I was gripped form the start of this book and could not stop turning the pages. I absolutely tore through it in a day. A perfect read for fans of creepy boarding schools, mysteries, mythology and powerful women.

I really wanted to like this book, but for some reason I was unable to connect with it. It had so much promise but I found my mind wandering and struggled to finish it. Many thanks for the copy.

I'm not 100% how I feel about this. I whizzed through the book and found it quick and easy to read. The descriptions of Scotland and the surrounding area were wild, a fab area for this story to be based. The characters at the school bugged me (the teachers, the sixth formers - probably due to their views), and when Rose found out what the school was and how it was run I felt the same as her and felt repulsed by the school. The ending seemed a bit far-fetched to me... but it did mean that the book ended in a somewhat good place.

Rose is mysteriously recruited out of the blue to be the Classics teacher at a the prestigious Caldonbrae Hall. However, as soon as she arrives, things don't seem quite right. The staff are secretive and the pupils eccentric. Rose becomes obsessed with finding out what really is going on behind the scenes. It turns out Caldonbrae Hall is hiding more than one dark secret..

I didn't know a lot about the plot going into this one but I fell into the story instantly. This is definitely slow moving but the atmosphere throughout keeps you hooked. I was rattling my brain to try and think of what the secret could be and I definitely didn't see it coming.

I loved how the author entwined real classic stories of Greek/Roman/Celtic women and Goddesses and how they can be used to promote feminism in this century.

I loved how weird and quirky the girls were and felt the dark academic setting was on point. This felt like a mix of The Secret History and Bunny. I'm super impressed and will definitely be reading future releases from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus books for providing me with a copy to review!

Firstly, a huge thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

With its striking cover and the fact I couldn’t scroll through Twitter without seeing people talking about this book a few months ago, I was very intrigued and excited when I finally got around to reading it. This novel started off really strong and I loved the mystery, the end left me a little conflicted but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel regardless.

At the very beginning of the novel, before we are even introduced to Caldonbrae Hall, there is this sense of unease around the place even though you don’t understand why. It was this unease and uncertainty surrounding the school that kept me gripped from the beginning. Even as I began to work out what was going on in the novel, I wanted my suspicions confirmed, I wanted to know the truth and not just my assumed truth of the novel. Wynne does a wonderful job with the pacing of the novel, by splitting the book into three terms you would think this is a relatively short amount of time to spend at a school. However, so much happens within these parts and there are slow moments of the novel but I found that just emphasised how Rose is struggling to come to terms with her place at the school.

Although Rose embodies the reader as being an outsider to Caldonbrae Hall, I enjoyed how the reader is able to piece things together much quicker than Rose. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t an element of mystery throughout the novel, as there is quite a lot I didn’t seem coming, but it was a very clever way that Wynne allows the reader to understand Rose as an outsider, but also understand the girl’s frustration that Rose doesn’t know the ins and outs of the school like they do. I especially enjoyed the blend of characters and how they complemented and contrasted each other. The students were all individuals and whilst it may take a little while to warm up to some, you’re genuinely intrigued by them and their lives at the school and outside it. Without giving anything away, I liked how Rose interacted with other teachers and students and would try to voice her opinion against the school later on, although there were times where it did seem a little repetitive. I think my favourites were Daisy, Freddie and Nessa. I loved this little trio and really found myself rooting for them above everyone else!

Whilst I loved the pacing and the mystery of the novel as a whole, I felt as though the ending was a little rushed and it ended quite abruptly. I did think the epilogue was a nice touch though and it had a similar sense of unease as the beginning of the novel did. I also really enjoyed the stories of women from ancient classics woven into the novel and the strong feminist themes that ran throughout.

Overall, this was a fascinating read, one which Wynne expertly combines a gothic atmosphere and an almost dystopian one. Madam is a novel which will take you to another world with an unsettling atmosphere which will linger in your mind for days.

This is a creepy and suspenseful novel which Claverley weaves present day events and blends them with classical heroes and heroines. It's a slow burner though and you have to patiently wait for the story to unfold.

