THE EIGHTS takes readers back to Oxford in 1920, where everyone is still coping with the aftermath of World War I. For the first time ever, the world-famous university is accepting women as students—not only to study at the institution, but also to be awarded their degrees, despite the misogyny that still runs rampant among some of the students and faculty. The story follows four very different young women over the course of the transformative 1920-1 school year; they all live together on Corridor Eight, soon earning them the nickname "The Eights."

Outspoken and politically-minded Beatrice is the daughter of a famous suffragette, and she sees Oxford as the chance to pave her own path, in terms of academics, career, and social life. Glamorous and lively Otto looks forward to balancing her socialite lifestyle with her pursuit of a math degree, yet she can't shake the trauma she endured working as a nurse during the war. Practical and organized Dora never intended to go to university, but after losing both her brother and her fiancé on the battlefield, she's attending Oxford in their place. And finally, reserved and intelligent Marianne, the daughter of a village pastor, who fears she won't last at Oxford—but she just might, as long as she keeps her biggest secret from everyone around her. Can the group's newfound friendship survive this tumultuous, transformative time in history?

This was a wonderful read! I think even readers who don't usually gravitate towards historical fiction will find something to enjoy here. I was quickly immersed in the world of these remarkable women, and so enjoyed following their journey. While some of the characters may seem stereotypical on the surface initially, like archetypes of students you might encounter in a story about college (i.e. the academic one, the social butterfly, etc.), there is much more to them than meets the eye. They are all richly and vividly drawn, each with their own unique voices and stories to tell! I particularly liked the choice of using multiple third-person POVs, with flashbacks interspersed throughout to add even more depth to these characters. In general, I just appreciated how character-driven this story is. Readers truly get to see The Eights "come of age," learn more about themselves and each other, and forge an unlikely yet enduring friendship during an important moment in time. Joanna Miller also does an amazing job of bringing the setting to life—I got a real sense of time and place from start to finish, and the story is so well-researched, full of fascinating details. Overall, THE EIGHTS was a thoughtful, compelling debut that I would definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

The Eights features four women who are among the first female students to matriculate at Oxford. The four women have different backgrounds and past trauma, and it was interesting to read about each of their experiences. On the flip side, four perspectives is a lot to track, and I found myself getting a bit disconnected with the storylines jumping around.

It's clear that Joanna Miller did significant research for this novel, and I appreciate her ability to weave in factual information. I learned a lot about a piece of history I previously knew little about.

Set in 1920s England at the conclusion of World War I and when Agatha Christie had published her first serialized novel, Miller focuses on the first women who are officially admitted to Oxford University. The four rooms on Corridor Eight are accounted for -- Six foot tall Beatrice Sparks concludes that she resembles a "rotund Tudor courtier in a Hans Holbein portrait" sporting the required square cap and commoners’ gown that have been worn by students for four hundred years. Beatrice’s mother, Edith Sparks, is a disciple of Sylvia Pankhurst, a militant suffragette, a woman of considerable renown who believes in equality for women in education. Beatrice, an only child, is dismissed by her powerful mother, but she adapts some of her mother’s liberal teachings, talking with her classmates about things “modern women” should discuss, like contraception. Marianne Grey is the daughter of a pastor whose precarious finances cause her to envision a life teaching Sunday school and composing the parish newsletter for her father. She must depart on weekends to tend to her father who is unwell. Theodora “Dora” Greenwood is at Oxford only because both her brother and her fiancé did not survive the war. If they had, Dora, of excellent posture and neatness personified, believes that she would “likely be spending her days pouring tea, playing whist, or being paraded at church.” Lastly, is the spirited Ottoline “Otto” Wallace Kerr whose mother is furious that she refused a proposal and whose father does not take her studies seriously, although she is the rare woman pursuing a mathematics degree.

Although the undergraduate body consists of over five hundred women (and four thousand men), the women are mocked and derided for wanting to learn. Women lack the full rights of men; they cannot participate in decisions at the highest level, and many clubs and publications are closed to them. Further, the women are constrained by the strict Intercollegiate Rules for Women Undergraduates. As Dora remarked, "if we want to do anything remotely exciting, we have to get permission and pay for a chaperone." Yet, this foursome persevere in the face of male disrespect and in the aftermath of a world changed by the Great War.

