Brilliantly dark.

This is a fantastic read, chilling eerie and atmospheric.

Set in a girls boarding boarding school in Scotland, 26 year old Rose Christie joins the staff as new Classics head of department.

Very clever interweaving of classical tales throughout the story.

I gobbled this book up and I will certainly read anything written by Phoebe Wynne. A great debut.

Oh dear. To begin with, this was quite dark and broody if a little unlikely. By the time I was about two thirds in I was beginning to get a bit fed up with the main protagonist. By three quarters of the way through I thought it became just plain silly. In fact there was one particular scene if I'd not known something about the author, I'd've thought it was written by a frustrated teenage boy. Sorry to be blunt, but this wasn't my cup of tea at all.

This novel's blurb references both The Secret History and Rebecca and I can sort of understand why - it's a novel that contains references and quotes from Greek Classics and in essence is a campus novel (The Secret History) and it has a female protagonist (Rebecca) but beyond that I failed to see much similarity, and I don't think it does the book any favours expecting something to similar to either as I'm fairly sure most readers would be disappointed.

Rose is a teacher of Classics who is unexpectedly appointed as head of department at an elite school for girls - Caldonbrae Hall, elite both in terms of results and in terms of its students, most of whom are from wealthy and established families. The school is a nice creation and is probably the most fully realised thing in the book, you get a sense of it's traditions and how it is run as the story goes on, and it feels mysterious from the outset.

Unfortunately that mystery is pretty thin and for most readers the central mystery/twist will be realised before (perhaps long before) Rose gets there. Whether it's intentional or not, it's signposted and hinted at strongly enough that it's not too hard to work out where the novel is going, or at least where the central mystery is going. 

Rose herself is a frustrating character. She shows intelligence and is inquisitive, yet is extremely slow on the uptake for much of the book. She uses female characters from Myth (Medea, Medusa, Agrippina. potted precis of which begin some chapters - which adds some colour) to teach her students about being strong, about being independent and empowered. In a sense to rebel against the dictates of the school, but at key points Rose is weak. She doesn't stand up when she should, she allows herself to be cowed when you would expect her to yell and so the different elements of the character rub up against each other, and tend to be plot serving rather than actually their to give us a full rounder character.

The same is true for most of the novel, it feels like everything that happens, happens only to reach the denouement, so the feminist teachings of Rose serve no purpose but to make the ending work. Similarly the contrivance of Rose being appointed to her position only exists to bring a dissenting voice into the hallowed halls of the school. You could argue that a lot of literature is contrived in this way, and that may be so, but in other hands, I feel that this novel could have been handled in a slightly less jarring more flowing manner, without the sense that things only happen for the sake of the book. 

It's a shame because there is some promise here, and the idea is a good one, it just never quite hits what it aims for.

I thought this was an excellent premise and I loved the setting and atmosphere. And I was gripped while reading - although it did feel as if it could have been a little shorter. I did figure out the twists fairly early (except for the final one with Jane) but that didn’t matter since I wanted to see how it would all resolve.

I really enjoyed the inclusion of Classics stories and I loved how they began to impact on some of the girls. 

But Rose as a protagonist was frustrating at times - she felt passive and I wanted her to fight more - with her intelligence as well as with her emotion. It was hard to connect with her as a character and I felt held at arm’s length. 

Overall though, this is absolutely worth a read - it will prompt opinion and discussion and it is a brilliant concept.

Absolutely brilliant premise and I loved all the mystery behind the school.
It was a really interesting story and had me shocked, disgusted and appalled pretty much the entire time. Particularly when you find out what’s truly going on! I had my suspicions throughout but when they were confirmed and then worsened, wow!

However, a lot of parts also fell flat for and weren’t for me! I didn’t really enjoy the snippets of the Classic stories interspersed. They were interesting but I felt it broke up the book, rather than add to the flow of it.
I also found it very slow and found Rose to be infuriating! In some moments, she seemed very powerful and in others, so docile. I appreciate the situation wasn’t crystal clear but I really wanted her to put up a fight!

