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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
This book takes a look into what it would be like to accidentally, or forcefully, be made a historical figure. Four women find themselves writing history when they become part of the first group of women to attend Oxford (and eventually graduate with true degrees). Thrown together on Floor 8 of their living quarters, they quickly become inseparable despite coming from vastly different socioeconomic and familial backgrounds. This story perfectly blended the strength of female relationships in a male dominated (and often hostile) environment and the effects of WWI on the world these girls found themselves in. I went into this book blind and ended it feeling as if these four girls were my own friends and confidants.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this story of a group of women attending Oxford university together following the First World War. These women dealt with all of the misogyny they encountered from teachers to fellow students, and even their families. There was so much trauma following the devastation and death from the war & this book brought that to foreground. I appreciated how these women kept their spirits high and they bond to each other tight as they navigated a new world while discovering who they each wanted to be.
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Eights is an excellent debut novel from Joanna Miller. It follows the lives of four women undergraduates who meet when they matriculate at Oxford University in 1920, amongst the first cohort of women to have the opportunity not just to attend the university, but also to receive degrees. The title of the book and the nickname for the women comes from their being allocated rooms on corridor 8 of St Hugh’s College.
Beatrice Sparks is studying the new subject of PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics). She is well versed in politics with her mother being a well-known campaigner for women’s suffrage and strong believer in equality for women both in education and in life. Marianne Grey is a vicar’s daughter who has received a scholarship to study English and clearly has some parts of her life she wants to keep hidden from her new friends. Dora Greenwood only has the opportunity to attend university because her brother who would have been there died in the Great War. Having also lost her fiancé Charles in the war, she has a sense of grief and guilt that she is there and he can’t be. Ottaline (Otto) Wallace-Kerr refused a proposal so she could come to Oxford. Her parents don’t take her ambitions seriously despite the fact that she is a genius at maths.
I thought the author created a brilliant sense of time and place in this book. As well following our students round the university and town of Oxford, we also find out lots about life as a student at this momentous time. This is partly achieved by the use of university related vocabulary. There is a very useful glossary of educational terms at the back of the book so fear not if you don’t know what rustication, pass mods or being sent down means: you will find it all here.
A couple of years post war, it is clear to see the effect it has had on the students and indeed the whole nation. No-one has been untouched by the war and everyone has lost someone. Amidst the grief, there’s also a sense of new possibilities, grasping opportunities and making the most of life in tribute to those who were lost. There are some touching chapters where we find out about the wartime experiences of the four protagonists and how their lives and ambitions were affected.
It was so interesting reading about the lives of women at Oxford in the 1920s and although the four main characters are fictional, many of their experiences reflect genuine events which happened at Oxford University and in the wider world that time. Some real historic figures also make an appearance. The author has done a fantastic job of weaving together fact with fiction making for a very realistic narrative. I had to keep reminding myself that Dora, Marianne, Otto and Beatrice weren’t actually real.
However, they felt so real to me that I would love to know what happened next for the four women. I don’t know if the author has plans to write more about them but I would certainly be interested in a sequel showing how the rest of their university careers unfolded for these history making women. An absorbing, enlightening and often moving book, I can happily recommend The Eights to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction as well as stories about strong women and their friendship.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
1920 and as the country recovers from the War, Oxford is accepting the first female students who will gain degrees. For four of them billeted together at St Hugh's it is the chance to break away - Otto, a socialite desperate to escape convention, Beatrice, the daughter of a famous mother wanting to be herself, Dora, suffering devastating loss and Marianne, a clever girl with secrets. Over their first year the girls find friendship in the face of adversity and prejudice.
Superficially, this is a pleasant enough historical fiction novel but it does have a lot of hidden depth. The characters are not too stereotypical but act as great vehicles for bigger themes to be explored and the setting is cleverly placed to hit radical changes in society. Overall a very promising novel.
Superficially, this is a pleasant enough historical fiction novel but it does have a lot of hidden depth. The characters are not too stereotypical but act as great vehicles for bigger themes to be explored and the setting is cleverly placed to hit radical changes in society. Overall a very promising novel.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a fun story about female friendships in early academia. Sad to say, much has not changed in terms of taking women in academia seriously. The camaraderie between the Eights felt very real and well-written.
Super grateful for the ARC from netgalley and Book Huddle!
Super grateful for the ARC from netgalley and Book Huddle!
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes