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.

In "The Eights", Joanna Miller takes us back to a post-WWI Britain where Oxford University has just accepted its first class of women. Amongst the small group are a few women whose lives will be changed forever by this event: Beatrice, daughter of famed suffragette who's grown up in her mother's and sisters' shadows for her entire life; Theodora, a young woman still reeling from the loss of her brother and fiance in the war, who feels she's undeserving of this opportunity; Marianne, a quiet daughter of a pastor in the countryside who needs to make recurring visits home, despite the impact on her studies; and Otto, the larger-than-life socialite from a wealthy family whose confidence and boldness appears to be never-ending.

These four women are assigned rooms in to Corridor Eight, a happenstance that naturally brings them closer together and the reason they become known as The Eights. As their first year progresses, we come to learn more about each of these women and their backstories leading up to Oxford - for Otto, her brief time as a nurse at the VAD continues to haunt her in the present. Beatrice is forced to acknowledge the weight of her mother's legacy and her words, but must forge her own identity and path. Dora is forced to come to terms with the truth of her past, and struggles to make peace with the reality of her present. And for Marianne, her attempt to lead a dual life slowly fails as time goes on, and she must come to terms with sharing the truth of her past with her new friends and loved ones.

It took a little time for me to get used to the prose of this novel; Miller writes predominantly in second-person, which isn't a frequently used perspective, but gives each character to voice their inner thoughts and emotions in alternating chapters. I also thoroughly appreciated the historical context of "The Eights" and how well-researched it was; Miller highlights some of the inane rules and procedures put in place for these women at the time (including curfews, having supervised visits when interacting with men, etc.) as well as the lingering impact of war on everyone's lives. Each of the protagonists in this novel are well-developed, although I felt Dora and Marianne had the most focus on them, given their complex backstories.

Very much a recommended read when "The Eights" is published in April 2025!

Joanna Miller’s debut novel follows four women attending the University of Oxford in 1920. They are not the first female university students in the United Kingdom, or even the first who can hope to attain a degree, but they are the first class of women who can, if they fulfill all the requirements, attain a university degree from Oxford.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, not everyone on the campus regards their presence as a plus. Views of women as lightheaded, emotionally unstable creatures incapable of mastering sophisticated thought or living without male guidance have begun to fade since the Great War of 1914–1918, but they continue to influence popular thinking. Unlike the men, women students live under strict restrictions against partying or even entertaining male visitors who are not blood relatives. Defy the rules, and they risk being “sent down” (suspended, in effect) or even dismissed from the program altogether.

So what brings the four heroines to Oxford? Each has her own story, much of which becomes obvious only later in the book. Beatrice Sparks, the daughter of a suffragette, considers herself unattractive and unlikely to marry; college offers her a path to a career and perhaps a chance to gain her mother’s respect. Ottoline Wallace-Kerr, known as Otto, is fleeing a family bent on marrying off to the first man who asks, as well as some demons from her past. Theodora (Dora) Greenwood lost her brother, then her fiancé, within two weeks of fighting in France, and she doesn’t quite know how to go on. Marianne Grey, unlike the others, has no wealthy family to support her; she must make her own way in the world. Together, they are known as the Eights, because they live on Corridor Eight.

Although different in character, background, and interests, the four women bond, helping one another cope with the challenges that face them, individually and collectively. These include Oxford, of course, but also the lingering effects of the Great War, their personal situations, and the challenges that face most twenty-somethings as they struggle to define their place in the world. As they do, they draw us in and make us root for them to succeed—and what else would we want from a novel?

I hope to chat with the author on the New Books Network (link below) in May 2025.

The Eights follows four women who are part of the first class who will be awarded degrees from Oxford during their first year, 1920. The shadow of World War One still hangs heavily over England and some students experienced the war first-hand while others were too young. Some men welcome the women while others are convinced they will ruin the university, bringing down academic standards and distracting the men from their studies. The women are challenged, tested, and often made to feel unwelcome, and it's hard to believe this all took place only 100 years ago.

The historical context was fascinating but the four main characters were such cliches that I found it hard to move past this. Marianne is a poor vicar's daughter attending Oxford on a scholarship, Ottoline is a bored, rich bright young thing scarred by her experiences during the war, Beatrice is the daughter of a famous suffragette, and Dora is the beautiful but provincial daughter of a rich factory owner. We have met all these characters many times before and I found it unlikely that four women from such disparate backgrounds would bind together so tightly just because there rooms were in the same corridor.

I enjoyed learning about the history of the era but I struggled to find the characters believable or unique.

I am a bit conflicted on how to rate this one, partly because I breezed through it and can read endless books on women's suffrage, and in part because it seemed a bit far fetched. I loved the focus on how war permanently changed the lives of the people in the novel, but for such a tumultuous time for women's education, there was an awful lot still going smooth for the main characters. That said, the meticulous research done by the author and her passion for historical detail insertion shows with sharp clarity, and the difficulty in being the first set of women to be granted access to what was only a man's space previously was well emphasized.
If you feel strongly about women's suffrage, pick this up. You'll go through the pages in no time.

