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.

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

I loved this eminently readable literary tale about a group of four young women at Oxford University who were the first to be admitted to degree programs in 1920.
The descriptions are evocative and the period felt fresh and real to read. Strong characterisation and a compelling story with an insightful and immpactful view on this pivotal period of time, with the shadows of world war one haunting the world. This is literary but also a propulsive and highly readable book. The underlying themes of misogyny and friendship are well handled and its a satisfying read. Perfection. I'm a fan and can't wait to see what Miller does next.

This is a great novel and I learned a lot about these women who couldn't study at Oxford. Fancy being told you can't attend university because you're a woman. it shows just how women were viewed and this is onlyi the 1920s which is scary. We've come so far yet still have far to go. It really made me think reading this. Would love to see this on the TV!

A joyful, interesting read with some gorgeous historical detail. This made me want to go to Oxford immediately

Oxford University, 1920 - the first time women have been allowed to matriculate and gain degrees. Four women from very different backgrounds move into corridor eight of St Hugh's College and become good friends, helping each other to deal with past traumas and present challenges over the course of their first year.

What a brilliant book, I absolutely loved it! The author does a magnificent job of combining fascinating historical detail with a page-turning plot and I couldn't put it down. Loved the four women - Dora, Beatrice, Otto and Madeleine - and the different perspectives they brought to the story... but most of all their friendship. Amazing - can we have a series please?! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

Really enjoyed this, it started out as a light and easy read, but developed into a far more engaging account of the four women and their lives after WW1. Oxford hasn't changed but captured the undergrad experience well.

I love a mid-century based book especially one focusing on the lives of women navigating and driving change and The Eights is an absolute delight bringing to vivd life the experiences of women fighting to be taken seriously as students straight after the First World War.

It is 1920. Men have returned home although many still bear the physical and mental scars of their time in the trenches, women have relinquished their jobs back to the returning soldiers but in return some have gained the vote, and the youngest adults have emerged from their schools into a different world to those of their older siblings. Oxford has had women students and colleges for some time now but separate not part of the illustrious university and this is the first year women students are allowed to matriculate. Among those students are Dora, Marianne, Otto and Beatrice, arriving at St Hugh's with vastly different hopes, dreams and experiences. Dora is still mourning the brother and fiance who should both have returned to their studies in Oxford, tall, awkward Beatrice is struggling to find her confidence and escape from the overbearing shadow of her formidable pioneeing mother, Otto is haunted by her experiences as a VAD, needing to prove that she is more than a party girl whose only role is to marry well and Marianne has well buried secrets she can't share even with her closest friends.

The Eights takes us through the four friends first year as they navigate onerous rules, double standards, hostile lecturers and male students. The book is filled with historical detail but wears its research lightly, entertaining as it educates, the author's love for the city, the traditions of the university and her subject shining through. An absorbing and enjoyable read, I loved it.

I loved this book on so many levels. The historical detail was wonderful and I really liked that so much was based on real people and events. It was fascinating to understand more about what life was like for female scholars in 1920, and I was completely swept up in the storylines of all four of the main characters. A wonderful read and a story I didn't want to end.

Well written, and fascinating, debut novel about some of the first female undergraduates at Oxford. Four women of different backgrounds, experiences - especially during World War One - share the 8th corridor, hence the name. The book chronologically follows the women through their first year, with some flashbacks. It chronicles the highs, lows, fears, disappointments they experience. This should definitely top of your TBR pile; you won't be disappointed.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Fig Tree for an ARC.

The Eights is a book that will stay with you for a very long time. Set in the aftermath of WW1, this is so much more than the telling of women finally being allowed to study for a degree at Oxford University. It is about a country forever changed by loss and trauma. About the survivors, both male and female, of a devastaing war that was supposed to end all wars. Recognising the impact on the women of WW1 was an additonal dimension that added so much to tthe book. Jo0anna Miller's research was amazing - I was there in 1920, on the bridges, on the lawns and in the library.
It almost goes without saying that I adored the four female students on Corridor Eight of St Hughs, an all female college. They are all so different, all so likeable, all so damaged but strong. I honestly couldn't pick a favourite. I love a book about female friendship, about a turning point in history, and about women suvceeding against the odds. The Eights had in all in spades. When I came to the last page I wanted to go back and read it all again.
If you have a book club you MUST pick this book. There is so much to discuss. II promise that you will not regret it. (And you can thank me later.)
Five massive fat stars from me. * * * * * (Wish I could give it six!)

Beautifully written, fantastic characters. It's Geeks in the City, the City of Dreaming Spires. I loved Otto!

My favorite kind of historical fiction, completely engrossing on a character level, with a transportive setting, literary writing and a feminist bent. I can't wait to see what Joanna Miller writes next!

I adored this book from the very first page - and didn't lose that love for a minute all the way through!
The Eights is the story of 4 young women who are among the first women to study at the University of Oxford in the immediate aftermath of the First World War. There is wealthy socialite Otto, who knows she is more than someone's trophy wife, and is a super bright mathematician. There is Marianne, daughter of a widowed vicar who arrives at Oxford on a scholarship. There is Beatrice, whose own mother is a prominent force in the women's suffragette movement. And then there is Dora, suffering the double heartbreak of losing both her brother and her fiance in the War.
Together they form a really strong bond as they battle through the male dominated university, trying to adhere to rules and regulations that of course seem preposterous now, but are all based on historical fact.
Could not love these 4 women more!

"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.