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book. It was way too slow and predictable for me. I struggled laboriously to page 200, then realised I still had 200 pages to go. I had other books I wanted to get on and read, and this just wasn't grabbing me. The teacher was so annoying, I can't believe she stayed in her job longer than a month.  Any real person would have been totally weirded out and resigned, especially after what happened to her within her first 2 weeks of the term.

The idea of the story was great - that's why I requested it. The reality was disappointing.

Rose Christie starts works at Calonbrae Hall, a boarding school for privileged girls that come from wealthy and  influential families. The school has been going for years and is located in a remote part of Scotland. She is employed as the head of classics and cannot believe her luck at being recommended for the job.

Rose soon realises that maybe this is not her dream job after all. The pupils are reluctant to learn and education seems to be on the back burner for these elite girls. 

The male teaches are called Sir and the female teachers Madam . Rose has her own ideals on how to teach ,but this traditional school wants to bend her to their shape and make her like all the other teachers. What did happened to her predecessor and why does nobody talk about her? 

A riveting book that held my attention. 

I loved the classic stories that Rose taught and looked forward to their extracts. Loved how the stories contained strong female characters, where the school is churning out mild, disciplined young ladies preparing them to be the perfect wives!!

A riveting debut book that’s beautifully written. 

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Madam is an atmospheric, quite intense story about Caldonbrae Hall, a long established boarding school for girls set in Scotland preparing the girls to be “ready to serve society”. Rose, a young teacher, joins the school as a classics teacher, the first teacher they have had join the establishment for quite some time and only following the mysterious departure of her predecessor. It’s not long before Rose starts to question the purpose of the school, what exactly they’re preparing the girls for, and whether she will ever be able to escape the reach of the power in charge.

Madam is an interesting take on a subject that will simultaneously both appeal and horrify feminists, myself included. So not to spoil things, I’ll just say that the school has far reaching connections and is dictated and funded by patriarchy. This isn’t just a school, it’s a cult, a dark secret institution in which rich men have the power and girls/women must answer to them - it’s demonstrated in a very extreme way but it’s a concept that is very easy to understand. I did particularly like the parallel of the classics lessons, with Rose teaching the girls of Greek mythological  women deciding their own fate, these stories not always positive but still women taking back the reins from men in power, whatever the outcome. 

The ending did feel incredibly rushed, with the characters and plot backed into a corner with a very dramatic, explosive reaction to get past this. This ending in a way actually put me off the book a little as I suppose i expected more, possibilities too much. I must remind myself that the purpose of a feminist book isn’t to abolish the patriarchy altogether. It fits with Rose’s lessons but again, it did feel rushed. That said, I did appreciate this story and would recommend it, thank you NetGalley for the early copy to review.

I found "Madam" quite dry to begin with - it was such a quiet and unassuming start to a novel that I almost gave up a few chapters in. But something kept me reading and I'm so glad it did - the twist, when it comes, is so deliciously cruel, and beautifully revealed. The author does a wonderful job of recreating the claustrophobic and insular nature of an elite girls' boarding school, and builds on the sinister feeling so well that it creeps up on the reader almost unawares. 

A dark, disturbing, and eerie novel. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rose Christie, a 26-year old Classics teacher, gets a job at Caldonbrae, an exclusive girls-only boarding school in a remote windswept coastal area of Scotland. Her excitement at this new challenge soon turns to dismay when she realizes that, at this elite establishment, not all is what it seems. The conservative mentality of the teachers and students is a culture shock for independent-minded Rose. However, this is just the start of her problems. There seem to be more sinister – and dangerous – secrets related to the departure of her predecessor. The more facts Rose uncovers, the greater her conviction that she should escape Caldonbrae. But considering the long-reaching tentacles of the institution, does she even have such a choice?