There's a phrase - too good to be true, and usually, it turns out to be the case. This is quite a fitting phrase for Rose, who gets offered a job teaching the Classics in Scotland at an elite girl's school where they only turn out the best. She's torn at the start of the book on whether to take it, the flashy brochure not sitting comfortably with her own background but with her mother in care and spiralling costs, it seems a good move.
Although Rose is welcomed, she very quickly finds herself out of her depth and in particular, one student forms an unhealthy attachment to her that lead to dire consequences for all involved. As Rose becomes more and more ensconced within the school, we discover that all is not as it seems. Although I could see where things were leading, the reveal is still shocking and disturbing, in my opinion. Rose forms a closer relationship with three of her students and realises she has to help them escape their future. She, too, wishes to do the same, yet the school has made it clear that the consequences won't be good if she tries to leave.

I'll say no more, other than I thought this was a great read. I loved the slow build of how Rose forms some alliances within the school only to find they are not all as trustworthy as she believed. I also liked the way the author drops in some elements of Greek and Roman history and mythology which give an authentic feel to the book as well as being an analogy to the happenings in the school.

This is a debut novel by Phoebe Wynne but I'd love to read more of her work as she did a great job of building the tension in the novel, she created a marvellous gothic setting for the school and she gave us a main character to really get behind and who you definitely want to win the day.

If something sounds too good to be true...it usually is. When Rose is offered a job teaching Classics at the prestigious Caldonbrae Hall she isn’t sure whether she’s qualified for the position. As a single young woman with an ailing mother and a father’s shameful secret she is, albeit unwittingly, proving herself to be the perfect candidate.
Arriving at the school she has many questions, but every attempt to learn more about her new role and the environment she has joined is stone-walled. That should have been her first clue that things weren’t quite what she thought. When, only a couple of weeks into term, the entire upper sixth are taken to London and the students she does get to teach take more interest in baiting her than learning, that should have set some alarm bells ringing. In fact, from the outset there are so many instances of strange occurrences that anyone with half a brain would now this place is not what it seems. It takes Rose a considerable time to start to question what she’s walked into.
The staff and girls at Caldonbrae are unsettling. The wrongness of the situation is evident from early on, but we don’t find out what is happening until considerably later on. Attempts are made by many to justify the environment...and the classical allusions offer an interesting exploration of the ideas and characters.
There is a rather dramatic near-ending and a small glimmer of hope for Rose. Unfortunately, the detail slipped in at the end implies, quite bleakly, that when such behaviour is institutionalised as it is here, it will be nigh impossible to tackle. That’s depressing.

This is one of my favourite books I've read in a while. It's Catherine House meets Only Ever Yours, which are both four star books for me so it's no surprise this one got a five! Wynne has created a modern day (well 90s) gothic for a contemporary audience that employs the traditional gothic tropes of innocent young woman and remote castle/Manor House to dig deeper into the way women are stifled and moulded to be something men want them to be. The addition of ancient myths scattered throughout was the perfect companion to draw parallels throughout the story.

Set in a fictional elite boarding school for girls on a Scottish peninsula, this novel follows a new teacher, Rose, who accepts a position as the Head of Classics in the hope it will help her career and assist with the care costs of her terminally ill mother. However, when she arrives at the school it's all very weird, the curriculum is strange, the other teachers are distant, the kids are rude and Rose suffers a number of indignities and humiliations during the first part of the book which would have made anybody else turn around and leave immediately. The story then builds to a dangerous climax as Rose (and the reader) learn more about the purpose of the school and the fate of the pupils. This had a lot of promise - boarding school, thriller/mystery, the inclusion of women from the classics interspersed, elements of dystopia. Somehow, it all felt a bit flat. The first half in particular was very slow paced and the characters were rather dull. I enjoyed this but for me, it didn't live up to a lot of its promise.

Madam by Phoebe Wynne is a brilliantly sinister, feminist tale set in Caldonbrae Hall, a prestigious boarding school for girls, located in a remote part of the Highlands. The story begins when Rose Christie, a young Classics teacher is offered a post at Caldonbrae Hall, and soon realises there is an unsettling undercurrent to this elite school. Once Rose begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her predecessor’s abrupt departure, she discovers that there is a far more disturbing nature to this school than she could ever have thought and so begins a battle within Rose which threatens both her safety and her sanity.

