Dark, creepy, twisted. I don’t know how else to describe this book, but it takes a while to get to the good part. The part of the roller coaster where you’ve climbed to the top and know the drops, twists, and turns will come at you with speed and unpredictability. I just wish it didn’t take 50% of the book to get there. I really liked the use of Greek mythology to hint at the next revelation to come.


Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the arc.

Though not my favorite specific breed of Gothic, this was fun, creepy, and worked the genre’s signature slow build well.

This is modern-ish Gothic, and the basis for why this is as horrifying as it is is stakes largely on the timing of it.

Rose, our well-meaning but frazzled and overwhelmed heroine is mostly ineffectual in her fight against evil, but y’know, she tries hard. Though we like Rose and root for her, the students and the other educators (both the good and the bad) prove to be more complex and interesting characters.

Wynne did well with the settling and atmosphere, deftly building the sense of isolation and dread. She also did something else very well that I’ve seen a LOT of authors do poorly of late: Incorporate Greek myth and history into a modern novel as allegory. I’m not sure this book has gotten proper recognition for that, and it should.

I wish the bit with the male teachers toward the end had been left out (it takes the story from fun-creepy to just gross, which isn’t really where this book needed to go. It’s an unnecessary and icky add-on that didn’t need to be there.

Otherwise, I thought this was fun and creepy, and I loved the way the Classics parallels came into play in the story of Rose and the girls.

If you're looking for a dark, twisty campus read, then "Madam" by Phoebe Wynne is just the thing to scratch that itch.

While Rose, our female protagonist, isn't so quick on the draw when trying to figure out what the weirdness is going on all around her at Caldonbrae Hall, we, as outside observers, figure out that this finishing school does more than that - they get the girls well past the finish line.

In any other book, this could have made for an incredibly boring and predictable story. However, Wynne continues to draw you in with her writing style and the peeks further and further into the disturbing events happening, literally, behind closed doors.

It was a great read as summer began, but will be an even better reread deep into fall, curled up in my bed on a dark and stormy night.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Madam by Phoebe Rynne is billed as a modern gothic, and the “gothic” part is certainly taken care of by Caldonbrae Hall, the forbidding Scottish mansion, now serving as a girls’ boarding school, at which teacher Rose Christie arrives in 1992 as its new head of Classics. Chosen as a result of a recommendation from a colleague, Rose’s youth and relatively limited experience seem hardly to fit her for such a senior position at a prestigious school, but the salary and benefits will assist her in caring for her mother, who has MS and is steadily getting worse. Rose is even less prepared for the secrets she will find within the walls of Caldonbrae.

Madam, which takes its title from the peculiar custom at the school of addressing all the female staff indistinguishably as “Madam” (and all males as “Sir”) had a rather slow start, although it did pick up after the first third or so as Rose gets to know and slowly win over her initially hostile students and also attempts to navigate the labyrinthine structure (both figurative and literal) of the school. After that, it builds towards a shattering climax.

While my opinion of the book improved as it went on, my biggest problem was suspending my disbelief about whether – even in the 1990s - its system of “education” could have been maintained and kept secret from the world at large, especially given the fact that part of it was that its students would be moving in the highest circles of society, and it seemed unlikely that they would have been able to be kept isolated and insulated from “new” ideas for what would essentially have been the rest of their lives. This is where the “modern” part of the description failed for me. I could see this taking place far more easily in the 1950s or 1920s, but then, of course, most of the “traditions” would have seemed much less outlandish. I also found the character of Rose to be so impulsive and unable to keep from voicing her disapproval and opposition that it became unbelievable that they would have kept her on for as long as they did, continuing to give her “another chance” however outrageously (in their view) she behaved. Her mother, too, was not very believable as a "feminist"; this was a situation where the author would have benefited by "showing, not telling," since we're told that she was one but never see any evidence of it. On the other hand, I did like the stories about strong women in the classical tradition (although they rarely came to positive ends) and how Rose used them to make her students question the future that was laid out in front of them. On the whole, I would give this book 2.5 stars, mainly due to my issues with it, but will round up to 3.

I received a copy of Madam from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I started and stopped this multiple times. I think it took the fourth time of picking it up that I actually powered through. This feels very lackluster to me. I can see what the author was trying to do, but it missed the mark. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters, even though I feel like I should have.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this title, which was published on May 18, 2021. I'm writing this review voluntarily.

