"It’s enough to send a chap to Cambridge"

Turbulent times at Oxford when in 1920, the first intake of female students allowed to formally matriculate arrived at Oxford.

They were a long way from being accepted and their journey at St Hugh's held many challenges. They were ridiculed, jeered at and held to account but slowly and surely they gained support and change began.

A well researched account of a turning point in Oxfords academic history, the city was instantly recognisable and I found this a fascinating and heartwarming read. Beatrice, Otto, Marianne and Dora came from completely different backgrounds but living in the same corridor 'The eights' they came together as a friends, allies and protectors.

A moving and inspirational read.

I loved this eminently readable literary take on the history of women at Oxford University.

The descriptions are evocative and the period felt fresh and real to read. Strong characterisation and a compelling story. This is literary but also a propulsive and highly readable book. The underlying themes of misogyny are well handled and its a satisfying read. Perfection.

This is interesting, not just because of these women who are making history, being the first to matriculate at Oxford, but also because of these four women.
The rules and regulations put in place and enforced seem absolutely crazy now.
The four though, they each warmed my heart a little. It took me a while to separate them in my head, but each had their secrets, and each took their own path to get here.
By the end of the book, I almost felt a part of the friendship, that I picture going on for many many years.
Very enjoyable.

'Gentlemen,' says the don. 'We should pity these poor women who have been encouraged to believe they are the intellectual equal of men.'

This is an engaging novel about four young women who are part of the first intake of female students allowed to formally matriculate at Oxford in order to take degrees. It's very much in the tradition of female friendship narratives as the four bond instantly and support each other through trials and tribulations but it's heart-warming for all that.

I have to confess that even by the end I couldn't keep Beatrice, Dora and Marianne separate in my head: the only one who was absolutely clear is Otto with her wealthy, flapper background. But as a quartet of different experiences in the 1920s, this works very well. Miller is attentive to the aftermath of WW1 and its impact on young women as well as the more usually studied men, and also carefully places historical and cultural markers: Agatha Christie's [book:The Mysterious Affair at Styles|52843028], Thomas Hardy, D.H. Lawrence, the renewal of suffragette and suffragist activism.

I assume the epigraphs of Oxford college rules and regulations are accurate: they're both hilarious in their primness but also indicative of how women had to conform to unnatural standards just to be allowed to learn.

Although the focus is strongly on female experience, this doesn't fall into a 'man-hating' stance: 'good' female allies have a presence here too though they don't swamp the women: 'the most exquisite and unexpected acts of kindness. From strangers. From men.'

At times, the structure gets a little clumsy with the regular flashbacks to the four women's lives before Oxford, but I was willing to forgive craft issues as I was enjoying the storytelling - just the thing for commute and/or holiday reading with a reliable historical backbone.

Interesting book, great to read and entertaining. We get to learn those four woman (and some more) and discover their different reasons to take on this big task of being among the first woman to study at Oxford and having to fight all kinds of challenges. Well written and certainly a page-turner. One little comment, being not familiar with the localisation, I found it sometimes hard to understand the geography of the places. However, if I understood correctly, the book will include a map so that will be a useful addition. I recommend it for those who like historical fiction, specifically those who want to learn more about the history of such institution and their role in the emancipation of woman. Thank you Penguin General UK for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much for letting me read an e-arc of The Eights by Joanna Miller. As soon as I saw the blurb I knew it was right up my street, but had no idea just how much I would enjoy it. I’m going to stick my neck out and say it’s my favourite read this year. The writing is wonderful, the subject fascinating and the storylines utterly absorbing. I’m so sad I’ve finished it. I loved those girls and I loved everything about this book. It is just perfect.

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