I raced through this book, right from the beginning there is an ominous tone to the story which drew me in immediately. Phoebe Wynne’s writing is excellent, revealing just enough of the plot throughout to keep you hooked until the end. It is a clever and deeply unnerving story about the traditional roles of women. I have recently discovered an interest in the classics and have read several feminist retellings, I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the women from Greek and Roman mythology, which Rose uses in her teachings to the young students and how these stories were entwined with the main plot. I look forward to reading more by Phoebe Wynne in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for a digital copy for review.

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazing novel and once started I found myself completely caught up in it. I subsequently bought both ebook and audiobook editions.

In the autumn of 1992 Rose Christie, a 26-year-old Classics teacher, has just joined the faculty of Caldonbrae Hall, a boarding school for girls located in the ancestral castle of Lord William Hope. The castle was built on a peninsula on the coast of Scotland with turrets, cloisters, the occasional gargoyle and nearby crashing waves. A perfect Gothic location. Established 150 years ago, the school is considered a beacon of excellence that promises that its pupils will emerge 'resilient and ready to serve society'.

From the start Rose feels overwhelmed by the institution: its arcane traditions and entitled pupils. Rose must always be addressed as ‘Madam’ and the icy, vindictive students seem to make it sound an insult.

While seeking to inspire her students with an appreciation for the women of ancient history and myth, Rose also investigates the mysteries associated with the school. Does something sinister beat at the heart of Caldonbrae? You will have to read the book to find out as my lips are sealed against spoilers.

This is Phoebe Wynne’s debut novel. She had taught Classics for a number of years and integrates material associated with these studies into the narrative. ‘Madam’ was also inspired by ‘Rebecca’ with Wynne drawing upon the traditions of Gothic literature.

I found ‘Madam’ an unsettling academic novel exploring themes linked to female agency. The descriptions of the castle and its environs was very atmospheric. Personally, I found it a compelling read and was fully immersed in my dual read/listen.

Having loved this debut, I look forward to news of Phoebe Wynne’s future projects.

A strange, posh boarding school in Scotland? Count me in! I was so excited to read this book since last year when all the buzz started. However, it did not live up to my expectations. :(

The protagonist in this novel is Rose, and this story is told from her perspective. Rose is a very well educated Latin teacher that comes to a new, well-known school, but being a child of a very active feminist, stuck in a school that has very old and very strange traditions drives her “crazy”. I could not connect to Rose, I respected her thoughts, but she had no idea what she got herself into, and that made her look stupid. I missed student’s perspectives in this book. I think a student protagonist would have made this book way more interesting and absorbing, they definitely have a lot to tell.

I found the narrative of this book mysterious and very enjoyable. Rose is trying to find out more about the events happening in this school, but everything is so secretive, she gets only bits of information. I am not surprised she feels so frustrated. All of that creates a perfect mystery and suspense because I was so keen to find out, what was actually happening there. This book has plenty of issues to be discussed. It portrays only Rose’s perspective, she is from a lower class and has no idea how rich and influential people operate. So what seems outrageous to her, might seem very normal to rich people. I really enjoyed the ancient mythology that was in this novel, I loved the stories of powerful women from the past. The topics discussed in this book are arranged marriages, suicide, mental health issues, ignorance, friendships, homosexuality, teenage manipulations, lack of feminism, various secrets, and many, many more. This novel really highlights a very wide variety of topics.

The whole story is set in 1993, so it does show the struggles people had during those days, especially when it comes to technologies and communication. I enjoyed the writing style of this book, it was very atmospheric and dark. I really can see this novel as a film, it would be brilliant! The chapters of this book have medium length and it had me very engrossed in this story. I don’t really know what I think of the ending, it rounds up the story nicely, but for some reason, it didn’t really leave me satisfied.

So, to conclude, it is a very gloomy and dark novel, filled with unique characters and a plot filled with secrets and mystery. This book is perfect for discussions, it has a very wide variety of topics. I think it would be great for reading groups or readalongs. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys gothic novels, or books set in strange boarding schools. :)

The atmospheric setting and the sinister prologue suggests an undercurrent of menace, which didn't continue as the story progresses.

I received a copy of this book from Quercus via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Set in the early 1990’s Madam follows young teacher Rose as she tries to settle in to the prestigious boarding school at which she has been made head of classics.

While under probation there are areas of the school and meetings Rose isn’t able to access and the story builds tension as she begins to wonder what really happens behind the scenes….

