The Eights with Joanna Miller
Thu 25 Jun 2026
7:00pm at Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights, 14-15 John St, Bath, BA1 2JL
All tickets include 15% off any books purchased on the night, a glass of wine or soft drink, author talk, Q&A and signing.
Other ways to book:
Email books@mrbsemporium.com, call 01225 331155 or pop into the shop at 14-15 John Street, Bath. BA1 2JL.
We are delighted to welcome author Joanna Miller to Mr B’s, as we celebrate the paperback publication of her beautifully uplifting debut novel, The Eights.
The Eights quickly became a firm favourite of both Lottie and Kate here on the B’s team who adored its warm exploration of friendship in all its forms, so much so that they haven’t stopped recommending it to our customers since! The novel follows four women who, in the shadow of WW1, are part of the first class of women who are allowed to enroll at Oxford University. Kate says: “In this powerful and moving story, Miller’s skill is in the distinctive voice she crafts for each character, which has you rooting for them through the adversity they face.”
Joanna Miller will be in conversation with Joanna Nadin, author of numerous books for adults and children. Her most recent works include The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings, Birdy Arbuthnot’s Year of ‘Yes’, and After Darcy.
Can’t make it to the event? Order a signed and dedicated copy here.
About the book:
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.
‘Entertaining and moving…I came to love these four women as though they were my sisters’ – TRACY CHEVALIER
Heartfelt, thoughtful and engaging … A thoroughly lovely debut that will win many hearts – JOANNA QUINN
‘Beautifully captures the power of friendship … A pleasure to read’ – PIP WILLIAMS
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.