The Eights by Joanna Miller – 3/20 Books of Summer

In this debut historical novel, which begins in October 1920, four very different young women arrive at Oxford to be part of the first female class actually allowed to matriculate. Brilliant but awkward Beatrice has always been in the shadow of her suffragette mother and yearns for friends; shy Marianne, only child of a poor minister, already wishes she hadn't come, for complicated reasons; 

Dora has lost her brother and her fiancé: she wants to take her brother’s place at Oxford as well as get away from the misery at home; and sophisticated Ottoline (Otto), from an affluent family, wants to prove herself instead of going to endless parties like her older sisters.

St. Hugh's

Assigned to Corridor Eight at St. Hugh’s, the four women develop a strong bond despite having little in common. They know when to ask questions and when to respect each other’s silences. The Great War is only recently over and the signs are still everywhere, from the older-than-usual age of those at Oxford (returning from war or war work) to those in wheelchairs or showing visible burns. Some are grateful to be able to focus on academics after the war years while others, like Otto, sneak out at night to party. Despite their differences – and secrets they aren’t ready to share – strong friendships develop:

Eventually, she says, “I never had friends like the Eights before. It means such a lot to me that none of you expect me to change.”

“As Sophocles said: one loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives,” says Otto.

“I think you’ll find that was Euripides.:

“I know, I was testing you.”

There were originally five women's colleges at Oxford: Lady Margaret Hall, Somerville College, St Anne's, St Hilda's, and St Hugh's. I’ve always been fascinated by Somerville, which Vera Brittain, Dorothy Sayers, and Constance Savery attended but the descriptions of St. Hugh’s were just as interesting; I loved reading about their daily life, including studying, clothing, snacks, and discussions in Corridor Eight (I was surprised they didn’t have to share rooms and that they shared a scout – I was expecting something more Spartan. I guess the deprivation was provided by the lack of heat.). To modern eyes, they don’t have much freedom but for some it was far more liberty than they had under their fathers’ roofs. Certainly, fans of Vera Brittain (like me) will enjoy this book but so will readers unfamiliar with her. And Vera even makes a cameo at an Oxford Union Society debate – speaking on the topic: This House believes women have no place at the University of Oxford. This is not the first experience our heroines have with misogynistic male students and faculty.

The UK cover is better!

Book Serendipity: Do you read Acknowledgments? I was startled to see this author, Joanna Miller, thank her “sister and best friend, Ali Lowe,” whose book, The School Run, I had just finished. What are the odds that I would choose books (one purchased in London and one from the local library) by two sisters for my 20 Books of Summer, then read them consecutively?! Amusingly, they both use the present tense, which I dislike, as you know. It seems even more jarring in historical fiction but that’s a minor quibble in a book I greatly enjoyed.

This is my seventh book for the 2025 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge and I appreciated the recommendation from Helen at She Reads Novels (her review). I was pleased to see it was being published in the US so I did not have to wait long.

Title: The Eights
Author: Joanna Miller
Publication: Putnam, hardcover, 2025
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Library