I thought I would love this book. I enjoyed the build of tension and the nod to the Greek classics but it felt like something was missing and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what.

As a debut novel, Phoebe Wynne has certainly made a dramatic entrance. Madam packs a punch from the start when we are given a glimpse of the terror and thrills that lie ahead.

Rose Christie is about to start a new teaching position of Head of Classics at Caldonbrae Hall. Situated on a remote peninsula in Scotland, the dark and sinister descriptions made me think of a cross between Hogwarts and Dunnottar Castle. It’s with a mixture of excitement and slight trepidation that Rose arrives at the new all-girls school where teachers are referred to “Madam” or “Sir” and the pupils dressed in old-fashioned uniforms.

With a general sense of unease at the amount of secrecy within the school, Rose soon starts to feel that she may have made a mistake in accepting the position, but her loyalty is tested after she learns that the school are funding the private clinic with a dedicated nurse for her infirm mother.

As the term progresses, Rose realises that the girls appear to be more interested in learning skills of etiquette and decorum than academic subjects. When she tries to discuss this with other teachers, they become dismissive of her concerns and she begins to realise that Caldonbrae is a school like no other.

Throughout the book there were chapters on Greek mythology where the tales all centred around strong females including Dido, Agrippina and Medusa. As the storyline progressed, we start to see some similarities between the tales, Rose’s position and that of the girls.

Madam is a dark, suspense filled read with a gripping storyline that had me desperate to keep reading.
Many thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

From the blurb, I thought this book was going to be really good but unfortunately it left a lot to be desired. An elite school, feminist heroines, a gothic setting, from these concepts there was nothing to dislike, however it was almost ridiculous in the way it was presented and the role of Rose, the new teacher who slowly begins to understand the reality of the school's ways.
It is quite a slow book with a lot of repetition in regards to Rose's reactions of what was going on and her constantly trying to change things but getting nowhere. There was also a lot of Greek mythology thrown in seemingly randomly at the end of some chapters about some of the most famous female characters: heroines/monsters which was interesting to read but also somewhat unnecessary.
The plot seemed ridiculous, you would think this would be happening in the 1800's not the 1990's and I was easily bored and was struggling to carry on even though I wanted to, to see if it got better or at least to find out how it ended.
Overall I did not enjoy the story and it was a very slow read.

An exciting, creepy and thrilling story.

Rose Christie is a new teacher in Classics at Caldonbrae Hall, in the isolated countryside of Scotland; she's the first new teacher at the girls' school in years - everyone else is a well worn part of the institution. And what an institution it is - Rose quickly realises that a standard education is not what is delivered here.

As more and more is revealed about what the school's purpose actually is, Rose must fight as a woman to educate her girls as to what they really can achieve in life.

I love the merging of the strong female characters of classical myth as illustrations to empower the modern day girls. Full of fascinating characters, this is a book that will stay with you.

Rating: 4.5

I was sold on this book from when I read that it was a ‘darkly feminist tale’ and ‘perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood’, with The Handmaid’s Tale being one of my favourite books. The striking red of the cover and the female figures on it evoke The Handmaid’s Tale and its red symbolism of the Handmaid’s, whilst drawing me to find out more. I could not have been more thrilled when I received the email confirming that I had been accepted to read and review Madam via NetGalley, and it definitely did not let me down.

The plot was very cleverly created and initiated throughout. Many of the twists and turns were definitely unexpected, whilst the ones that were still had a component that surprised me in some form. I also loved the elements of different classical mythologies infused throughout the narrative which provided Rose with a medium to communicate to her students, creating new possibilities for them. The Gothic elements throughout serve to effectively conjure suspense and keep readers in the darkness that consumes the setting of Caldonbrae Hall. Just as Rose is kept in a position of ignorance for most of the novel, we too are as readers who follow this protagonist on her journey to discovering what really occurs in this highly esteemed institution. All of these elements allow the book to be truly gripping, intriguing its readers who are driven to continue reading in order to discover more.

