Joanna Miller’s The Eights is a captivating and heartfelt debut novel that shines a light on the lives of four pioneering women who were among the first to matriculate at Oxford University in 1920. Set against the backdrop of a world still reeling from the aftermath of the First World War, this story is a poignant exploration of friendship, resilience, and the fight for self-determination.

The novel follows Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto—collectively known as The Eights—as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of being among the first female students at Oxford. Each woman brings her own unique background and aspirations to the group, creating a dynamic and richly textured narrative. Dora, who lost both her brother and fiancé in the war, seeks solace and purpose in her studies. Beatrice, the politically-minded daughter of a suffragette, is determined to carve out her own path. Otto, a former nurse, hopes to reclaim her socialite lifestyle and escape the haunting memories of the war. And Marianne, the quiet and clever daughter of a village pastor, harbours a secret that could change everything.

Miller’s writing is both elegant and evocative, capturing the spirit of the early 20th century with meticulous detail. The novel’s exploration of themes like sisterhood, courage, and the struggle for equality is both timely and timeless. The friendship between the four women is the heart of the story, their bond providing a source of strength and support as they face the misogyny, societal expectations, and personal challenges of their time.

The historical setting is vividly rendered, from the dreaming spires of Oxford to the lingering shadows of the Great War and the threat of influenza. Miller’s characters are richly drawn, their individual journeys and collective experiences offering a nuanced and deeply moving portrait of a pivotal moment in history.

The Eights is a story of hope, resilience, and the enduring power of friendship.

This was a great read and I enjoyed it very much. It is the story about women being accepted to study degrees at Oxford University in 1920. The author thoroughly captured the essence of the time and it was very thought provoking. The freedom nowadays for women to attend university is taken for granted even at Oxford if they are clever enough. However in those days they encountered all sorts of prejudices especially from the male dons and undergraduates and the rules they had to comply with were totally absurd to today’s generation.
The four women living on the 8th corridor at St Hugh’s all have their own individual struggles and secrets set against this backdrop and it was a gripping novel that I didn’t want to put down wanting to know what happened next.
Thank you to the publisher and net galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I actually enjoyed reading it, but at the same time was expecting... more? Don't get me wrong, I loved reading about the Eights, their friendships and hardships that shaped them into who they were, think the historical part of the book was greatly portrayed, but it seems like there was some story left to tell?

I would still suggest this as a cozy read for someone thinking about picking up this book, but I feel like we stopped right in the middle of the story. An interesting debut novel, nonetheless.

1920 women at Oxford receive degrees.
What a marvellous story about women striving to be recognised and the after effects of WW1.
Four women with very different backgrounds are thrown together in the halls of residence. Dora who is mourning the death of her brother George and her fiance Charles, she has come to Oxford in place of her dead brother. Beatrice a very tall, imposing woman who is the daughter of a famous Suffragette , Marianne, the daughter of a Vicar is secretive and emotional, Otto is a rich girl with an exciting social life and a ready wit.
Although from different backgrounds the girls are thrown together as they must battle against the men who torment and belittle them. Most of the time they can defend themselves but as lecturers sometimes bar them from lectures it can be a struggle, if they with to leave the university they must be accompanied by a guardian and fraternising with the opposite sex is carefully monitored.
The injuries and death of soldiers in the war is relived in all of the girl's past lives. The war is vividly bought to life as disabled and shell shocked students react to sudden noises. Spanish flu arrives on the campus and Marianne catches it, she is nursed by the other three and can finally visit her Father. Dora has a shock when she recognises someone in a lecture leading to a breakdown.The friendship and support of the group is heartening.
All of the women keep secrets which are eventually exposed.
The authors love of Oxford and her descriptions are engaging.
Thank you Joanna, NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC

I LOVED this and I can tell it’s one where I’m going to be thinking about the characters for some time to come. It was beautifully written and the research must have taken some time. I couldn’t believe, when I read the afterword, just how long it took to reach anything close to equality at Oxbridge. I thought each character’s story was fascinating and the writing was very clever as we dipped back to during the war to find out about what had happened before they reached their corridor in St Hughes. Utterly fabulous and I’ll be recommending it to everyone!

4.5 stars

I haven't been able to move on Twitter (I still refuse to call it X) for talk of this book so I was thrilled to get an early copy!

This book follows two students: Beatrice Sparks, Marianne Grey, Theodora Greenwood, and Ottoline Wallace-Kerr.

As bizarre as it sounds, I kept getting Little Women vibes. Let me say now, it has no link to Little Women, it's not the same story, it's not the same time period, or even the same location. But having these four women grow close, learn how to live in this new world...every so often my brain sparked this connection which was surprising.

Obviously, I was not around in Oxford in 1920 - although sometimes my joints tell me I was - but I know some of Oxford, and Joanna has created such a clear sense of time and place that you can practically insert yourself into the story.

Women going to University and getting an education is something we take for granted now - Lord knows I didn't appreciate my time at Uni - and so it does us good to be reminded of our struggles in a time that, relatively speaking, wasn't that long ago.

I love the focus on women, how strong they are, smart and powerful. This isn't feminism just to tick a box, these women are front and centre. I read another review of this and something stood out to me. Someone said that whilst Joanna has written these characters to be strong, determined to overcome the prejudices and restrictions, she hasn't made them too modern, and I completely agree. These are clearly women in the early 1900s, and unfortunately there are restrictions in place, and she hasn't sugar-coated that.

There's the occasional flashback of war, snippets of scenes, letters, thoughts. It's not overly so, because it's not a war book, but you can't exist in 1920 without having some sort of link to it, and I think it helps bring some wider historical context to the story.

It was surprisingly humerous at times. It's an historical novel, a character study, there's war, it's serious, but there is humour, especially thanks to Otto, and I felt that was a nice relief frrom the importance of women breaking that glass ceiling of the time. I also wasn't expecting so many surprises. You expect twists or surprises in crime books, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy etc. but historical books...not so much. And I'm not saying Joanna has made it a twist per second, but there were little surprises which I liked.

I don't know very much about this time period and the whole women vs. education argument, and so I cannot say how accurate this is, but it sounded so correct, so full of depth. It's clear that not only has Joanna done an enormous amount of research, you can tell she's got a passion for the topic and the time period and that clearly comes through.

I do have one thing to say though. I won't call it a negative because that suggests there's something not right with the book, and that would be untrue because it's fabulous. But personally I'd have liked to have read just a bit more about the women's' courses themselves, what they're studying, their classes etc. alongside their general lives in Oxford. But that's just because I'm a big nerd.

Going on the little author bio in the book, Joanne lives in my home county and whilst we're in different towns, I'm declaring her practically my next door neighbour and best friend.

One of the best books I've read this year (and up there with my favourites from last year, too).

Set in 1920s Oxford - the first time women could matriculate and gain a degree - four women from very different backgrounds move into Corridor Eight at St Hugh's (nicknamed The Eights) and the book follows the first year of their time at Oxford, and how their friendships grow and their lives change. Dora's the daughter of an industrialist, mourning the deaths of her fiance and her brother; Marianne's the super-bright vicar's daughter; Beatrice is overshadowed by her famous suffragette mother; and Ottoline's the high society girl who never sticks at anything, Four wonderful characters, with lots of layers, and you end up rooting for all of them, wanting them to find their place in the world and get what they really want (though my favourite was Marianne).

Really evoked the feel of the period - the suffragettes, trench warfare, the way society changed. Lots of historical detail, which I found fascinating, and the research is worn lightly. Good pace, and hard to put down - I absolutely loved it. Very hard to believe it's a debut because the writing's good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

An absolute gem - immersive, thrilling, and deeply profound all at once. The storytelling is masterful, balancing fast-paced intrigue with rich character depth, making it both a page-turner and a novel that lingers in your mind after you’ve finished.

I particularly loved the historical context woven seamlessly into the narrative. The bits at the end of the book were also a great touch - who knew Oxford was so progressive in welcoming women compared to Cambridge? It added another layer of depth and appreciation to an already lovely book.

If you enjoyed the historical elements in Downton Abbey, you’ll love this read. It has earned a spot on my list of books to gift.

The first women to walk its corridors in its 1,000-year history, a milestone that is reproduced in The Eights, a book written by Joanna Miller and that I have read thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK.

This story follows four young women, soon to be called The Eights after the location of their rooms, on their own personal and academic journey after the end of the First World War: Dora, who seeks to find herself again after several losses that will end up becoming the encouragement she needed to find out who she is; Beatrice, the daughter of a famous suffragette who feels she does not live up to the expectations imposed by her mother; Otto, a wealthy young woman who wants to escape the memories of the Great War; and Marianne, the introverted daughter of a pastor who hides an almost forbidden secret in the early twentieth century.

The Eights is a great book that not only saves the story of all those anonymous women who were pioneers in making their way into the complicated university world of the beginning of the last century but also addresses through these four women how knowledge is a source of power and independence. A book that I have loved reading and recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the interwar period and the path taken by those who preceded us in the conquest of civil rights.

This is a beautifully captured evocation of the inter-war period, with well drawn characters: four unlikely friends who are drawn together when living in one corridor at Oxford University and all recovering from the trauma wrought by WWI in different ways. It made me want to find about more about the few and brave female students in the 1920s - am full of admiration for them.

What an immersive read! I was totally transported to 1920s Oxford. The descriptive detail is exemplary and the pacing perfect. The depiction of the growing friendship of the four undergrads, who had such differing backstories was faultless and I loved learning about what life was like in post-war Oxford at a time when women really had to fight for opportunity and equality. I really miss the four friends I made in Otto, Beatrice, Marianne and Dora and could have read on and on. Could there be a sequel please?

Told from the perspective of four young women in the post WWI years who become the first women to graduate from Oxford with degrees. It took me a while to become fully invested in this story, but what evolved was a beautifully written story of female friendship at a time of historical importance for the feminist cause. It's not a racing drama, but instead something very subtle and wonderfully historically detailed. (3.75 out of 5 on StoryGraph)

4.5⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I had to request it, I always found the theme of women’s education extremely interesting and as a university student more than a century after the setting of this story, I was entirely fascinated by the stories of these young women.
The characters appeared incredibly real, if flawed, and I was equally invested in the stories of all the main characters equally.
Sometimes the pacing was a bit confusing, hence the half star detracted from the rating, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one, it is exactly my kind of book!
If you are a fan of Evie Dunmore’s A League of Extraordinary Women, then i’d highly suggest reading this book.

Thanks so much to the publisher for an arc copy, all opinions are my own!

This is a 3.5 star review rounded up to 4 because of the great writing style. The novel is a marvellous historical insight into the Oxford experienced by the first women to matriculate and take degrees. Full of atmosphere and interesting detail, the book has clearly been reliably researched. Sadly, the characters and plot didn't live up to my hopes for the book; the tone is romantic rather than literary, and despite the WW1 backstory, the story often feels a bit twee. The students are described as 'ordinary people' but in the England of 1920 they are anything but. They seem to have no interest in the lives of the great majority of their fellow citizens and go on blithely cramming in the 'Radder' for their 'tutes'. For me, the stand-out part of the book was Charles Baker's letter to Dora which was full of grit, insight and heart-stopping authenticity. More of this, please, if there is a second year sequel (which I would be glad to read), and please also, turn one of the Eights into a communist!!

The Eights follows, slightly confusingly, four young women who are among the first to matriculate at Oxford University. They are known as The Eights because they all room in corridor eight and they quickly become inseparable despite being very different. Over the course of the novel we see how they settle into Oxford life, cope with the aftermath of the war (this is 1920) and reveal their secrets.

So far, so predictable, and in some ways this novel doesn't do anything new, but I still found it engrossing and charming. The girls are all very likeable and I was invested in their stories. I enjoyed the way we followed first one and then another and got flashes of their backstories. I also liked learning what it was like at Oxford when the first female students arrived and what they had to put up with from the men, both fellow students and lecturers.

I read this in two days and I'd have been happy to spend longer with the girls. Overall this was fun, interesting, emotional and satisfying and I'm happy I read it. Recommended for historical fiction fans who aren't looking for anything too radical.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

For many of us, we can resonate with the exciting, yet uneasy feeling of leaving home and beginning a new chapter. Starting university is one of the many potential possibilities. The Eights captures the thoughts and experiences of four young female students who are starting an education at Oxford University, a prestigious university that has just opened its doors to female students. When I say "opened", I mean left a little crack in the door. Obstacles such as misogyny, specific gender rules, the wide spreading post Great War impacts, influenza and more are mountains that these female students had to overcome. At this time in history, society, especially those less enthusiastic about female students, was consistently looking for excuses to close those doors.