Phoebe Wynne’s debut novel is touted as a feminist Gothic work, with “shades of The Secret History”. This is what drew me to it in the first place, but I am sorry to say that I was quite disappointed, and it took some effort for me to complete the book. For a novel set in 1992, the facts described in the book are quite over-the-top (even though, admittedly, chauvinistic mentalities are still rampant thirty years later). So, perhaps, Madam is best approached as a fable or fantasy – not unlike the Dyachenko’s Vita Nostra, but with a more feminist slant and without the more abstruse fantastical elements. Even if one is fine with that, though, the story remains unconvincing and the dialogue and narrative style not particularly striking or original. The characters seem stilted and, for a feminist lead, Rose often comes across as rather pathetic. She spends most of the book going around asking questions and getting no answers – at one point, her students actually tell her “…stop asking us questions, it’s so frustrating” and it’s a feeling which, as a reader, I fully shared.

Despite my reservations I did find something to enjoy in the novel. The suffocating sense of dread was well brought out, the Gothic elements were suitably atmospheric and I liked the idea of the notes or summaries about women from Classical history and myth and the way their stories were worked into the tale. For fairness’ sake, I should also note that some reviewers have compared Phoebe Wynne to such luminaries as Naomi Alderman and Margaret Attwood. I must confess I’m less enthusiastic.

Rose, a Latin teacher, is approached by the mysterious and prestigious Caldonbrae Hall to lead its Classics Department. But once there, she discovers that all is not as she expected. Girls in long white dresses crowd the halls, mocking her attempts to teach them Greek and Roman myths. Secrets abound, such as why Rose's predecessor left so suddenly, and what the real purpose of the school is. Will Rose make it through her first year? Or should she run away as fast as she can?

This was a fairly derivative, top-heavy story, with flat characters and an identity crisis. I guessed the big twist early on, and it was agonizing waiting for Rose to get there too. The author held back from fully committing to her surprise: either go all in (and risk alienating some readers) or take out a couple of the more shocking scenes and tone down the story. Rose is incredibly naive, and time after time fails to fully understand the secrets revealed to her. Once she has a better idea of what's going on, I also found it kind of unbelievable that she kept hoping she could effect change.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I appreciated the periodic stories of Greek and Roman women, including Medea, Medusa, and Dido. But I don't think they were woven into the story as much as they could have been. Instead, they just added to the length of the book, which could have been cut down and become more effective. Or the excess could have been reapportioned to other parts of the story, like Rose's history with her mother. The ending too, needed revision, not fully ambiguous, not fully concrete.

All in all, a rather disappointing read.

What an unpleasant book. Unpleasant characters, setting, happenings. A disturbing read and not one I enjoyed. I received an e-ARC from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review

This is the best book I've read in 2020, I literally spent the whole day absorbed in its pages.
Madam is unlike any other book I've read, it's full of mystery, intrigue and it's not until three-quarters of the way through do you find out the secret that's kept you so enthralled. 

Rose is offered a classics teaching position in Scotland at an all-girls boarding school after the previous classics teacher leaves her position. Her pupils are insolent, they constantly question her teaching and Rose despairs with them, she feels as though they are withholding a secret from her. 

Phoebe Wynne's writing is very clever and often at the beginning of each chapter, the reader learns about characters from the classics such as Dido, Medusa, Medea, and Agrippina.  There is a reason for the introduction of these stories to both the girls in the book but also the reader and we find out the purpose towards the end of the novel.

To say I loved this book is an understatement, it would make an exceptional movie or tv series.

Madam, Pheobe Wynne

Rose is overwhelmed by her new job as Head of Classics at the secretive, all girls boarding institiution Caldonbrae Hall, as she struggles to navigate its peculiar traditions that seem to clash with her more modern feminist outlooks, Rose begins to wonder if the heart that beats at the centre of Caldonbrae is darker than she could have imagined. 

Set in the 90s this Gothic feminist tale draws from the heroines and goddesses of legend, as, Boudica, Medusa, Lucretia. This eerie debut owes much to those that came before, the feminist strike of Atwood, the gothic haunting of the Brontés and Katie Lowes The Furies. 