The Eights tells the story of a group of four women who are part of the inaugural female class at Oxford and their varying backgrounds and experiences. The book takes place mostly in 1920, and it's full of history from the college to the traditions and social norms to the aftermath of the war. Each woman, Otto, Beatrice, Dora, and Marianne, brought something different to the table, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with all of them.

This book was a bit of a slow start, and it took me a long time to even be able to tell the girls apart. But once I was in the story, I was in the story. I will say that I found Marianne's "secret" to be easily predicted and far too drawn out, and it did not help her character development at all. I wish her relationship with her dad and her family would have been explored a little more, since we got so much exploration of Otto and her mother and sister, and Beatrice and her parents. I also wish we had gotten more exploration of Dora and her life before coming to Oxford, since we only got the one little insight.

This was a well-written and well-researched book, but I felt a little disconnected from it. It felt like I was reading it from a distance rather than right there with the characters, which is partly why it took me so long to care about the characters. I also didn't care much for any of the men, but I'm glad that a few of the characters found what they were looking for in terms of romance.

Overall, I really liked this book, even though I had a few nitpick-y complaints. Definitely recommend, and will definitely be reading more by Joanna Miller!

I like the idea behind this book. I really do. I'm struggling so hard to get into it, though. I keep getting confused on who's who within this novel and on top of that, I really and truly cannot figure out why I'm reading it?? What is the plot of this story???? I'm 54% in and I truly cannot figure it out. The pacing here is SLOW. I like the way Miller writes and this is a book I really want to like, so this is one I'd be interested in coming back to one day, but right now, I'm struggling with it.

This book in a nutshell is inspiring. As a woman, I sometimes struggle finding my place in this world and in my education. Sometimes it feels like a fight. It helped me to relate to the main characters. I was able to understand their frustrations and problems, as they are things I still deal with, one hundred years later.

3.5 Normally I love books and movies set in the 20's with British university students, which is why I requested it. This one not so much. The atmosphere and time period were well portrayed by the author. The post-war era was both an oppressively sad decade, while at the same time an exhilarating time for students. It was about the first class of women, all from very different backgrounds, admitted to Oxford. The four main characters were slow to be developed, and it took some time to get them straight, which caused me to lose interest a bit. They all had traumatic events in their background which shaped them. I found Marianne's "story" to be drawn out and overly "hinted" throughout the book, presumably to build suspense, to the point where I could guess what it is was and didn't care anymore by the time it was revealed.

The women were quite brave in their quest for a college degree. It was quite unpleasant what these young women were subjected to by not only their male classmates, but also the faculty and administration. Their accommodations and provisions were subpar compared to the males, as well as having a boatload more rules males had to follow. Equivalent work was not given commensurate grades. Given the day and age, one shouldn't be surprised. It was an accurate commentary on English class, society, misogyny , stereotypes, etc, of the time, which probably hasn't changed much 100 years later.

This book is not based on real people, but young women did have to fight for the right to be educated at the college level, and a group of young women somewhere were the first to forge a path for women today, despite the obstacles and challenges they faced.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC opportunity.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc to read and review.

I’ve always been fascinated by Oxford. It seemed like such a romantic, brilliant place. I had the privilege of visiting a few years ago.

I knew nothing of Oxford’s history of admitting female students (and bestowing degrees upon them). In this historical fiction novel, we meet four women who matriculate at Oxford in 1920. Each of them has their own challenges and secrets but they become great friends and share adventures together as they navigate misogyny, exams and tricky family situations. There’s a little mystery (easily guessed), a twist, and some romance.

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down about half way through. Perfect for historical fiction/women’s lit/Anglophiles. (Me)

Enjoyed the history portion of the book and the characters. It was written in a calming fashion-almost too calming. I was not a fan of the author’s writing style.

Joanna Miller’s debut novel evokes profound emotions, particularly in the context of current societal issues. It deserves a strong five-star rating! Set in 1920s Oxford, the story unfolds as the first four women are allowed to attend the university. I was deeply moved by the friendships and bonds these women formed while confronting the prevalent misogyny of their time. The lessons they learned resonate powerfully today. From the very first page, I found myself completely captivated. This is an impressively crafted debut, making it an excellent choice for book club discussions!

