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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
The Eights definitely isnt my usual type of read, but my gosh, I loved spending time with Dora, Otto, Marianne and Beatrice during their first year at Oxford in 1920.
The books follows the four as they embark on their first term and beyond, mixing facts about the inclusion of women into the University as well as the fiction of the characters we follow.
The friendships between the characters were brilliant with ups and downs, and the multiple POV certainly helped me fall in love with each of them.
The throwback chapters interspersed throught really helped to understand each of the women too.
I would call this a quiet book, but I was hooked and I read it with a smile on my face.
The books follows the four as they embark on their first term and beyond, mixing facts about the inclusion of women into the University as well as the fiction of the characters we follow.
The friendships between the characters were brilliant with ups and downs, and the multiple POV certainly helped me fall in love with each of them.
The throwback chapters interspersed throught really helped to understand each of the women too.
I would call this a quiet book, but I was hooked and I read it with a smile on my face.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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:
Yes
I absolutely loved this book set in 1920s Oxford when women were allowed to attend University for the first time. It follows Dora, Beatrice, Otto and Marianne who, for various different reasons, have made their way to Oxford to study. Sharing corridor number eight, they quickly become firm friends.
All of these women have their own powerful back stories, some of them keeping secrets they find difficult to share. I loved each of them for very different reasons, but what I loved about all of them was their strength and resilience to fight for their rights in a man's world where many didn't want them.
This is a brilliant debut from Joanna Miller. Thought provoking, emotional and powerful, and told with such great heart. Bravo to Joanna - I'm hoping to read much more from her in the future!
All of these women have their own powerful back stories, some of them keeping secrets they find difficult to share. I loved each of them for very different reasons, but what I loved about all of them was their strength and resilience to fight for their rights in a man's world where many didn't want them.
This is a brilliant debut from Joanna Miller. Thought provoking, emotional and powerful, and told with such great heart. Bravo to Joanna - I'm hoping to read much more from her in the future!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
This was a slow burn but a beautifully written one. Loved the main characters but wanted a bit more than it gave me.
Beatrice, Otto, Marianne, and Dora room near each other in Corridor Eight. These four strangers - The Eights - soon become inseparable, sharing their hopes and secrets, as they navigate the challenges that come with being the first women to matriculate at Oxford University.
A timeless story of self-discovery, friendship, and the struggles of early adulthood, set against the backdrop of women's rights and the lingering impact of WWI.
"Despite her own pride in matriculating, she cannot help but imagine herself the winner of a relay race— being congratulated even though she only took the baton the last few feet over the line. As her mother often likes to point out, Beatrice’s generation is benefiting from years of lobbying, militancy, suffering, and protest by women like herself who refused to accept the status quo."
"A couple of weeks ago Otto could never have imagined herself part of a strange little gang like this, but the situation, though unexpected, is becoming increasingly welcome."
"Yes, Marianne is rather drunk, and is fearful and excited about going home, but these women! It is no surprise that the noun friend is derived from an ancient root word meaning to love, that it is etymologically bound to the word free. These marvelous women give her the confidence that what she is doing is right."
"Otto looks at Constance and then at Marianne. 'We don’t all go to Oxford to become Marie Curie. Most of us are ordinary people grasping the opportunity of an extraordinary education— and that goes for the men too.'"
A timeless story of self-discovery, friendship, and the struggles of early adulthood, set against the backdrop of women's rights and the lingering impact of WWI.
"Despite her own pride in matriculating, she cannot help but imagine herself the winner of a relay race— being congratulated even though she only took the baton the last few feet over the line. As her mother often likes to point out, Beatrice’s generation is benefiting from years of lobbying, militancy, suffering, and protest by women like herself who refused to accept the status quo."
"A couple of weeks ago Otto could never have imagined herself part of a strange little gang like this, but the situation, though unexpected, is becoming increasingly welcome."
"Yes, Marianne is rather drunk, and is fearful and excited about going home, but these women! It is no surprise that the noun friend is derived from an ancient root word meaning to love, that it is etymologically bound to the word free. These marvelous women give her the confidence that what she is doing is right."
"Otto looks at Constance and then at Marianne. 'We don’t all go to Oxford to become Marie Curie. Most of us are ordinary people grasping the opportunity of an extraordinary education— and that goes for the men too.'"
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for access to this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
There are fewer ~bookish things~ I love more than an incredible debut novel and that is absolutely what The Eights is.
The Eights is a historical fiction novel about four of the first women to attend Oxford University and it is so engaging and inspiring. Each of the four “Eights” (so-called because of the housing unit they’re assigned to when they first arrive) are characters rich with unique points of view and experiences, and have fully-fledged personalities.