Miller's characters are interesting and diverse, each bringing something different to Corridor Eight. They come from various backgrounds and have their specific individual experiences which keep this story endearing, edgy and exciting. It also highlights how first impressions can be misleading, and it really was wonderful getting to see how Marianne, Beatrice, Otto and Dora reveal more and more about themselves as you turn the pages. Historical Fiction continues to provide an opportunity to learn more about a time in history that you may or may not know much about. The first set of female students at Oxford University was something I knew very little about and really appreciated the chance to do so, especially through the eyes of these women. How brave!

Thank you to Penguin General UK for the opportunity to read an advanced copy via NetGalley. These opinions are entirely my own. May we all continue to celebrate females striving to learn more and make great impacts in our world, as well as those who encourage them!

This is the fictional story of 4 women who are amongst the first to matriculate at Oxford University. Four very different characters from very different backgrounds, some who struggled more to get there than others. It's very much a story of the prejudice women had to put up with in an era when most men didn't believe that women were capable of going to university and that it would ruin their beloved institution.
It's very hard to write a story where there are four main characters and, by and large, Miller pulls this off. We're starting to see a lot of novels which are about strong women who climb the many barriers put up by men in the late nineteenth, early twentieth century. This is great, these stories need to be told and this book does it pretty well. My main gripe is the 'jolly hockey sticks' narrative which starts to grate after a while. I get that tone in the dialogue, that would have been a fairly accurate depiction of the way those women spoke, but it goes just a bit too far by using that tone throughout the book.
The story takes us to the end of the first year of their degree. I wonder if we'll be looking at a follow up, or two...

Women should not be allowed to go to Oxford University, or write novels on the subject - because they’re too darned good at it. @joannamillerauthor’s debut, ‘The Eights’ coming this April, has stirred a very unbecoming excess of emotion, unbalanced and overheated my brain, and made me fall utterly, eternally in love with its four heroines: Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto (in order of appearance not esteem - I cannot decide who I love most). [PR Copy]

Set in Oxford in 1920-1, ‘The Eights’ is a fictionalised account of four of the first women to matriculate as full students able to take degrees.

The women’s academic ambitions and the barriers they face, including their own sense of self-doubt and guilt, are wholly convincing, inspiring, and relatable. Their position as women finding their own way in a world very different from that of their mothers is powerful and poignant. The profound aftershocks of the Great War are heartbreaking (much blubbing on my part), but the green shoots of hope were as uplifting as a hot air balloon ride (also much grinning, and happy blubbing on my part).

Sense of place is spot on, and period details were perfect without ever overwhelming the characters at the story’s heart.

Oxford has been the setting for 8.8 million novels over the past two centuries (official made up stats), but this miraculously offers a fresh, clear-eyed and modern perspective while retaining magic and charm. It’s pure Brideshead era - a city of aquatint - but shows one of the many other sides of the city and the university. It also contains fascinating insights into women’s work and lived experience during the war, plus the suffrage movement and manages not to feel preachy.

I will probably spend the next few weeks harvesting copies of Vera Brittain and Robert Graves from secondhand shops. When I’ve finished the essay I’m meant to be writing as a current student at the university, in honour of the Eights. Obviously.

Brava Joanna - can’t wait to read it again in hard copy! Thanks to @penguinfigtree and @netgalley for the advanced copy.

This was a very enjoyable and engaging read. I loved the characters and setting and also found learning about the history of women at Oxford fascinating. This is a well researched and well constructed book I would recommend. Would make a great film!

WOW what a read I absolutely adored it (& it firmly has a place in my top 10 of 2025!)

We meet Beatrice, Marianne, Dora & Ottoline, four young women from very different backgrounds who are among the first women to matriculate for degrees at Oxford University in 1920. They become friends quite quickly as they share the same corridor (eight) even though they have different life experiences to date. Beatrice is the daughter of a famous suffragette who is looking forward to life away from her mother & the chance to make her own way & her own friends. Dora lost both her brother and fiance on the battlefield and in essence is taking his place. Marianne is the daughter of a vicar who hides the biggest secret & Ottoline, the socialite who likes the finer things in life.

I loved the storylines of life, the battles they had to overcome with hostile professors & male students, the fun and friendship. It's meticulously researched and so, so readable. I so recommend it.