Warm, engaging and well-researched, this is the story of four young women among the first intake of Oxford women students eligible to get degrees from the university. The four women, who become friends after finding themselves living on the same corridor, are from different backgrounds and face different challenges and prejudices as they navigate their student years. Each one has their own drama to face and the book ends with the reader wanting to know more about what happens next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

1920, Oxford, and the university is admitting its first female students.

The male academics are not exactly united in their eagerness to welcome women. From tutors and students alike there is eye-rolling, smirking, and a list of objections as long as it is self-contradictory.

The staff of the women’s colleges are well aware of the scrutiny under which they and their charges will fall. Regardless of individual achievement they will be seen as women before anything else, and must work twice as hard as men to earn half the respect.

The weight of the recent war hangs heavy over the university. The sense of national mourning is such that any celebration of women’s admittance can only, as when the vote was won by women two years earlier, be muted in a solemn sobriety.

Four young women of the new intake, Dora, Beatrice, Marianne, and Ottoline, move into rooms on Corridior Eight of St Hugh’s college fizzing with excitement and apprehension. From very different walks of life, they each have their reasons for coming to Oxford, and must consider their troubled pasts and uncertain futures. Unlikely to have mixed in their lives outside of college, their proximity breeds an unexpected and rich friendship.

This is such an enjoyable and inspiring book. Oxford of the early 1920s is brought vividly to life, convincingly unsettled and uncertain, clinging to its history in a time of change. The young men and women of this time have been through all shades of hell, and Miller doesn’t shy away from any of the horrors, though she finds enough light and air in her story to fill with hope, joy, and the promise of change for the better. I loved how she wove real people and events into her story*, and I learned a lot while being swept along by her wonderful, compelling, characters.

Moving, witty, and written with an eloquent zest, this is a book of potent charm.

*mansplaining quibble: the phrase Stone Tape Theory was coined some 50 years after the events of this book.

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.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review**

The synopsis of this one had me requesting it very quickly. Historical Fiction based on the true story of the first women undergraduates at Oxford? Sign me up!

Great characters facing believable challenges in a time of huge changes, post-WW1. Navigating losses and family commitments along with the pressure of not letting an entire gender down. Women were most definitely not wanted in Oxford by many and you could feel the weight of responsibilities on these women.

As somone who lives relatively locally, I loved reading the descriptions of Oxford and recognising the buildings and streets. It was really interesting to consider how little has changed in the last 100 years.

A captivating read.

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!

A well written book with some parts I found really engaging. Unfortunately, the pacing felt off and the plot moved too slowly and I felt like, at points, I was dragging myself through to the end.

As a graduate of the Open University, I was interested in reading this ( albeit fictional) account of women at university. Oxford just after the First World War is the setting, four women from very differing backgrounds arrive amidst great publicity. Women had not been admitted to Oxford before this time. The story tells of each character’s journey to get there and their response to the reality of studying in a male dominated environment. Slowly, the reader learns the secrets they all hold. I really liked the book. The four main characters develop as individuals and as a group. There is enough historical detail regarding the war, class and society to generate a feeling of sympathy for the men who returned , broken in body and spirit and for the women whose lives were changed drastically. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ebook ARC.

The Eights is a novel that I’ve been so excited about and so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read.
However this is another ARC that is unreadable for me due to the formatting which includes a number on almost every other line. I have some visual issues which impact my focusing and so was sadly unable to continue reading.
I’d love to read if reformatting is possible or I will purchase my own copy on publication.
Many thanks for the opportunity to read.

Ohh I was soooooooo excited for this one but I couldn't get past the formatting. I know it's an ARC but having a number in every other sentence made it too clunky to read :-(

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!

This novel tells us the story of eight of the first cohort of women to be formally enrolled in Oxford University to do a degree
I found the detail of Oxford University at this time fascinating particularly the differences that women and men faced whilst doing their undergraduate studies in the 1920s
The list of what the women had to do to avoid the men was particularly interesting and seemed primarily to involve avoiding the man as much as possible and not upsetting the male undergraduate experience of university life.
It must’ve been really gauling for the young women seeing the relative freedom of the men had to go out their daily life compared with the rigidity of the rules that applied to women only.
I’ve read quite a lot of novels set an time of suffragettes. This is the first time I have read anything set just afterwards with the daughters of the original suffragettes now seeing signs of female liberation.
Throughout the novel there are mentions of writers writing novels and poems at the time ,as somebody who mostly reads new novels it intrigued me to think that I could have been reading Agatha Christie or other novels of the time made me think who among the authors that I am fond of now will become in time classics


Is quite a lot of formatting error with this with multiple numbers appearing on every page on NetGalley mixed up with the text I persevered with the story as I was interested in the characters
The author has a easily red writing style and the novel was an enjoyable read
She describes the individual girls characters succinctly and precisely and do you feel like they are real people
I read an only copy on NetGalley UK. The book was published in the UK march 2025 by Penguin General UK
This review will appear on Goodreads, NetGalley UK, and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. It will also appear on Amazon UK.

"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.

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.