This one is a twisted tale to navigate, as ever with the Gothic, nothing is quite what it seems and the unsettling feeling will sit in your gut the entire way through. As a book heavily laden with feminism and patriarchal values sprung from centuries gone by (you’d hope but you never know!) this one is abundant with females to get behind and cheer for, Rose, Nessa, Daisy, Freddie etc. Every one of those girls you want to reach in, grasp hands with and form a strong sisterhood.

am writing a review in exchange for an advance reader copy from NetGalley.

Having read that this was a perfect read for Margaret Atwood fans, I dove straight in!  It is enjoyably creepy, and kept me hooked from the first chapter to the end.  The secrets of this book are slow to be revealed, perhaps frustratingly so in the first third or so, but once the story gathers pace the twists come thick and fast.

Caldonbrae Hall is not a place I would like to visit any time soon, but I’d recommend a trip within the pages of this book!

A novel about a boarding school where the classics have much more meaning than perhaps they should...

Good premise but the novel was far too long and contained far too much explanation of the Greek myths. I know it was based on/inspired by them but I have only just read Circe and found myself thinking back to what I learned there..

After reading this, I felt odd and unsure as to what I had read. It could well be me. I enjoy the classics to a certain extent but have never been a fan of myths and the Greek classics.

I feel very much on the fence about this book. On the one hand it is astonishingly antiquated in terms of the culture of the girl’s school and of course forms the main backbone of the story. On the other hand I had to read on to see if all my fears were confirmed and if the heroine puzzles out the mystery from the clues if not from the beastly girls themselves who attend there.

Once in a while a book comes along that you can't shake for days after you've finished reading it.  Madam by Phoebe Wynne is one such book.

Rose is recommended to teach Classics at a prestigious but very remote school in Scotland.  Alarm bells should have started ringing but she goes through with the posting.

This is definitely not the type of boarding school you will want to stay at and is as far removed from Malory Towers as possible.

Very atmospheric, and I'd like to hope that all these practices within the book are entirely made up.

A dark, feminist tale of mystery and intrigue.
Rose Christie, a 26-year-old Classics teacher, joins Caldonbrae Hall, a prestigious boarding school for girls. Rose is overwhelmed by the institution: its arcane traditions and unruly students. There's a mystery surrounding her predecessor's departure, but no one will answer her questions. Rose's classroom becomes her haven, where the stories of fearless women from ancient Greek and Roman history ignite the curiosity of her students but also the people in power within the school.
But as Rose uncovers the dark heart that beats in Caldonbrae, the lines between myth and reality grow ever more blurred. Rose and her students must find a way to escape the fate the school has in store for them, before it is too late.

"𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘮?"

I thought this book was fantastic. I was really pleased to be granted an ARC of this book and the book certainly met my expectations and in many ways exceeded them. It struck me as a blend of The Stepford Wives, Rebecca and The Twins of St Clare's, creating a compelling, dark and creative storyline. 

When Rose Christie gets a job as the head of Classics at a prestigious and reclusive private school, she sees the opportunity as one to advance her career, to help her care for her ailing mother with the best care money can buy, all while giving the girls at the school a top classics education. When she arrives, however, things are far more complicated than that. What are the strange lessons on the timetable called 'Conversation', 'Worship' and 'Discipline'? Why are the girls' so concerned about their 'Value' and 'Promises'? Are the visitors on the Open Day parents or something more sinister? There is something far darker at the heart of this school and can Rose ever escape it? 

The book is littered throughout with classical women, mirroring the girls' foray into their studies. I really loved how the book emphasised the women in classical civilisation as a way for the girls to empower themselves and ask more of their position. It was done very well and realistically (I say that as someone who also took Classics at A-Level). It didn't feel like extra padding and instead really added to the nuances of the storyline. I was completely gripped by the novel and the way the story unfolded and was desperate to read it as quickly as possible. I highly recommend this book. I will absolutely be buying myself a copy when it comes out.