Joanna Miller’s illuminating novel about the first group of women allowed to fully matriculate at Oxford is a testament to the value of good historical fiction, with how it brings to life both the specific challenges faced by four members of that historic group as well as the more general plight of marriage-minded young women in the male-depleted period after the First World War (“a million women too many, 1920 Husband Hunt,” screams a headline from the time).
A bit of a challenge, though, the novel poses for a reader, with how it takes some time to get straight the four characters, even with their particular torments – the anguish, for instance, felt by perhaps the most troubled of the group, Dora, who receives in short order notifications of the wartime deaths of both her brother and her fiance, though in a Dickensian twist halfway through the novel she will learn that all was not as it was presented to her in one of the death notices.
So traumatized, indeed, will she become by both what she endures at the school and the death notifications – “Oh, God, it's never going to end, is it?” she exclaims at one point about the war’s toll – that the school sends her home, prompting well-wishing letters from the other three women, who, as I have indicated, are not without their own issues. Beatrice, for instance, is still hurting from a long-ago assault she was subjected to as a child during one of her suffragette mother’s demonstrations, and Marianne, a rector’s daughter, is harboring a secret of her own that she strives throughout the novel to keep from the other women and school officials, while Otto, short for Ottoline, is back at Oxford as a student after a wartime tenure there as a volunteer driver after a disastrous turn at nursing.
And as if the women’s individual situations aren’t troubling enough, they must contend with college social proscriptions almost unimaginable to women today. No going to matinees with males without two women present or going for walks, bicycle rides or motor rides alone with a male other than their brothers or going out after dinner without permission or attending a public dance – the list goes on about what’s not permitted.
Indeed, so primly limited a social universe do the restrictions make for the women as to make all the more startling the intrusions from the outside world when they come – when, for instance, the women are on a picnic outing with a chaperone (always a chaperone was required for such occasions) and they come upon a manifestly disturbed veteran who begins stripping off his clothing and not only exposes his genitalia (permission wasn’t granted for us to see a penis today, dryly observes Otto) but lets loose with a urine stream that stains the chaperone’s dress. Or there’s the moment when Beatrice comes upon two women locked in a vigorous sexual embrace – both frightening and intoxicating she finds the scene – or when the reader learns that the wounded war veteran that Otto’s mother would have her marry not only lost a leg to the war – his prosthesis irritates the stump – but had his penis slashed in half by flying shrapnel.
Always there’s the war in the background, as when Marianne notes of one of the male characters that he has no ear on one side and “a fist-size patch of hair missing above the remaining gash” or when Otto notes of the greater abundance of males on campus after the war that among their numbers are boys hopping on crutches “like locusts in a biblical plague.”
For all the running evidence of the war’s toll, though, the war itself is only peripherally present – the novel is more social fiction than war fiction, after all – just as only in passing is mentioned another historic milestone of the times, Britain’s partitioning of six Irish counties and naming them Northern Ireland, which for all its mere passing reference in the novel will go on to make for decades of strife, as so grippingly depicted in the TV series, “Say Nothing.”
Considerably more attention, though, is afforded another scourge of the day, influenza, which strikes down Marianne as well as the school’s principal and will perhaps make for greater relatability for readers today, with their having just come out of an even worse pandemic themselves, though the influenza of the women’s time was worse in its way, with how there was no vaccine and with how it would prove almost as lethal as the trenches.
And always in the novel there’s the rampant sexism of the day, most prominently with the college restrictions imposed upon the women but also in smaller individual moments, such as when one of the four women is summarily ejected from a lecture for arriving just a few minutes late.
So more than a bit of a challenge for author Miller to make relevant for contemporary readers a time so different from our own, but a challenge which she rises to with aplomb (she even had me shedding a tear or two by novel’s end), even if I found excessive her occasional excerpts from college periodicals intended to give a sense of Oxford life at the time, such as when she devotes a considerable number of paragraphs to a report of college activities including tennis and boating.

As soon as I read the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. I love Oxford as a setting, and THE EIGHTS focuses on a group of women who are the first to actually be able to graduate from Oxford. There is so much detail, all fascinating, about the time period - including the Suffrage movement. This is one that I have continued to think about it long after I finished it. Very compelling debut.

I enjoy historical fiction featuring strong female characters, but something about this one just felt really slow. Also Marianne's "secret" was really drawn out. I did enjoy the friendships and outings.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A rich and deeply moving book about the first women to attend Oxford. It really brought to life the struggles and persistence of the pioneering 1920's women after the first World War. I came to care about these four women and were rooting for them throughout the book. This book is a celebration of friendships and grit. Joanna thoroughly did her research, such that you are emersed in the decade and these women become real. I found myself want to know more about their lives even after the book ended,

Well written book about women who brought their experiences and secrets with them as they became the first women students at Oxford. Through their friendship they learn to trust, love, and become more confident as individuals.

DNF -- I couldn't get into this one. The way it starts out, introducing one girl, and then another, and then another, and then another, in rapid succession, does not make for good writing and only serves to confuse and bore the reader. I also couldn't tell what the plot was. It seemed like it wanted to be some kind of Mona Lisa Smile/Dead Poets Society type thing, which would be great if the author included any clear semblance of a plot in the first 30 pages or so.

Nevertheless, thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This was a great book about a really important and unique point in history - really showing the intersection of the impact of WWI alongside the fight for women’s equal rights in a variety of spaces. Throughout the novel, we dive deeper into the complexity of each of our main characters and learn of the multiple “battles” they are each fighting. I will admit that I found it difficult to keep them separate in the beginning of the book but I think this aligned well with “getting to know” them as the book went on, maybe even a slight reflection on society’s views of women. As an America, the often antiquated and British slang held me up a bit but I was grateful to find the glossary in the back! This was a great book and I’ll definitely continue to wonder what our Eights would have been up to after the story ended.