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The Eights: The captivating debut historical novel following the first women to study at Oxford University Hardcover – 3 April 2025

by Joanna Miller (Author)
#1 Best Seller in Teaching in Higher & Further Education
on any 4 Qualifying items | Terms
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LONGLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION DEBUT CROWN AWARD


‘Entertaining and moving…I came to love these four women as though they were my sisters’ TRACY CHEVALIER

‘I ADORED it. What a fantastic read. My book of the year’ JILL MANSELL

-

They knew they were changing history.
They didn’t know they would change each other.

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 fiancé 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.

The Eights is a captivating debut novel about sisterhood, self-determination, courage, and what it means to come of age in a world that is forever changed.

-

'Beautifully captures the power of friendship ... A pleasure to read' PIP WILLIAMS, author of A Dictionary of Lost Words

'I so enjoyed The Eights' CLARE CHAMBERS, author of Small Pleasures

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  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Fig Tree
  4. Publication date
    3 April 2025
  5. Dimensions
    14.6 x 3.5 x 22.3 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0241662435
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0241662434
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From the Publisher

The Eights
The Eights
The Eights
The Eights

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Review

Heartfelt, thoughtful and engaging ... A thoroughly lovely debut that will win many hearts ― JOANNA QUINN, author of The Whalebone Theatre

I loved this story of the first women admitted to Oxford University - and its gorgeously written characters. Rooted strongly in time and place, this novel transports you ― JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things

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

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

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

The Eights has heart, soul, intelligence and wit, and packing it might well make a suitcase lighter ― Mick Herron, What We're Reading for Summer 2025

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

About the Author

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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About the author

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Joanna Miller

Joanna Miller

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Joanna has always loved stories – even from an early age, when the Headteacher complained to her parents that she had read all the books in the school library. Joanna went on to study English at Exeter College, Oxford and later returned to the University to train as a teacher.

After ten years in education, she set up an award-winning poetry gift business. During this time, she wrote thousands of poems to order and her rhyming verse was filmed twice by the BBC.

Unable to resist the lure of the classroom, Joanna recently returned to Oxford University to study for a diploma in creative writing. THE EIGHTS is her debut novel and is inspired by her love of local history and historical fiction.

When Joanna is not writing, she is either walking her dog or working in the local bookshop. She lives with her husband and three children near the Grand Union Canal in Hertfordshire, UK.

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
2,684 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this historical novel to be an absorbing read with well-developed characters, and one customer notes how the stories build throughout the book. Moreover, the book receives praise for its historical accuracy, with one review highlighting its detailed portrayal of 1920s Oxford, and customers appreciate its beautiful writing style.
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31 customers mention readability, 31 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book absolutely lovely and thoroughly enjoyable, with one customer noting it's a must-read for fans of historical fiction.
...quarter, my advice would be to stay with it, because it becomes a beautiful read.Read more
This is a vivid, engaging and brilliantly researched novel....Read more
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time....Read more
This is an excellent read as we follow the women as they enter what was a totally masculine world of the university when many male students and...Read more
17 customers mention story quality, 16 positive, 1 negative
Customers enjoy the story of four young women at Oxford University, with one customer particularly noting how it captures the contradictions of their experiences.
Great story and characters, I was completely invested in their stories and outcomes....Read more
I enjoyed this story. Very easy to read and get absorbed into.Read more
Really enjoyed this story, the setting/ premise and the characters she wrote, informative and insightful.Read more
Excellent story great research and I look forward to reading more from this authorRead more
15 customers mention historical accuracy, 15 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book, praising its detailed historical references and brilliant research, with one customer highlighting its portrayal of 1920s Oxford.
The Eights is well written and excellently researched but it didn’t quite have the impact and depth I craved....Read more
Excellent story great research and I look forward to reading more from this authorRead more
This is a very well researched novel about some of the first women to attend St Hugh's College Oxford....Read more
...A perfect blend of history, humour, friendship, love and the power of education. 10/10!!!Read more
12 customers mention character development, 10 positive, 2 negative
Customers love the characters in the book, with one mentioning that they jump off the page.
Wonderful story that had interesting characters that are easy to like & root for. I read it in one sitting.Read more
...I also loved the characters. I would have liked to have known more about Maud and her take on life. I hope there will be more books by this author.Read more
...the reader with ease into time and place, alongside such wonderful characters. Would thoroughly recommend!Read more
A delightful book, well written, characters jump off the page. I can't say enough about it....Read more
6 customers mention writing quality, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one noting how it weaves together beautifully.
...But I had to admit it was well written and I loved the history of the period immediately after the Great War, Oxford University and the development...Read more
A beautifully written and moving debut about the first women to study alongside men at Oxford in 1920....Read more
Brilliant Audio book. The narrator is the best I’ve ever heard and the writer very talented. A great story with historical information....Read more
...each facing their own individual challenges, all weaved together with the most beautiful writing....Read more