I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but the description and quotes I saw for this novel piqued my interest. I'm pleased to say, I really enjoyed it, and found it very entertaining reading about Otto, Dora, Beatrice and Marianne, four women- strangers at first- living on corridor eight (The Eights) at Oxford University in 1920, the first year women were allowed to matriculate from the university.

I found it really similar in tone to In Memorium, and since the First World War has only just finished at the start of the novel, it almost felt like a continuation of the same world to me. The lens has just shifted from the boys of In Memorium, to the young women of The Eights and I think if you like one, then you'd like the other.

It's a great story of female friendship, and of four women of different backgrounds finding each other, each with their own secrets and backstories and would definitely appeal to readers who love to read those books, contemporary or historical.

However my favourite thing about the novel is the world in which it's set- Oxford in 1920, where the wounds of WWI run deep, both physically and socially, and things are changing.

The author weaves key historical themes and events through the story with a very light touch, and while I didn't feel hugely emotionally involved- the stakes weren't quite high enough for me- it did immerse me in the world of the book and give me a real sense of what life might have been like for these women, reading from the privileged perspective of someone who found a fairly straight-forward route to university. I was also SHOCKED that while women could gain a degree from Oxford in 1920, Cambridge did not grant full degrees to women until 1948! It makes you realise, we have come a long way in a fairly short space of time...tho certainly not far enough of course.

Anyway, this was a very interesting and entertaining read which would be a good one for the summer holidays!

..."I often ask myself", she begins, "if women had always been taught to paint, sculpt, publish, report, write, calculate, translate, and experiment, what kind of world would we live in now? And how will we ever know the contribution of women to the great scientific and cultural achievements of the past? What about the women who were instrumental in listening, editing, advising, inspiring, recording, and assisting famous men? Women who have been written out of history; their contributions unrecorded and unvalued..."

I was drawn into the premise of Joanna Miller's debut novel and I definitely wasn't disappointed! I grew to love our four main protagonists - Beatrice, Marianne, Dora and Otto - and enjoyed joining them during their first year at Oxford University (although I'm sure their chaperones would disagree!) coming off the end of World War I. Miller undoubtedly and skillfully balanced her fictional characters and plotlines with well-researched academic and historical evidence; and the author's note was inspiring~

With elements of academia, history (and war), 'slice of life', and romance, this historical literary novel will keep you enraptured in the life and time of The Eights. Definitely recommended for fans of Pip Williams!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me access to an arc copy in exchange for an honest review. All feelings and statements are my own.

Well researched, full of historical detail and a thoroughly enjoyable story of women finding their way in the early days of them being accepted at universities. An excellent and enjoyable debut from Joanna Miller.

I really loved the the idea and premise of this book and I loved that we got to step back in time. The characters are memorable and I really enjoyed seeing their different stories.

1920’s Britain - For the first time in it’s 1000 year history women can study at Oxford University
So four women grasp the opportunity to study at Oxford - they live together on corridor eight and become know as ‘the eights’
They all come with different life experiences, but it’s new and exciting, Britain is recovering from WW1 and they feel they are pioneers for their generation.
A brilliant debut novel, showing self-determined young ladies, resilient and fighting for their rights in a man’s world
This will definitely become a new Book Club fav
Thanks @joannamillerauthor @penguinfigtree & @netgalley for the fabulous debut read

I was really attracted to the description of this book. Joanna Miller's debut novel set in the 1920s is about a diverse group of pioneering women who were some of the first women to receive a degree from Oxford University.
As the novel progresses you learn the back stories of the four women. And how they were all impacted in different ways by World War 1.
Ultimately, it is a story of female friendships.
The four women are known as The Eights as their rooms were on corridor eight of St Hugh's College.
For some reason it took me longer than normal to read this book, possibly because I was reading it on my iPad in the NetGalley Shelf apo.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I couldn’t put this book down. It truly struck a chord in my heart. The Eights is a rich, evocative portrayal of a fascinating period in history, with an Oxford setting that felt utterly immersive. The strong female protagonists, each navigating deeply relatable struggles, really resonated with me. I’m a sucker for well executed female friendships, and this novel delivered them beautifully. The themes of grief, resilience, and societal expectations were explored with sensitivity and depth. It’s also incredibly well researched and gave me genuine insight into the lives of women breaking barriers in the 1920s.

I had a few minor reservations. The pacing was slow at first, and I struggled to differentiate between the four main characters early on. The heavy inclusion of historical detail, while fascinating, sometimes overwhelmed the narrative, especially when paired with multiple storylines that occasionally felt confusing. I would have loved to go deeper into each character’s journey to make their arcs feel more satisfying.

Still, this was a compelling and memorable read—a solid 4 stars for me. I’ve been recommending it to everyone I’ve bumped into while reading it! Well done Joanna Miller, a brilliant debut, I can't wait to read what you come up with next.

This is a luminous novel about some of the first women allowed to receive degrees at Oxford. They face misogyny, disease and the dark shadow of the war as well as their own secrets and struggles but their close friendship and their courage and resilience sees them triumph in this beautiful city of ‘dreaming spires’. It’s a fine addition to a long list of university novels.

Heartbroken Dora yearns for her fiancee who was killed in the war. Flirtatious and beautiful, Otto, born with a silver spoon in her mouth, longs for luxury. Beatrice lacks confidence, partly because she can never live up to her suffragette mother, and Marianne hides a secret.

Beautifully written with some interesting real characters and snippets of history, this is a keeper!

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for a free ebook.

I couldn't get into this book unfortunately which is a huge shame because the cover is excellent and I loved the premise. I DNF at 16% so it wouldn't be fair of me to leave a full review.

The Eights has a direct ticket to being one of my favourite reads of 2025.

Historical fiction often intimidates me, but Joanna Miller’s tale of unlikely friendships amongst the first female class in Oxford, was nothing short of a page-turner.

The characters stories were so beautifully carved, each facing their own individual challenges, all weaved together with the most beautiful writing. I came to love each of these women as if they were friends or sisters of my own.

Miller’s story is so fascinating, and I just could not put it down. But above all, this story reminded me of the power of female friendships. A 5-star moving read

Set in Oxford University following WW1, The Eights tells the story of four of the women that were finally granted access to achieve degrees in this historic institution. The debates on women gaining the vote, the women's suffrage movement, and the role of women are plentiful throughout the book but somehow I wish there was more. The boating competition, the debate on women attending Oxford, and the queen receiving an honorary degree seemed to be politely brushed over when I felt (especially with the boat competition) that these moments could have been fleshed out more- despite there being so much information in the book on these women and how differently they were treated to the men, I wanted to read more about their triumphs and rule-breaking.

I did however appreciate how this didn't become a novel overwhelmed with romance and how it very much centred on the women and the new conversations on women's rights emerging. I loved all the characters we follow in the book with my favourite being Otto, an eccentric and outgoing woman with the ability to flirt without the desire to marry. Overall, the characters were well-developed and each had their own story to tell and unravel with the result being a sweet ending and hope for the future following a traumatic war. That being said, I would have loved to know more about the ambitions of the women going forward. It is written what they plan to do but in a way that felt like the credits of a movie. Where the research of the book is impeccable and the depiction of Oxford during the time immaculate, maybe it was too polished? I am between two mindsets with this book where some chapters were brilliant and addictive (mostly those that proved the characters' tight friendship) and others that felt like fillers just so every week of their studies could be included.
Overall, it was a lovely read and I learned so much history and I always love a book about female friendship which this novel had plenty of.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC of this book and the chance to write a review on it!

This is a fabulous book about a group of women who are the first admitted to study at Oxford after the First World War. Each has their reasons for wanting to be there, to be pioneers in a new world, and we read their stories and get to know their secrets as they build strong relationships with each other.
I loved learning about how these women paved the way for others, and about the restrictions placed on them as women in such a male environment. I loved the interweaving of real figures from history alongside the fictional heroines. I grew to love these brave women, particularly admiring Otto, who is feisty and fun.
Great storytelling and really moving. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

It’s 1920 and Oxford University has finally allowed women to fully attend for the first time. Amongst those pioneering female students are the Eights, an unlikely group of friends. Dora is still mourning the loss of her brother and fiancé in the Great War. Otto is a seemingly carefree socialite but her memories of wartime nursing haunt her. While Beatrice’s mother is a celebrated suffragette, she is hoping to make her own way out of her mother’s shadow. Finally, Marianne is the quiet and clever daughter of a village pastor with a secret she must keep hidden.

I loved The Eights. Testament of Youth was one of my favourite books last year and the blurb for The Eights immediately made me think of the latter portion of that book. Vera Brittain even makes a cameo, which I loved! It’s such an interesting setting and time period and Miller’s research and attention to detail shine through. The four characters are so well defined and draw attention to different aspects of the time period like the First World War and the suffragettes.

While the Eights benefit from the progress of women’s rights to allow them to attend, their lives are still tightly controlled at the university. Miller paints a fascinating picture of what it would be like for them to attend. Needless to say, pretty different from a modern-day experience. They also face rampant misogyny from professors and fellow students who do not think they belong at Oxford.

I thought this was a brilliant and lovely novel, which I would highly recommend. I think it would make a wonderful TV adaptation as well.

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.

Its 1920 and Oxford University has admitted women students for the first time (I Must admit I found this odd because there were also older women who finally received their degrees from Oxford so how did they study?) and four young women from different walks of life are allotted rooms on staircase eight.

Otto is the youngest of four aristocratic sisters, her mother hasn't spoken to her for months after she refused to marry a wealthy acquaintance and instead chose to study maths at Oxford.

Dora is only at Oxford (despite being extremely clever) because bother her brother and her fiancé died during WW1, within two weeks of each other. She always wanted to be a wife and mother and faces an uncertain future where men are in short supply.

Beatrice is the daughter of a celebrated suffragette, her mother is very self-absorbed and alternately ignores and berates Beatrice for things she cannot change.

The fourth girl is Marianne, the daughter of a vicar in a nearby village, she returns home every other weekend and returns exhausted.

The young women navigate a strange new world, particularly strange since some of them were working during the war, so to be required to be accompanies by a chaperone and be forbidden to speak to any male student who is not their brother seems archaic.

I liked the historical detail and Joanna Miller says she did a lot of research about the era and Oxford, visiting on multiple occasions, I was just feeling there wasn't enough heart in the story - often a concern where you have four protagonists. In this case, Beatrice felt like the spare part, she didn't really have a story. Overall I felt it was a bit paint by numbers, there's the poor little rich girl, the girl with a secret, the girl who lost everything, blah, blah, blah.

I liked it but I didn't love it - if the characters had been real people I could have understood it better, but fictional characters who don't step off the page? Meh.

I received an Arc from the publisher via NetGalley.

I was fascinated by the story of these young women, some of the earliest, to attend Oxford university during the 1920s. The story highlights the experiences of women, emerging from the devastation of WW2, with a burning desire to prove themselves. Full of historic detail, the story covers women's suffrage, the role of the Oxford colleges during the First World War and the women who worked there, lights on the 'single women' status of women during the postwar period and details the injured and damaged young men who were the 'survivors' of the war but who returned as very different people.
I loved the different characters of The Eights, finding myself really caring and rooting for these young women in the challenges they faced during their first year at Oxford. Their different stories highlight the 1920s of Oxford bringing their characters vividly alive. I thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys history especially that which reflects on women and the struggle for equality. A brilliant read!

The Eights imagines the lives of four Oxford undergraduates who were part of the very first class to be granted the ability to earn a degree from the university (previously women could enroll and take the same examinations as men, but not be awarded a degree). Though it is a fictional account, the strongest aspect of the book is Miller's immpecable research and her detailed evocation of what life was like in an enclosed world that still holds a fair bit of mystery today. Most of us will never enter an Oxford College, so in addition to the historical interest, The Eights allows readers to gain a small and pleasurable glimpse of Oxford's secret spaces, rituals and terminologies.

The four central characters are drawn with a fair bit of depth and each has a pleasing arc, though the wider ensemble of figures who populate the novel are somewhat harder to keep straight. I found myself losing track of who was who amongst the male undergraduates, but ultimately this didn't impact the overall enjoyment of the book. Miller's writing is strongest when she engages with the complicated feelings of horror, grief and guilt felt by the population in the wake of the First World War, and it is a testament to the novel that despite this focus it never veers into melodrama or sanctimony. Overall, an impressive debut that I enjoyed from both a historical and a narratological perspective.

'The Eights' is a wonderful story of four very different women who are of the first women to study and graduate at Oxford University in 1920.

Otto, Beatrice, Dora and Marianne learn to find their way within the maze and demands of Oxford. It is an uplifting story about how these brave, intelligent, resilient women form a strong friendship. I particularly, really enjoyed the vivacious character of Ottoline.

I really enjoyed reading about this pivotal moment in history, post WW1 when women were given the vote.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this eCopy to review

Joanna Miller’s The Eights is a thoughtful and immersive historical fiction novel that transports readers to 1920s Oxford, where four pioneering women navigate academia in a male-dominated world. It’s a beautifully crafted debut that shines in its depiction of female resilience and the changing social landscape of the era.

The novel follows Dora, Beatrice, Otto, and Marianne—four women from very different backgrounds who find themselves sharing a dormitory floor and forging an unbreakable bond. Dora, grieving the loss of her brother and fiancé in World War I, arrives at Oxford determined to make the most of her education. Beatrice, the daughter of a famous suffragette, is passionate about carving her own path. Otto, a former wartime nurse, seeks distraction from haunting memories, while Marianne, the quiet daughter of a village pastor, harbours a secret that could jeopardise her future.

Miller’s elegant prose and meticulous research bring the setting to life. The struggles these women face—misogyny, grief, societal expectations—are compelling and timely.

The Eights offers a fascinating glimpse into a pivotal moment in history, and its themes of friendship and perseverance resonate deeply.

Set between the two great wars in the 1920s this novel follows four women as they attend their first year at Oxford University. All have their own powerful reasons for competing in what has been previously a male dominated world and I cheered for their strength and tenacity to overcome the prejudices that they met. A real page turner which kept me reading until late at night and I shall miss the characters and their stories. A real triumph and I look forward to the author’s next book. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.