I very much enjoyed this historical fiction book set in and around Oxford. Four female students meet at the university of Oxford in 1921 and form a deep bond of friendship. It's a lovely and moving story. I learned loads about the history of the university as well as the appalling way women were treated back then. Beautifully written and highly recommended.

Clever, tense, and addictive, this novel pulls you into its dark mystery and refuses to let go. I devoured it in a single sitting.

It’s 1920 and after years of suffrage women finally get the vote whilst at the same time a group of stoical young women are able to matriculate, for the first time, at Oxford University, starting an adventure which will see them ridiculed, and ignored, not just by some of their male counterparts but also by the dons who are there to instruct them in their chosen subjects. On Corridor Eight four brave young women meet and become firm friends. Their social backgrounds couldn’t be more different and yet through shared fun and difficult adversity they find a common bond, supporting each other when life throws them unexpected curve balls.

Carefully weaving fact and fiction, this lovely story takes us right into the heart of this great institution, however, as the women discover to their cost the hallowed halls are filled with misogyny, distrust and downright bigotry and yet they cling to the belief that education will give them opportunities never before seen. However, the country is still reeling, and grieving, from the effects of the Great War, and some young men returning to Oxford to complete their education still carry the scars of the horrors they witnessed in the trenches of northern France.

Beautifully written, filled with wonderful characters who guide you by the hand throughout, and who stay with you long after their individual stories are finished. The Eights was a real pleasure to read from start to finish, I shall miss Beatrice, Otto, Dora and Marianne and wish them well on their onward journeys.

A good historical women's fiction about those who were the pioneer in Oxford. Misoginy and all the prejudice of that age were strong but their friendship helped
Well plotted, vivid and fleshed out characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Eights centres on four women starting to study at Oxford University in 1920. Beatrice, Marianne, Dora (Theodora) and Otto (Ottoline).
The book moves through the twenties, going back a few years. then back to the twenties.
In the 1920’s women started to be allowed to be awarded a degree. Previous women students who had studied but not received a degree could eventually claim theirs. Prior to this women could study, but were not awarded a degree at the end like men.
I found this book fascinating and very interesting. It is a book I read slowly, digesting it all. It also touches on the period of the Great War.
It is a book woven with fact and fiction.
The author has a very clever way with words, and for me it’s one of the special kinds of books that you come across sometimes, that stay in your mind. I’m so glad that I have read it.

The authors notes at the end of the book were an interesting addition too. I have been researching some of the characters and things of interest, and it has opened my eyes to the pioneering strong women of the past, who enabled great change for the future.
A very good read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

This author can just take all my money at this point ! I officially am a complete fangirl and will read anything they write in the foreseeable !
The author is a complete powerhouse and I couldn’t put this book down . It captivated me from the first page to the last . Thank you so much

It’s hard to believe such a captivating and brilliantly written story is Joanna Miller’s first novel.
Set in Oxford in 1920, the Eights is a fictionalised tale of the first women to be admitted to Oxford University. It tells the stories of four very different women who live on the same corridor – corridor No 8.
Miller has created an excellent cast of believable and likeable characters. There’s Dora who was never meant to go to university, but, after losing both her brother and her fiancé on the battlefield, has arrived in their place. Beatrice, daughter of a famous suffragette, seeing Oxford as a chance to make her own way for the first time. Socialite Otto who fills her room with extravagant luxuries but fears they won’t be enough to distract her from her memories of the war years. And Marianne, the daughter of a village vicar, who arrives bearing a secret she must hide from everyone.
Alongside these likeable and relatable fictional characters Miller also cleverly weaves in cameo roles of some real women such as Vera Brittain and Winifred Holtby.
The period detail and historical accuracy throughout is impressive, but what really makes this book stand out is the wonderful way Miller depicts female friendship and resilience.
I loved this book, I was hooked from the beginning, and began missing her cast of characters as soon as I finished the book. I look forward to whatever Joanna Miller writes next.

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.