Book Review: The Eights is a Historical Fiction Delight with Nuanced + Brave Characters in a World Recovering From Loss
I headed up some creaking stairs to a darkened private room in downtown San Francisco last fall, and little did I know, I’d meet the incredibly charming debut author of The Eights, Joanna Miller (many thanks to Putnam Books for that invite!). Aside from fantasy and sci-fi, historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. There’s something romantic about bygone eras, or empowering when reading about inspiring people from our pasts. The Eights takes place at Oxford in 1920, the first time women are being allowed to matriculate and earn a degree, and as you can imagine, not everyone is happy about it. Having guest-lectured at Oxford’s Said School of Business during my tech startup days, I absolutely adored all of the super detailed mentions of prominent places throughout the novel, including the beloved Bodleian Library, and even The Randolph hotel, where I stayed! You can tell Joanna is intimately knowledgeable about the location she’s chosen to set her historical fiction novel in. So often you can tell when an author hasn’t done the research, and it was so lovely to see that Joanna went above and beyond to build an accurate picture of Oxford. I also really enjoyed the fact that we got POVs from all of the young women, and each of them had a distinct voice and background. There’s a daughter of a suffragette, a young socialite with mommy problems, a reverend’s daughter with a secret, and a sweet nouveau riche girl who’s mourning the loss of her brother and fiance in WWI. So is their story for you?
Things to Know:
Historical Fiction
Women’s Literature
Multiple POVs
First women to matriculate at Oxford
WWI trauma
TW: SA
Joanna did a lovely job of created well rounded and interesting characters from various backgrounds. They’re all dealing with various hardships and pressures and traumas, and without rooming in the same hall, I don’t think any of them would have crossed paths or ended up being friends, but that’s what makes college and proximity so fun. You meet so many interesting people.
If you were ever in a sorority, it definitely brought back some memories. Especially all the rules around alcohol and male guests. But wow, are those ‘chap' rules’ strict! I’m not surprised our characters were constantly breaking them.
While the plot secrets were pretty easy to guess, I still felt like they were handled with care. There’s also some pretty heavy topics and you do become super invested in these characters and their futures. I was rooting for each of these women to succeed. The time period is a most fascinating one because everyone is trying to recover from WWI, and goes about it in different ways. There’s also so much progress women have made since then, and it’s because women like them were the first to challenge the status quo.
I also loved how Joanna weaved in little historical facts, like “Did you know the first recorded use of the word ‘friend’—freond—is in Beowulf?” No, I didn’t, but I love knowing that now!
I was left a little wanting at the end. There’s definitely some things that were not wrapped up as neatly as I would have liked, but potentially left open for a sequel? I also would highly recommend the audiobook, which I listened to while reading along with my physical copy. The narrator does a splendid job of bringing each character’s personality and voice to life. I didn’t feel like I was reading a debut novel. Joanna writes in a super engaging and memorable way, and I look forward to her next story.
Quotes:
“I suppose some people enjoy escaping into art and literature. I do it all the time. Too much, perhaps. It reminds me there’s still innocence and beauty and creativity in this world.”
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“Miss Jourdain’s voice is light and feminine, but Marianne is certain it could engrave metal.”
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