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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
informative
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:
Yes
emotional
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:
Yes
This was an inspiring story about four women - Beatrice, Marianne, Dora and Otto - whom in 1920, belonged to the first group of women to matriculate at Oxford University. Prior to that, women could attend classes but were not conferred degrees. These four women live on the same corridor, the 8th corridor to be exact. They become fast friends and were referred to around campus as, “The Eights.”
I’m showing my age because I was thinking, 1920 was 80 years ago. Ummm no Lee-Ann, it was 105 years ago, yikes. Did anyone else stop counting the years once we hit 2000, or was it just me? I digress.
They are strikingly different women, coming from different backgrounds, suffering from different traumas and wrestling different demons. In the wake of WWI, they have come to Oxford for their own reasons but they all become part of history. This story is about bravery in the face of adversity, about the struggles that women faced and still face, about being a bad ass and taking up space when the world wants to make you smaller.
Of note, this novel contains a pretty good deal of British English. This is not to deter readers, but some of the slang and everyday verbiage may not be familiar to everyone. There were also some slow parts. I’m not against the author providing a lot of details, I enjoy literary fiction. But I found some of the details boring and skimmed right over - notations about books and paintings I had never heard of and the like *yawn*. I enjoyed the current story more that the women’s backstories and Marianne’s secret that is hinted at throughout was slow to be revealed and easily guessed. Parts of the book were solid; some spots were misses. Overall I would say, I enjoyed reading it but it didn’t blow me away.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Enjoyable, interesting, and I did choke up a bit. Dora felt the least fully fleshed out for some reason.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Set in 1920, against a backdrop of the continuing trauma of the Great War, 4 of the first young ladies to matriculate at Oxford in 1920, strive to get an education while facing prejudice on many fronts. They form a strong bond despite their varying backgrounds. It’s about education, feminism and the ripples created by war- 3 of my favourites.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix