Step into Oxford, 1920, where four young women arrive at the university as the first female students in its thousand-year history. Bound by shared rooms on Corridor Eight, Dora, Beatrice, Otto, and Marianne forge a life-affirming friendship while navigating a world caught between tradition and the promise of new freedoms. This captivating debut historical novel explores their journey as they seek equality and emancipation while grappling with the lingering ghosts and secrets of the Great War.

Key Themes & Highlights

• A beautifully wrought story focusing on women’s rights, freedom, love, and experience.
• Follows the unlikely, life-affirming friendship of four pioneering heroines.
• Set in Oxford in 1920, a tumultuous moment marking the admission of female students.
• Explores themes of equality, education, and moving on from the Great War.

Author & Publication Details

Written by Joanna Miller, this novel is published by Penguin and is written in English.

• Author: Miller, Joanna
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Print Length: 384 pages
• Publication Date: June 4, 2026
• ISBN-10: 0241662443
• ISBN-13: 978-0241662441
• Dimensions: 129 x 25 x 197mm
• Weight: 276g

Discover the story of these four women whose friendship becomes their anchor as they challenge centuries of misogyny under the dreaming spires of Oxford.