The Eights
The Eights by Joanna Miller is a historical fiction novel published by Penguin Books, Limited in March 2025. Set in Oxford in 1920, this edition spans 384 pages and is written in English. The story unfolds as the university, for the first time in its millennium-long history, welcomes female students. Four young women, each from diverse backgrounds, find themselves living in neighboring rooms on Corridor Eight, forging an unexpected and life-affirming friendship amid the challenges of their time.
Readers will discover the journeys of Dora, Beatrice, Otto, and Marianne as they navigate their new lives at Oxford, confronting the lingering shadows of the Great War and societal misogyny. The narrative explores themes of friendship and resilience as these women face personal struggles and societal expectations. With the backdrop of a transformative era, The Eights delves into the complexities of their relationships and the impact of historical events on their aspirations and identities.
Official synopsis Publisher
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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