Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
The Eights follows, slightly confusingly, four young women who are among the first to matriculate at Oxford University. They are known as The Eights because they all room in corridor eight and they quickly become inseparable despite being very different. Over the course of the novel we see how they settle into Oxford life, cope with the aftermath of the war (this is 1920) and reveal their secrets.
So far, so predictable, and in some ways this novel doesn't do anything new, but I still found it engrossing and charming. The girls are all very likeable and I was invested in their stories. I enjoyed the way we followed first one and then another and got flashes of their backstories. I also liked learning what it was like at Oxford when the first female students arrived and what they had to put up with from the men, both fellow students and lecturers.
I read this in two days and I'd have been happy to spend longer with the girls. Overall this was fun, interesting, emotional and satisfying and I'm happy I read it. Recommended for historical fiction fans who aren't looking for anything too radical.
I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
This was a great book about a really important and unique point in history - really showing the intersection of the impact of WWI alongside the fight for women’s equal rights in a variety of spaces. Throughout the novel, we dive deeper into the complexity of each of our main characters and learn of the multiple “battles” they are each fighting. I will admit that I found it difficult to keep them separate in the beginning of the book but I think this aligned well with “getting to know” them as the book went on, maybe even a slight reflection on society’s views of women. As an America, the often antiquated and British slang held me up a bit but I was grateful to find the glossary in the back! This was a great book and I’ll definitely continue to wonder what our Eights would have been up to after the story ended.
slow-paced
I did so want to like this book - my granny was one of the Oxford pioneers, but it is so slow. I just could not get into it. There were so many stereotypes - the hearty women with their big shoes, not caring what they looked like and a downtrodden vicar's daughter. I am afraid I threw in the towel when 'Otto' - so brave, so strong etc - starting saying she would never complain about her menses again. Really? I feel that if this flummery had been cut and the plot had started sooner I may have enjoyed it as so many other reviews are more positive than mine.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-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:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
This is one of those novels that you think is pure fiction but is actually inspired by real facts. This is the story of three women who weren’t allowed to study at Oxford and weren’t respected when they did. But they weren’t having any of that nonsense.
What a jewel of a read! I got angry on their behalf. Felt like storming in one of those meetings myself. This is going to be good for bookclubs and plenty of discussions.
A really good insightful read!
A wonderful story that follows the first women to study at university in Oxford during the WW2 period. Historical fiction fans are in for a treat with this one!
I'm so impressed that this is Joanna Miller's debut novel. It's a well written, well researched book about a topic that I personally found fascinating. I mean, who doesn't love some strong female main characters?
I'm so impressed that this is Joanna Miller's debut novel. It's a well written, well researched book about a topic that I personally found fascinating. I mean, who doesn't love some strong female main characters?
This novel tells us the story of eight of the first cohort of women to be formally enrolled in Oxford University to do a degree
I found the detail of Oxford University at this time fascinating particularly the differences that women and men faced whilst doing their undergraduate studies in the 1920s
The list of what the women had to do to avoid the men was particularly interesting and seemed primarily to involve avoiding the man as much as possible and not upsetting the male undergraduate experience of university life.
It must’ve been really gauling for the young women seeing the relative freedom of the men had to go out their daily life compared with the rigidity of the rules that applied to women only.
I’ve read quite a lot of novels set an time of suffragettes. This is the first time I have read anything set just afterwards with the daughters of the original suffragettes now seeing signs of female liberation.
Throughout the novel there are mentions of writers writing novels and poems at the time ,as somebody who mostly reads new novels it intrigued me to think that I could have been reading Agatha Christie or other novels of the time made me think who among the authors that I am fond of now will become in time classics
Is quite a lot of formatting error with this with multiple numbers appearing on every page on NetGalley mixed up with the text I persevered with the story as I was interested in the characters
The author has a easily red writing style and the novel was an enjoyable read
She describes the individual girls characters succinctly and precisely and do you feel like they are real people
I read an only copy on NetGalley UK. The book was published in the UK march 2025 by Penguin General UK
This review will appear on Goodreads, NetGalley UK, and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. It will also appear on Amazon UK.
I found the detail of Oxford University at this time fascinating particularly the differences that women and men faced whilst doing their undergraduate studies in the 1920s
The list of what the women had to do to avoid the men was particularly interesting and seemed primarily to involve avoiding the man as much as possible and not upsetting the male undergraduate experience of university life.
It must’ve been really gauling for the young women seeing the relative freedom of the men had to go out their daily life compared with the rigidity of the rules that applied to women only.
I’ve read quite a lot of novels set an time of suffragettes. This is the first time I have read anything set just afterwards with the daughters of the original suffragettes now seeing signs of female liberation.
Throughout the novel there are mentions of writers writing novels and poems at the time ,as somebody who mostly reads new novels it intrigued me to think that I could have been reading Agatha Christie or other novels of the time made me think who among the authors that I am fond of now will become in time classics
Is quite a lot of formatting error with this with multiple numbers appearing on every page on NetGalley mixed up with the text I persevered with the story as I was interested in the characters
The author has a easily red writing style and the novel was an enjoyable read
She describes the individual girls characters succinctly and precisely and do you feel like they are real people
I read an only copy on NetGalley UK. The book was published in the UK march 2025 by Penguin General UK
This review will appear on Goodreads, NetGalley UK, and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. It will also appear on Amazon UK.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
An exquisite novel! This is my type of historical fiction: a lesser-known moment in history that is meticulously researched; a cast of characters, each so real, one swears they are based on actual people. Miller's storytelling is so engaging; every corner of Oxford University during post-World War I came alive. I became vested in Berniece, Dora, Marianne, and Otto's success as some of the first women to be admitted to the all-male Oxford University. The women struggle with misogyny, their own PTSD from volunteering during the Great War, and the double-standards for women in higher education at that time, all while struggling with personal secrets and tragedies. The issues then are still relevant today. Not an ounce of fluff in this wonderful novel. I was hooked from the first page and did not want this story to end.
emotional
hopeful
informative
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:
Yes
What a fabulous concept for a book! I was invested from the start, and as Doxbridge graduate felt nostalgically whisked back into the gothic academic setting. It was a joy to uncover the stories of these women, and be a part of their journey as the first female attendees. How lucky and privileged we are today. Loses half a star for me as it took me a while to feel invested in the characters and it faltered a little in the middle. Really excited to see the reaction to this one when it's out in the wild next year!!