Joanna Miller’s debut novel is that rare thing an intelligent, literary page-turner. Primarily set at Oxford University in the early 1920s, it follows the fortunes of four undergraduates, part of the first group of women admitted to study for a full degree. Enrolled at St. Hugh’s college for women, the four are placed in adjacent rooms, a happenstance that leads to the gradual formation of strong bonds between them. There’s Beatrice from Bloomsbury, daughter of a prominent suffragette; Marianne a shy vicar’s daughter; Dora who’s still reeling from the loss of both her boyfriend and brother in the trenches of WW1; and irrepressible, glamourous socialite Otto. Although they might sound dangerously close to stock, in Miller’s capable hands her characters come to life, making it hard not to root for them. They’re sympathetic yet convincingly flawed. I liked that she doesn’t try to make them too modern, instead she shows how women like these may have internalised many of the era’s uncomfortable attitudes - from class prejudice to restrictive feminine ideals – but still struggled against them, searching for new ways of thinking and being.

Miller inserts flashbacks to provide insights into her characters’ formative experiences, most of which trace back to the trauma of war, time spent as volunteers with the wounded, fractured relationships, harsh awakenings. But her steadfast women refuse to let the blatant misogyny of large swathes of male students and lecturers get in their way; willing to take chances and embrace radical possibilities. Miller’s narrative’s well-crafted and well-researched, there’s a real depth to her rendering of her characters’ immediate and wider historical context - loved the cameo appearances from Vera Brittain and Winifred Holtby. The four eagerly await the publication of a crime novel from obscure but celebrated author Agatha Christie; debate the burning questions of the age; follow rapidly-shifting fashions, cropping their hair and raising their hemlines – for Beatrice Radclyffe Hall’s singular style’s both revelation and inspiration. It’s a keenly-observed, absorbing portrait of the time, of a moment in women’s history, and above all of friendship forged in the aftermath of war. Fascinating, sometimes unexpectedly moving, utterly gripping.

I absolutely love this story of womanhood and the historic Oxford University and how these woman all come together to unite into sisterhood. I enjoyed every moment! This is a perfect book for book clubs etc,Very excited for readers to have the opportunity to expertise book. I have a feeling it will be optioned for film as well