Otto is my favorite (which will surprise no one who reads this and knows me) but Marianne, Dora, and Beatrice are all kickass characters too. Their efforts to push back against the rampant misogyny of 1920s England and seek the education they desire (and so deserve) is truly so inspirational. Their devotion to one another is a great reminder of how special female friendships are.
All four of the women have been deeply affected in one way or another by WWI and the chapters dedicated to each young woman’s back story add so much depth to the characters and the story as a whole. This debut instantly reminded me of The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, which I read and loved last year, and really gives major Kristin Hannah vibes.
If you are a fan of historical fiction and feminist stories, this one is definitely for you!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, War
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Eights
3.5 ⭐️
I was soooo excited when I read the description of this book—the first women attending Oxford with a close knit bond?! Yes please!
The Eights are four women who face a lot of adversity while attending male dominated Oxford in the years following WWI.
I didn’t think this one landed quite as well as I’d hoped. The story was much more focused on their romantic relationships than on their pursuit of higher education. It also felt a little choppy with all of the poems, school notices and flashbacks to the war. I enjoyed the girls’ camaraderie but I wanted more of it!
Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF -- I couldn't get into this one. The way it starts out, introducing one girl, and then another, and then another, and then another, in rapid succession, does not make for good writing and only serves to confuse and bore the reader. I also couldn't tell what the plot was. It seemed like it wanted to be some kind of Mona Lisa Smile/Dead Poets Society type thing, which would be great if the author included any clear semblance of a plot in the first 30 pages or so.
One star because I had to put *something* on NetGalley, and I wanted the reviews to match both there and here.
Nevertheless, thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
One star because I had to put *something* on NetGalley, and I wanted the reviews to match both there and here.
Nevertheless, thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
hopeful
inspiring
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
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an e-ARC of this book!
The Eights follows four young women as they become part of the first class of women to enroll at Oxford University in 1920. Each of them has their own struggles, but all of them must deal with the after effects of World War I and the prejudices of the men who don't believe women belong in such a prestigious educational institution. As the school year goes on, the four women (nicknamed "the Eights" because of their room assignments) grow closer and closer together, sharing secrets and traumas, and ultimately forming an unbreakable friendship.
Charming is the first word that comes to mind to describe this book. I was charmed by all four of the main characters, each in their own unique way. They were compelling and sympathetic, and I found myself continually wanting to come back to the book just to spend more time with them and dig deeper into each of their stories. I came away from the book really feeling like I had lived in that moment of time with them.
I also loved how the author captured female friendship and especially female friendship in college. It felt so accurate and time period appropriate, but it managed to remind me so much of my own college experiences--the caring for one another, the laughing together until you can't breathe--that it really moved me. Given the current unprecedented times we're all living through, reading this book was comforting and inspiring. Here are four women who, despite all of the obstacles in their way, support each other, love each other, and persist.
Honestly, I would have read a book that was three times as long as this one and followed the Eights all the way through to graduation. Probably because of that, I felt like the ending and wrap up of lose ends was a little rushed. Like I said though, that might just be because I wanted to spend more time with the characters.
If you like historical, feminist fiction this one is for you. I know I'll be thinking about each of these women for a while.
The Eights follows four young women as they become part of the first class of women to enroll at Oxford University in 1920. Each of them has their own struggles, but all of them must deal with the after effects of World War I and the prejudices of the men who don't believe women belong in such a prestigious educational institution. As the school year goes on, the four women (nicknamed "the Eights" because of their room assignments) grow closer and closer together, sharing secrets and traumas, and ultimately forming an unbreakable friendship.
Charming is the first word that comes to mind to describe this book. I was charmed by all four of the main characters, each in their own unique way. They were compelling and sympathetic, and I found myself continually wanting to come back to the book just to spend more time with them and dig deeper into each of their stories. I came away from the book really feeling like I had lived in that moment of time with them.
I also loved how the author captured female friendship and especially female friendship in college. It felt so accurate and time period appropriate, but it managed to remind me so much of my own college experiences--the caring for one another, the laughing together until you can't breathe--that it really moved me. Given the current unprecedented times we're all living through, reading this book was comforting and inspiring. Here are four women who, despite all of the obstacles in their way, support each other, love each other, and persist.
Honestly, I would have read a book that was three times as long as this one and followed the Eights all the way through to graduation. Probably because of that, I felt like the ending and wrap up of lose ends was a little rushed. Like I said though, that might just be because I wanted to spend more time with the characters.
If you like historical, feminist fiction this one is for you. I know I'll be thinking about each of these women for a while.