women who have rooms on corridor eight have made it through, and are excited at the opportunity to study on the same level as men. Of course, they face pages of social strictures that men do not, and nasty misogyny, and the contempt of many fellow students. but for each one of these women Oxford represents opportunities they cannot wait to grasp.

The academic rigor was in no way modified for women, who rarely had access to the kind of academic prep that men of their time did. The fact that so many women passed the entrance exams was a sign of their willingness to put in extra months of study in order to have this chance.

The daughter of a famous sufragette, six-foot-tall Beatrice has been mocked all her life for her size and plainness. Her greatest wish is to have friends but she is very shy about how to go about it. Dora lost her brother and fiance in the war and has decided that she will take their place at Oxford. Marianne is the quiet daughter of a vicar who has to go home every Sunday to help her father, losing precious study time. Lively flapper Ottoline is gifted in higher math, but hopes that Oxford will offer a bright social life that will help her overcome the nightmares from her wartime experiences. You will love all of them. Joanna Miller neatly weaves their stories around each other, leading a satisfying end.

The Eights is the best kind of historical fiction, with a finely created sense of place and time, peopled with characters who resonate. It's a pleasure to read and hard to put down.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital review copy of The Eights in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded up from 3.5

What I liked: Joanna Miller does a wonderful job evoking the time and place, making this not just a story of the first women working to earn degrees from Oxford but also a depiction of the lingering tragic aftermath of World War I. The story zipped along, and for the most part I enjoyed spending time with the characters.

What I didn't like: Some of the plot developments and "secrets" were predictable. One of the protagonists exemplifies the trope of the seemingly frivolous woman who is quite the math/science genius. (Do such people exist outside of novels?) A romance between two characters comes across as prescribed rather than organic: Why is he attracted to her? And one or two "twists" are probably meant to be typical of an unreliable narrator but are actually authorial manipulation or trickery—quite different, and a bit like cheating.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Putnam Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced title of this book.
Taking place in the 1920's at Oxford University, this story showcases the lives and struggles of four women. Each woman is vastly different from the other, each with a story of their own.

Sadly, the issues faced in this book are still pertinent to present time. Womens equality, male superiority, and profound bias within the academia setting.

This book was very slow paced and I lost interest several times. I'm a pretty fast reader, but this one was difficult to get into. I enjoyed the premise of the story, I just wish it had faster pacing. There were a lot of characters as well that it was difficult to keep them all straight.
The bones were there, but I think maybe I'm not the target audience for this one.

Wow, I loved this! This is the first time when I've been in bed with a cold and didn't binge a TV show... I just wanted to read! World War I is a growing interest of mine (thanks to In Memoriam, the Regeneration trilogy and A Little Princess as a kid). There are many stories about what WWII was like for women (before , during, and after) but this was my first encounter with this perspective for WWI. It was fascinating (and infuriating) to read about the first (recognized) matriculating class of women. And what women they were! I loved these four, and they will stay with me for a long while.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I've been reading this on and off for more than a month. The pace is so slow, it never holds my interest. There are so many characters, I find it difficult to keep them straight. Only made it to about 30% before I gave up.

It's 1920 two years after WW! and four women from four different backgrounds are accepted to matriculate at Oxford University. Marianne, Dora, Beatrice and Ottoline/Otto. They will be living on corridor 8 (hence "the eights") and will become friends. Forming a sisterhood, they all have their secrets...they all have to abide by the strict rules of Oxford; they all have to put up with the bias and open dislike of the male students and the professors. It was a time when social convention was changing, when women suffrage and women's equality was an everyday fight . The book was filled with what it was like to be at Oxford in a world where men were "everything" and women were meant to become housewives and mothers. How could a women ever be as smart as any man or have what it takes to go to a university such as Oxford? Long before the era of Betty Friedan and the "burning of the bras" these women were on the frontline! Yes, we're still fighting as we are on the shoulders of the women before us. Quite a book and highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this read! It is rich with historical detail without the info dumping. There were many insightful parts that I highlighted throughout, and the descriptions were rich yet elegant.

I do wish Dora’s character had been further fleshed out, as I felt like, until we got her backstory much later in the book, she was sort of just *there* compared to the other 3 main characters. The pacing was on the slow side which, depending on your preference, may be a good thing. For me, it made for a slow read and sometimes I couldn’t keep track of all of the names and details because of that.

I really enjoyed reading about this period of history from the perspective of some of the first women’s students at Oxford. It’s not a depiction of the 1920’s I’ve generally encountered, and the rich historical detail in this novel truly brought it to life.

This book has potential for a sequel. Given my experience reading this book, I would read it!