There are definitely parallels but also divergences from Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale too which I have found very interesting to explore. Both Wynne and Atwood create the protagonist’s mothers as feminists who, due to institutions and regimes of oppression and patriarchy, are no longer able to demonstrate their feminist tendencies, being trapped by these systems. The protagonists Rose and Offred do not align themselves to these feminist ideals, but start to consider them once subjected to oppression. Rose unlike Offred however directly asserts her feminist views throughout the novel, whilst Offred still doesn’t seem to particularly consider them, at least not in any way to alter her position. Although Rose is a flawed character in many ways, I also both loved and hated how she wasn’t afraid to speak out, despite constant warnings, these escalating in danger as the narrative progressed. The part hatred was drawn from my investment in the character, not wanting her to be punished and fearing for her safety. Rose is the character who instils some of her students with hope through offering them feminist alternatives to the ideals of patriarchy in which they have been indoctrinated with. Like Offred however, Rose remains powerless to actually create the change herself, although Rose’s actions at least contribute to some form of this. I really wanted to compare these two characters because they are such complicated female protagonists, and I also think it’s the English student in me wanting to analyse them. Don’t worry, I won’t write an essay on this, although it would definitely be an interesting one!

The epilogue perfectly sets-up the potential for a sequel, and I really hope that there is one, perhaps from multiple perspectives, including Rose’s and Freddie’s. Madam is an enthralling, suspenseful mystery, full of darkness and secrets to discover, heightened by a variety of Gothic elements. Out today (13th May), Madam should definitely be your next read!

Thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for the ARC of Madam, in exchange for an honest review!

I love school stories, I've read all of them- from Enid Blyton to PG Wodehouse to Chalet School. This book is what you would get if you mixed up Get Out, Suspiria and Enid Blyton! For a short summary of the book- Rose is a Classics teacher who gets a much coveted post at a posh boarding school for girls in Scotland called Caldonbrae. It seems like a dream job, with an excellent salary and other perks, but All is not as it seems, in classic Gothic style. I've studied in similar schools, not residential, but schools run along similar lines ( given our massive colonial hangover, Indian schools when I was a kid have adopted the worst of the Victorian boarding school). It's incredible how well the author captures the very particular oppressiveness to these places, and how easily their supposed disciplinary practices can be mined for horror. In my school, for instance, all the girls' skirts were measured everyday in school assembly, and an inch shorter called for a caning, a public dressing down, multiple reminders of the perfect little ladies we were meant to be. This isn't normal or healthy by any means, but it's absolutely taken for granted! And this is in the 1990s, not the 1890s. So many instances of the book made me wince in recognition, I absolutely love that it's set in the 90s, when I was in school. It's very evocative of my schooldays- the intense friendships, the crushes on the school Head Girl( House Captain, in my case!), the one fun teacher you wanted to impress. The protagonist's lesson plans are woven into the story, and I really liked that- for one, they reminded me of my French lessons at school, which were very similar, with a short simple passage that you had to translate ( French is obviously a lot easier than Ancient Greek and Latin, of course) The author puts her spin on it though- the passages for translation aren't just the Punic Wars or Caesar's campaigns, she takes stories of women from antiquity, and gives us a far more sympathetic perspective on them, which is great for teenage girls. I feel terribly envious of the students lucky enough to have been taught by Phoebe Wynne!

The horror in this book is derived from the banality of evil, basically systemic patriarchy and conditioning that frames a complete lack of agency as a desirable choice. A cursory scroll through Instagram is enough to demonstrate how manicured and perfectly put together women are expected to be. For every perfectly groomed celebrity talking about #bodypositivity, you have teenagers posing in outfits clearly catering to the male gaze, under the guise of empowerment, which is merely then performance and not actual feminism. I'm in a country where nearly 90% of marriages are "arranged", by the couple's parents, and "convent-educated" is still something that apparently improves a girl's "Value", so a lot of this book felt practically like nonfiction! In a lot of instances, specially the social class the students come from in this book, women are encouraged to get an education merely so they can command higher dowries in the Marriage Mart ( such as it is), perish the thought they actually do anything with that education. This is a horror as insidious as anything Margaret Atwood has come up with, and just as hard to fight, and I appreciate that the author recognises it as such. And it isn't going anywhere!

The ending of the book is great, and Medea and Dido would be delighted with the actions of the protagonists! The author doesn't give you an unrealistically positive ending, but she does leave you with hope for the future, as it should be. Excellent book, I'm so grateful I was given this ARC. Definitely going to keep a lookout for all of Phoebe Wynne's future books!