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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
This is a beautiful story that is fictional but based on the true figures of change after WW1 when women were finally allowed to study for degrees at Oxford university.
Set in the days both during and after the first world war, the suffrage movement and a period of real change for the whole country (& the world), The Eights are the four women who reside on the eighth corridor; Dora, Marianne, Otto & Beatrice.
This book is amazing, covering both the horrors and deep scars of the war, and the beautiful female friendships forged between four very different but equally brave and admirable characters. It portrays a unique tipping point in time for so many reasons, capturing the attitudes and struggles of this era beautifully.
Set in the days both during and after the first world war, the suffrage movement and a period of real change for the whole country (& the world), The Eights are the four women who reside on the eighth corridor; Dora, Marianne, Otto & Beatrice.
This book is amazing, covering both the horrors and deep scars of the war, and the beautiful female friendships forged between four very different but equally brave and admirable characters. It portrays a unique tipping point in time for so many reasons, capturing the attitudes and struggles of this era beautifully.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oxford, 1920. Women are allowed to matriculate into the esteemed university for the first time. In Corridor Eight of St Hugh’s, four very different women meet and become fast friends: Marianne, Otto, Dora, and Beatrice, who call themselves The Eights. Each carries her own scars from the recent war, and each has her own goals for pursuing a degree at Oxford. All around them, history is unfolding, and they are part of it.
THE EIGHTS is Joanna Miller’s debut novel that takes place mostly over the course of The Eights’ first year at Oxford. It’s an atmospheric and immersive book that follows each of the four women and the development of their friendship, as well as the secrets and struggles they may choose to share or keep to themselves—always, the aftereffects of the war lurks in the shadows. The four key women are written so well, each standing out on her own and so different from her friends, each with her own challenges and familial issues back home. The novel also details the misogynistic pushback and backlash against Oxford’s tepid efforts at equality; many chapters open with a ridiculous set of rules imposed on the women students whereas the men do not face such restrictions, or a mocking piece against these young women who want to pursue an education. This book is more character or relationship-driven than it is about plot, but I’m always happy to read about female friendships and support networks, especially in the face of narrow-minded and conservative men, so I loved reading it.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This was difficult to rate. The first 150 pages were such a snoozefest that I wasn’t finding myself very eager to pick it back up. But I’d heard good things, and ultimately I’m not mad I finished it. The second half is more enjoyable, though I still found the pace a bit slow up until the last quarter of the book. The four main characters were sweet and interesting, and I was invested in their stories and wanted more from them. We spent a lot of the book alluding to their “secrets,” which ended up being entirely predictable. I was eager to read this because the premise had so much potential, but it fell a little flat.