Quick Synopsis – Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its one-thousand-year history, Oxford University officially admits female students. Burning with dreams of equality, four young women move into neighboring rooms in Corridor 8. Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto—collectively known as The Eights—come from all walks of life, each driven by their own motives, each holding tight to their secrets, and are thrown into an unlikely, unshakable friendship.

Among the historic spires, and in the long shadow of the Great War, the four women must navigate and support one another in a turbulent world in which misogyny is rife, influenza is still a threat, and the ghosts of the Great War don’t always remain dead.

Song This Reminds Me Of – Danny Boy

Release Date – April 15, 2025

Bookshop Link – The Eights a book by Joanna Miller – Bookshop.org US (I get a small percentage of sales)

Content Notes – This book takes place soon after World War One in Britain. There is mention of war, blood, gore, and violence. There is also a lot of depiction of “shell shock” or what we would call PTSD now. There is a lot of misogyny and sexism.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐.5 out of 5

Review – This is an excellent historical fiction novel that focuses both on a nation rebuilding after war and the introduction of women at Oxford University. There was only one big issue I had and a few minor nitpicky things. The biggest issue is that the ending of the book is just an end. It’s really blunt and it felt like the story would have benefited from an afterword. Just something to either talk about the real history of Oxford or where are heroines all end up. Instead, we just see the end of the school year. I get that maybe it should have felt hopeful and open-ended, but it just felt like a cut off.

I would have also liked to see more of the girls’ interactions outside of each other. Otto has a social life that’s only hinted at through her sneaking back in. Beatrice is part of a debate team that we don’t really see or have mention of until the end. Marianne, I believe is in choir and Dora is only really defined by her grief. The history and the lives of these women as they dealt with the Great War and the danger of sexism, is so well written that it was a shame that the characters sometimes felt so wooden.

There are also several times that secondary characters like Ursala or Henry start to get built up as characters but only unravel. I wouldn’t have minded some of the secondary characters getting more page time and building out the complex lives of our main characters more.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of history, it is a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.