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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I do not recommend listening to this book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
The Eights is a debut novel from an incredibly talented new author and writing seems to be in her blood as her sister is an established thriller writer in Australia, by the name of Ali Lowe.
Now, Joanna Miller was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to visit my local independent bookstore, Suddenly on Sheaf Street, at the start of April, to launch this incredible book, and she couldn't have been lovelier: She is honestly such an inspiring, articulate and humble lady. Joanna exudes passion for Oxford and the amount of research she has undertaken to construct this wonderful novel is absolutely mind boggling. This novel has such a strong sense of time and place. Following the book launch, The Eights was selected to be our in-person book club read for the month, and it proved to be exceptionally popular, with the majority of us rating it 4.5 stars or above.
The Eights is set in the 1920's, and it's about the first women to matriculate at Oxford University, in the wake of the suffragette movement, and it revolves around emancipation and empowerment of pioneering women, who are trying to compete at the highest level academically, in an era marred by stark gender inequality.
This book is a real character-driven piece, about the four wonderful women at the heart of the story (Beatrice, Otto, Marianne and Dora) and it's full of humour and warmth, as well as friendship and found family. It's not easy to write a book with four central characters, and ensure they each have a distinct voice and narrative arc, but Joanna Miller juggles these characters beautifully, and we get to know them all as individuals as well as getting to understand their role in the wider friendship group.
Whilst each character is remarkable in her own way, special mention must go to Beatrice and Otto. Otto is wonderfully haughty with a real joie de vivre but a heart of gold underneath the forthright facade. Beatrice has been raised by a narcissistic, ardent suffragette of a mother, that she's never been quite good enough to please. Her style of speech and mannerisms reminded me very much of the character of Chummy played by Miranda Heart in the wonderful television show, Call the Midwife, and consequently she is so loveable.
I honestly cannot recommend this book highly enough. The writing is beautiful, the depictions of Oxford are wonderful and the characters are so endearing. The Eights is a truly memorable and unique read, and the audiobook is narrated to perfection. Despite being in the historical fiction genre, this book has a very contemporary feel due to the vibrancy of the writing and the dialogue, so I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, even those who would normally shy away from this genre.
All in all, this is an impactful, thought-provoking and eye-opening read, filled with humour and warmth, and I absolutely loved it!
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this to be slow, paced about 3/4 of the book and then picks up towards the end. I felt it wrapped up fine but my expectations were more historical content versus fictional storylines about the four main characters. I listen to the audio more than read the book and the narrator did a very good job.