Overview

They knew they were changing history. They didn't know they would change each other. Following the unlikely friendship of four of the first ever women to study at Oxford University- a captivating debut novel about sisterhood, self-determination, courage, and what it means to come of age in a world that has changed forever. Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its 1000-year history, the world's most famous university has admitted female students. Giddy with dreams of equality, education and emancipation, four young women move into neighbouring rooms on Corridor Eight. They have come here from all walks of life, and they are thrown into an unlikely, life-affirming friendship. Dora was never meant to go to university, but, after losing both her brother and her fiance on the battlefield, has arrived in their place. Beatrice, politically-minded daughter of a famous suffragette, sees Oxford as a chance to make her own way - and her own friends - for the first time. Socialite Otto fills her room with extravagant luxuries but fears they won't be enough to distract her from her memories of the war years. And quiet, clever, Marianne, the daughter of a village vicar, arrives bearing a secret she must hide from everyone - even The Eights - if she is to succeed. But Oxford's dreaming spires cast a dark shadow- in 1920, misogyny is still rife, influenza is still a threat, and the ghosts of the Great War are still very real indeed. And as the group navigate this tumultuous moment in time, their friendship will become more important than ever.

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Reviews

An entertaining and moving imagining of four smart women dealing with the engrained misogyny of the time. I came to love and admire the four as if they were my sisters * TRACY CHEVALIER * A hugely atmospheric snapshot of Oxford at a momentous point in its history ... Intriguing, clever and completely absorbing. The city itself was so cleverly drawn - I could feel the changing atmosphere of Oxford throughout the year ... I absolutely loved it. * CAROL ATHERTON, author of Reading Lessons *

An entertaining and moving imagining of four smart women dealing with the engrained misogyny of the time. I came to love and admire the four as if they were my sisters * TRACY CHEVALIER * My book of the year. The writing is wonderful, the subject fascinating and the storylines utterly absorbing. I’m so sad I’ve finished it. I loved everything about this book. I ADORED it * JILL MANSELL * I so enjoyed The Eights and became completely involved in the lives of the four pioneering heroines whose friendship is the beating heart of the book * CLARE CHAMBERS, author of Small Pleasures * A story about women taking their place in a man’s world, The Eights beautifully captures the power of friendship and love in the wake of extraordinary loss. It was a pleasure to read * PIP WILLIAMS, author of The Dictionary of Lost Words * A heartfelt, thoughtful and engaging book about the first women students to go to Oxford University - their friendships, their secrets, their ambitions and their opponents - in the tremulous, haunted years immediately after the First World War. Joanna Miller brings 1920s Oxford to life with a vivid immediacy and makes us care deeply about four young women who find themselves pioneers in a strange new world, trying to find a way forward in the aftermath of war. A thoroughly lovely debut that will win many hearts, with its celebration of friendship and the persistence of hope * JOANNA QUINN, author of The Whalebone Theatre * These women soon become friends through the page and make me fondly and nostalgically recall that feeling of pure hope, wonder and fear as one stands on the edge of adult life simply wondering. Hoping. And wondering some more. * EMMA BARNETT * Engaging, warm and intelligent, this debut about the first women students at Oxford - their deep friendship, and all they must face - is a delight! * LUCY ATKINS, author of Magpie Lane * I loved this book. A hugely entertaining and brilliant-written novel which gives us not one, not two but four incredible female characters to root for. Meticulously researched and impeccably crafted. An entirely delightful debut * ANNA MAZZOLA, author of The Clockwork Girl * Totally immersive and captivating. This is a GLORIOUS debut and the struggles of these four women felt incredibly real. Impeccably researched and beautifully written. I ADORED it. One of my books of the year for sure. * JULIE OWEN MOYLAN, author of That Green Eyed Girl * The Eights is a beautifully life-affirming novel with wonderful characterisation. I was completely immersed in the atmospheric world of post-war Oxford that Miller has created, and rooting every step of the way for her four brilliantly inspiring heroines. I've no doubt it will be one of my books of the year. * HANNAH BECKERMAN *

An entertaining and moving imagining of four smart women dealing with the engrained misogyny of the time. I came to love and admire the four as if they were my sisters * TRACY CHEVALIER *