Although Miller has written an historical novel, many of these women’s grievances are still present a century later. Woman may be able to vote, but they continue to be deprived of equal opportunities and equal pay. Miller has written a novel that brilliantly melds fiction with fact. The character driven narrative is engaging and charming, and the prose is lyrical as one would expect from a distinguished poet. Thank you Penguin Group and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this rewarding novel.

Women know well the uncomfortable experience of being the sole woman in a hostile environment. Women also know well the validating experience of being surrounded by women who lift you up and support you during the good and bad times. Miller has written a universal story centering on four women (the "Eights") who are so bold as to choose to join the inaugural graduating class at Oxford in 1920. The women's varied experiences pre, during and post-WWI are still fresh and underly their determined efforts to become educated and independent women in a society that values neither unless you are a man. Highly recommended to lovers of literary fiction and historical fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and PenguinGroup Putnam.

“The Eights,” by Joanna Miller, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 384 pages, April 15, 2025.

It is 1920 and for the first time, female students are admitted to Oxford University. Four young women move into neighboring rooms in Corridor 8. They are known as The Eights.

Beatrice Sparks is the daughter of a suffragette. Marianne Grey is a vicar’s daughter. Ottoline Wallace-Kerr, called Otto, was a nurse during World War I. Theodora Greenwood, who goes by Dora, lost both her brother, George, and her fiancé, Charles, in the war.

As they arrive for their first day, the woman are subjected to nasty remarks by male students, and numerous restrictions imposed by the university. The accommodations are subpar and often the lecturers are misogynists.

There are flashbacks to their lives before the university. They each had a traumatic event in their past. The narrative jumps around so at times it is difficult to keep straight which person is which. The slow pacing is an obstacle to finishing the book.

I rate it three out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The Eights is about 4 women in the group to first matriculate at Oxford. I wish I had liked this book more because the setting, history and topic is so interesting. But, I just couldn’t connect with this book. I felt that there was too much meandering between characters and story lines and nothing that really drew me in. The most engaging parts were when the author wrote about the women in connection to what they were studying and their individual passion (or lack thereof) for their chosen subjects. And, while I am used to reading books with a non-linear timeline, I wonder if the 4 background chapters about each woman might have been better placed in the beginning of the book so it gave more foundation to each character. There are some things that happened that didn’t really add to the story (especially about Beatrice and the suffragette rally) that I wasn’t sure why they were in the book. And, all 4 women have either awful, absent or deceased mothers. Not sure why that would be.
I believe I am in the minority about my feelings about this book as other people have written great reviews. Sometimes, a reader and a book just don’t click and I think that is the case here. But, having said all that, it’s an okay book with some interesting facts and perspectives on what it was like in England and at Oxford after World War One. It’s worth a read for that reason and maybe you will like it more than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing a free advance copy e-book for me to read and review.

The Eights by Joanna Miller is a captivating novel!
A well written story that was so hard to put down.
I loved everything about this novel!

Definitely a read for lovers of literary and historical fiction.

I do love the plot of this story- it follows 4 women who live in the same dorm at Oxford University in 1920 (when Oxford first allowed women to enroll) and are referred to as “The Eights”. They have startlingly different backgrounds and personalities, and over the course of their time at Oxford their friendships forge into something reliable and sound.

As much as I love the concept and story, I really struggled with this book. The first half was very very slow. I frequently found myself zoning out WHILE reading, which does not happen often for me. That being said- this could potentially be attributed to the time period it is set in. It is also a very literary piece of writing. Very descriptive, thorough, and formal. Fortunately, the ending did redeem it a little and draw my interest back in. I chuckled and smiled at the way it came together so wholesomely. Happy publishing day!!

Thank you NetGalley & Putnam for the eARC!

A not-to-be-missed women’s historical fiction based on the first female undergraduates allowed to matriculate to Oxford University post-World War I. Coming from disparate backgrounds, four women find themselves sharing the same 4-room corridor at St. Hugh’s College in 1920. As they live in Corridor 8, they come to call themselves The Eights and form a tighter collective friendship than any of them could have imagined.