I found this book on a Goodreads debut list. I’m drawn to stories about female friendship and feminism, so this one stood out to me—and I ended up liking it a lot. The historical setting was a nice touch, and I appreciated how it gave a sense of what being a woman at a university back then was really like, especially with all the strict rules. The author shares her research and inspiration at the end, which added a nice layer to the story. The writing style, with its shifts between the past and present, wasn’t always my favorite, though, as it felt a bit disjointed at times. Still, I enjoyed the book overall and would recommend it to fans of historical fiction. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

On October 7, 1920, British history was made. This was the day that women could enter a four year program of study and graduate with a university degree from Oxford. Before this, women could take classes but never earn a degree. It was a radical move for one of the two English college towns, Cambridge wouldn't allow women to matriculate until 1948. But it wasn't granted without controversy. Many male professors thought that women would just take up classroom space, get married and have children. Several students enrolled or transferred to Cambridge, in order to study without female distraction. Women students had to follow arcane rules of etiquette, dress, and presentation, and they had to be no less than perfect to win their right to learn.

As the women of St. Hughes College for Women are gathered in the courtyard for the Matriculation Ceremony, their chaperone tells them to divide themselves in groups of four, dependent on their dorm corridors. The four girls of corridor eight introduce themselves, and all are drawn to each other, as they become good but unlikely friends. Beatrice is almost six feet tall and very politically aware as her mother is a famous suffragette. However, she has never met her mother's expectations of a poised outgoing daughter, and is consequently shy and unsure of herself. Marianne is a dedicated student of English literature, who fights with herself every day to stay in school. Dora is the beauty of the group who is only there because her brother died in the Great War. He was the one who would have attended, even though she was always the one who took education seriously. Ottoline, or Otto, came from an aristocratic family, who's members were known for their place in society. Unlike her fashionable sisters, Otto is fascinated by mathematics and is one of the few females to study numbers. She is also the one who bobs her hair and flouts all of the school rules-much to her professors dismay.

As we follow "the Eights," we watch these women battle constantly for their right to an Oxford education. With the chips stacked against them and having to deal with a large contingent of male animosity, studying and exams have to take a backseat to mere survival. As their secrets unravel, they find that they can help each other muddle through and stay the course., even when this seems impossible. Miller delivers a wonderful story of female bonding wrapped up in a fascinating historical novel. We have much to learn from this one.

Four women are among the few first female class admitted to Oxford University just after WWl . The country is healing from the great war and women are fighting to regain the independence they had briefly during the war while also finding their role in this new world. These women hail from a variety of homes and backgrounds yet all are searching for independence. They will get pushback from the professors and the male students which just cements their support and friendship of one another. A touching study of female friendship, courage and the changing roles of women after WWI.
This will appeal to historical fiction readers of MISS MORGAN'S BOOK BRIGADE, THE ALICE NETWORK and books by Jennifer Chiaverini. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Interesting tale of the first women admitted to Oxford University, set between the World Wars in 1920. Following a group of four friends, know as the Eights as that is the corridor on which they live, each comes from a very different background and has different goals for her respective education, but they form a bond nonetheless. As they learn each other's histories and dreams, their bonds deepen and those goals change. Well told, somewhat slow paced.

This is my first encounter with Joanna Miller, but I do not think it will be my last. This is a work of historical fiction about the first group of women to be allowed to graduate with degrees from Oxford. I will not go into the history of Oxford and its female undergraduates here, you can read the novel for that. I learned a lot about the struggle for women to be taken seriously as scholars at Oxford and Cambridge. I also learned a bit about the Suffragettes and the phenomenon of "Surplus Women" in the UK between the wars. The toll that WWI took on an entire generation in Europe is explored sensitively as well. I do not want to make this novel sound like a history lesson, it is entertaining and the young women spotlighted are likable characters. I was merely surprised that I learned so much from the novel. The novel is well-written, and I was fully invested in the fate of the main characters by the end. The only criticism I have is that the four spotlighted undergraduates seemed at first to be "types"- you know- the posh one/debutante; the vicar's daughter; the plain but brainy one; the pretty one...However, the characters were fully fleshed out by the middle of the book-distinguishable and unique. In summary, I quite enjoyed this one and I gained new insights into a time period I thought I was already familiar with.
Recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. It focuses on four women who are in the first class to matriculate for a degree at Oxford in 1920. The book describes many of the humiliations that these women and those who went before them (being allowed to attend classes at Oxford, but not to receive a degree) underwent. It's real theme, however, is arguably the way in which women were impacted as much as men by WW1. Others have commented that the book starts out slowly and can seem a little plotless, but the author is a smooth writer, and I appreciated the way in which she built up her portrait of each character and unfolded their story. I recommend.