An entertaining and moving imagining of four smart women dealing with the engrained misogyny of the time. I came to love and admire the four as if they were my sisters * TRACY CHEVALIER * My book of the year. The writing is wonderful, the subject fascinating and the storylines utterly absorbing. I’m so sad I’ve finished it. I loved everything about this book. I ADORED it * JILL MANSELL * I so enjoyed The Eights and became completely involved in the lives of the four pioneering heroines whose friendship is the beating heart of the book * CLARE CHAMBERS, author of Small Pleasures * A story about women taking their place in a man’s world, The Eights beautifully captures the power of friendship and love in the wake of extraordinary loss. It was a pleasure to read * PIP WILLIAMS, author of The Dictionary of Lost Words * Totally immersive and captivating. This is a GLORIOUS debut and the struggles of these four women felt incredibly real. Impeccably researched and beautifully written. I ADORED it. One of my books of the year for sure. * JULIE OWEN MOYLAN, author of That Green Eyed Girl * Charming, quietly devastating, the four young women at the heart of The Eights have stayed with me long after putting the book down. Joanna's lightness of touch belies the tragedies and compromises women were confronted with amid the echo of the Great War, and how they fought for recognition and acceptance at Oxford University. A spellbinding, heartbreaking and utterly hopeful book. * Cathryn Kemp, author of A Poisoner's Tale * A hugely atmospheric snapshot of Oxford at a momentous point in its history ... Intriguing, clever and completely absorbing. The city itself was so cleverly drawn - I could feel the changing atmosphere of Oxford throughout the year ... I absolutely loved it. * CAROL ATHERTON, author of Reading Lessons * I fell in love with this book from the first chapter ... Miller pens such a vivid portrait of the lives of young women finding their way in a man's world under the long shadow of the Great War. It's dripping with historical detail ... What I adored most though was the life-affirming friendships ... The true strength of this novel is the realisation of how powerful female solidarity can be. A joyous anthem to friendship * KATE THOMPSON, author of The Little Wartime Library * Such an enjoyable book. I loved its carefully crafted world and the focus on the abiding friendship between the four women, whom I came to think of friends myself by the end. It was moving, spirited and a lot of fun, much like the heroines of the novel * ZOË SOMERVILLE, author of The Marsh House * The Eights has all the hallmarks of a modern classic! Beautiful writing and superb characterisation evoking a hugely important time in our history which still resonates today. I adored this book * CAROLE HAILEY, author of The Silence Project * Witty and charming … an atmospheric testament to the power of friendship and the tenacious young women who led the charge for equality of opportunity * JESSICA BULL, author of A Fortune Most Fatal * Pin-sharp, atmospheric, a historical fiction novel about four women admitted to Oxford University in 1920 - but also a sweeping tale of female friendship and the fight for equality in the wake of World War One. A triumph * EMMA COWING, author of The Show Woman * Dark academia is everywhere but what about comfort-reading academia? The Eights by Joanna Miller is a gorgeous debut about the first female students allowed to matriculate at Oxford in 1920, and I utterly adored it. In a world still reeling from the impact of WW1, and still rife with sexism, it’s far from frothy but the bonds between Otto, Beatrice, Marianne, and Dora are so deep and strong I know I’ll come back to this book in the future for guaranteed blissful reading. Fans of Quinn, both Frances and Joanna, will love this novel for a long time * NAOMI KELSEY, author of The Burnings *

An entertaining and moving imagining of four smart women dealing with the engrained misogyny of the time. I came to love and admire the four as if they were my sisters * TRACY CHEVALIER * My book of the year. The writing is wonderful, the subject fascinating and the storylines utterly absorbing. I’m so sad I’ve finished it. I loved everything about this book. I ADORED it * JILL MANSELL * I so enjoyed The Eights and became completely involved in the lives of the four pioneering heroines whose friendship is the beating heart of the book * CLARE CHAMBERS, author of Small Pleasures * A story about women taking their place in a man’s world, The Eights beautifully captures the power of friendship and love in the wake of extraordinary loss. It was a pleasure to read * PIP WILLIAMS, author of The Dictionary of Lost Words * Totally immersive and captivating. This is a GLORIOUS debut and the struggles of these four women felt incredibly real. Impeccably researched and beautifully written. I ADORED it. One of my books of the year for sure. * JULIE OWEN MOYLAN, author of That Green Eyed Girl * Charming, quietly devastating, the four young women at the heart of The Eights have stayed with me long after putting the book down. Joanna's lightness of touch belies the tragedies and compromises women were confronted with amid the echo of the Great War, and how they fought for recognition and acceptance at Oxford University. A spellbinding, heartbreaking and utterly hopeful book. * Cathryn Kemp, author of A Poisoner's Tale * A hugely atmospheric snapshot of Oxford at a momentous point in its history ... Intriguing, clever and completely absorbing. The city itself was so cleverly drawn - I could feel the changing atmosphere of Oxford throughout the year ... I absolutely loved it. * CAROL ATHERTON, author of Reading Lessons * I fell in love with this book from the first chapter ... Miller pens such a vivid portrait of the lives of young women finding their way in a man's world under the long shadow of the Great War. It's dripping with historical detail ... What I adored most though was the life-affirming friendships ... The true strength of this novel is the realisation of how powerful female solidarity can be. A joyous anthem to friendship * KATE THOMPSON, author of The Little Wartime Library * Such an enjoyable book. I loved its carefully crafted world and the focus on the abiding friendship between the four women, whom I came to think of friends myself by the end. It was moving, spirited and a lot of fun, much like the heroines of the novel * ZOË SOMERVILLE, author of The Marsh House * Witty and charming … an atmospheric testament to the power of friendship and the tenacious young women who led the charge for equality of opportunity * JESSICA BULL, author of A Fortune Most Fatal * Pin-sharp, atmospheric, a historical fiction novel about four women admitted to Oxford University in 1920 - but also a sweeping tale of female friendship and the fight for equality in the wake of World War One. A triumph * EMMA COWING, author of The Show Woman *

Author Information

Joanna Miller was raised in Cambridge and studied English at Exeter College, Oxford. After a decade working in education, she set up an award-winning poetry gift business. She has recently graduated from Oxford again, with a diploma in creative writing. She lives with her husband and three children in Hertfordshire. The Eights is her first novel.

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