There’s wealthy socialite Otto Wallace-Kerr, the youngest of four sisters, who comes to Oxford to spite her controlling mother who would rather she just marry and cares not a whit about Otto’s mathematical prowess. Beatrice Sparks, the only daughter of a famous women’s suffragette leader, towers at 6 feet tall and fights her sense of both insecurity and unworthiness as a result of her mother’s constant disparagement and neglect. Beautiful Dora Greenwood has come in lieu of a place meant for her brother, who died during the war two weeks after Dora’s fiancé, who she met during his officer training in her hometown. Dora still grieves their loss and feels not academic enough to have deserved a spot at Oxford. Kind-hearted Marianne Grey has come to Oxford on scholarship, which she needs to continue to afford to attend, and goes home every other weekend to help care for her ailing, widowed Rector father.

The pervasive misogyny at Oxford, with many men hostile to the admittance of women, pervades their campus experiences, academic work, and feelings of worth. The women feel both a powerful need to be the best they can be to show women worthy of attending, while also feeling socially curtailed by the strict separation of sexes imposed. Even their college caps and gowns sag in comparison to the smart outfits of the men. But their collective spirit and constant ability to find fun wins the day.

They also confront deeply held secrets, many from the war time, which only draws them closer together. The specter of World War I lingers poignantly over all – from injuries sustained from the undergraduate men who fought as soldiers, the family losses to war, war-time romances, and harrowing memories by the women who worked with the injured in war time London.

The very best one can hope from women’s historical fiction, and based mostly on real events and stories, you feel as if you for the first time truly understand a historical era. I also felt flooded with gratitude for the many unsung heroines who broke down gender barriers that so dramatically benefitted generations of women who followed them.

Thanks to Penguin Group, Putnam, and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

The Eights by Joanna Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This character-driven novel focused on female friendships and breaking barriers. I wanted to love this one, but for me, it was a little bit too slow and the characters felt a little too stereotypical and merged with one another.

I loved the mixed media aspects and seeing some of the rules that the women had to follow highlighted the barriers placed on women just to learn. I also enjoyed the post-war world Miller crafted and found it added depth and empathy to those that served, survived, or never returned, and how that affected others.

Fans of historical fiction with meticulous research, strong female bonds, and books about academia may enjoy this one.

This book has everything that I enjoy in a good historical fiction:

1. It’s set in a time that I know very little about.
2. There is a unique point of view. In this case focusing on the women attending Oxford instead of the more common topic of the Pretty Little Things. Also, as someone who has read a Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, her inclusion in this story was perfect and not overpowering.
3. It is incredibly well researched. This is obviously a topic the author is passionate about.
4. There are interesting characters who are both familiar due to their complex humanity and foreign due to the fact that they are rooted in their time.

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an early copy.

The Eights by Joanna Miller is a slow-paced historical novel about love, loss, and the people we can become when given the space and the sunlight to grow. Dora, Marianne, Otto, and Beatrice are four of the first young women to matriculate at Oxford. Living side-by-side in corridor eight for their first year as Oxford students, the four women who start off as strangers quickly become a family.

Taking place in the shadow of World War I, The Eights does not shy away from the horrors of history. There is not a scene in the book that is not shaped by the events of the era, whether that be the Great War, the Spanish influenza epidemic, the fight for women’s suffrage, or something else. Nothing is sugar coated or misremembered as fun; every character we meet carries a scar, physical or emotional or both.

I do wish that more of the character growth had happened on page — for Dora and Marianne in particular, it feels as though they disappear and don’t return until they have completed their arc off-page. I also wish we had seen more of the girls as friends; so many of their scenes feel like they are just recapping instead of showing us the actual happenings.

That said, I enjoyed the writing itself quite a bit. I thought the descriptions were lovely, and it was clear that a lot of research and a lot of love went into this story. There was a lot of compassion for all of the characters, and I’m so happy that it ended with hope for the future. I wish the stakes had felt higher throughout the book, but all in all, I enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

I feel like I learned a lot about the first four women who attended Oxford. This book is very informative, but also has a good storyline that keeps you rooting for these characters.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Oof… I really wish I was beta reading this story instead of reading a review copy a few days before the pub date…

To me, this reads like an early working draft. Certain chapters are more put together than others. For the most part, The Eights does not illicit any emotion nor is written to be particularly interesting. The author frequently uses two (or five) sentences where one would have sufficed and has littered in an unbearable amount of rogue similes. Nothing unfolds in this story - every detail is revealed through painfully boring conversation between characters I did not care about or narration stating historical facts. We do not get to LIVE the history with our characters. I believe this story would’ve benefited heavily from choosing a main character from the bunch.

From the publisher’s description I should’ve LOVED this book for several reasons but I could not even like it even a little.

Though I dislike rating debut authors poorly, two stars is the absolute most I can give for “The Eights”

Ms. Miller’s book follows four young ladies who are among the first women to attend Oxford. This is in the heels of the end of WWI. All four experienced loss due to the Great War as they pave their path. Each of the four come from very diverse backgrounds but become fast friends even while keeping secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It would be a great book club read/discussion.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy and to the author for writing a good read.

The Eights was a delightful surprise of a debut. We meet four women who have been admitted to Oxford University, the first ever women to do so. We meet the women, learn what brought them to Oxford and go along with them on their journeys. There is quite a lot going on here and at times it felt a bit muddled, trying to keep it all in my head, but it was compelling and there were surprising turns. I really enjoyed reading this and I look forward to seeing what Joanna Miller writes next.

I love a good well thought out historical Fiction and The Eights was exactly that. I didn't know much about the first class of women at Oxford and now I want to learn more after reading this book! This book is perfect for anyone who loves historical fiction and books about academia.

i liked the eights overall, but it definitely dragged in places. the middle felt kinda choppy and slow, like not much was actually happening, and it was hard to stay fully into it. but the plot twists surprised me more than once, which i wasn’t expecting, and i really liked the premise. some of the quotes were actually so good too. not perfect, but there were parts that really worked for me.

i think what stood out the most to me was the way it explored friendship and how some situations bring together people who otherwise might not be friends. the setting and time period added a cool layer too, with all the tension around women finally being allowed into spaces that were never built for them. it wasn’t super plot-heavy, but it had this quiet intensity that i appreciated at times. definitely a slower read, but one that had some really thoughtful moments.

📖 Title: The Eights-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Joanna Miller-debut author

📅Publication date: 4-15-25 | Read 4-10-25

📃 Format: e-Book 384 pgs.

Genre:
*Women's Fic
*Historical Fic
*British Lit
*New Adult

Tropes:
*college student heroines
*women's suffrage
*feminism
*found family

👆🏾POV: 3rd person, multiple

⚠️TW: death of loved ones, bullying, misogyny

🌎 Setting: Oxford University 1920

Summary: Post WWI at Oxford University, four women bond over being a part of the first female class at the college. They face ridicule and are underestimated by everyone. They all have secrets and lean on each other in tough times.


👩🏾 Heroine: Beatrice Sparks-21, has no friends her age, wants to get out of her mother's shadow

👩🏾 Heroine: Marianne Grey-father is a pastor, goes home every weekend to help him

👩🏾Heroine: Theodora "Dora" Greenwood-20, came to Oxford in place of her deceased brother and fiancé.

👩🏾Heroine: Ottoline "Otto" Wallace-Kerr-24, turned down a proposal against her parents' wishes, the "rebellious" one.

🎭 Other Characters:

* Edith Sparks-Beatrice's famous women's suffragette mother
*George-Dora's brother-killed in the war
*Charles Baker-Dora's fiancé-killed in the war
*Henry Hadley-pastor who befriends Marianne
*Miss Jourdain-principal @ St. Hugh's


🤔 My Thoughts: I loved this historical fiction of female empowerment. All four women showed strength even when making hard decisions. Past trauma haunted them, but they faced it together leading to a satisfying conclusion.

Rating: 4/5 ✨
Spice level 0/5 🌶️

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, and Joanna Miller for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

I loved this book. It covers an area of history that I am interested in (also in women's education) but did so through excellent character development. Each of the four women we followed throughout the book portrayed a depth of emotion and perspective which made the first class of women at Oxford seem real!