The dream of the 90s is certainly not alive in Phoebe Wynne's atmospheric debut gothic novel "Madam."

The book takes place almost entirely at a reclusive, mysterious boarding school for young girls in Scotland: Caldonbrae Hall. Our main character, a young Classics teacher named Rose Christie, is the first new instructor the school's hired in over ten years. The school immediately appoints Rose as department head, welcomes her into an environment of elite prestige, and even foots the bill for her elderly mother's care. So, what's the catch?

Turns out that Caldonbrae is a horrifically outdated and oppressive institution. Rose's predecessor left her job under scandalous and secret circumstances. The girls at the school are oddly ranked and classified, often undergoing weird disciplinary procedures--like head shaving as punishment. Women are frequently disrespected, while men are excessively revered. An uncomfortable level of surveillance reigns, with staff seemingly knowing everything about Rose's past, family, and personal life. When a student becomes obsessed with her and after strange notes start appearing inside her room, Rose becomes determined to get to the bottom of what's really going on behind the closed doors of Caldonbrae.

Phoebe Wynne successfully maintains a sense of ambiguity well into this novel, provoking reader interest without causing annoyance at delayed information. It is a bit hard to believe in Rose as a young woman in the 90s, however: she's often so naive and unaware that it's easy to guess what's happening in the narrative long before the main character does. Some of the best, and most relatable, moments in the novel are moments of employer coercion; Rose can't leave her job at the school without risking financial and social ruin, plus sacrificing her mother's healthcare, which causes her to put up with more than she should. I was hoping that something supernatural would happen in this book. Instead, the terror turned out to be even worse: good old fashioned sexism.

I had high hopes for this novel, most of which unfortunately fell flat. While I deeply enjoyed the atmospheric quality of Madam, I found the premise and Rose's naivete a bit too far-fetched to remained truly engrossed in the story. I did enjoy the ending of the story, however, and appreciated the way in which Wynne wrapped up the tale in a plausible and satisfying manner.

This book was…. Surprising. I was not completely sure if I would like it, and even now I’m still debating. It was definitely a roller coaster. There were things I expected, and things I did not. I definitely need to think more on how I feel about this

I love books with gothic undertones and had high expectations from this book, which may be why it didn't really work well for me. There is not a single likeable character in the book and that includes the protagonist Rose. I could not wrap my mind around the reasons why she would choose to remain and work at a place like Caldonbrae.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

In many ways this book's plot resonnated with me. I'm a retired high school teacher and the MC of this novel, Rose Christie, is also a school teacher who's only been teaching a few years but is offered the position of head of Classics at a very prestigious all girls school, Caldonbrae Hall in Scotland. She is unsure of whether she is qualified or ready for such a positioni, but her sickly mother pushes her to accept it.

Once Rose arrives at the school and takes on her title, it doesn't take long for her to realize that the school is not 100% what one might think. Her students test her in ways that go beyond reason. It's evident to the reader perhaps before Rose even realizes that this school is different in ways that are frightening. I commiserated with Rose and what she went through as a teacher of her students, as a staff member, and as a "detective" who needed to figure out what was going on when she was not supposed to ask questions but adhere to the rather stringent rules set before her. She was "attacked" from all directions so naturally the reader questions why the students and staff seem to be difficult and and not helpful to Rose's acclamation to her new job.

The story of Rose and her teaching experience in the well-known school is a deliciously dark story and the writing is skillful and the plot particularly well-done. I loved Rose and her tenacity and I will definitely read more from this author.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC for an honest opinion and review.

Gothic is definitely one of my favorite genres, and what could be better than an all-girls boarding school on the Scotland coast with mysterious secrets?

Young Classics teacher, Rose, is recruited to the exclusive boarding school, the first new faculty member in a decade. But she immediately senses something is off. What happened to her predecessor? Why is the troubled young student, Bethany, obsessed with her? And why are her colleagues so uncommunicative?

While she suspects only that there is a story behind the termination of the former teacher, the school is hiding much bigger secrets. Rose realizes she needs to save not only herself, but the students as well.

Super creepy with a dreamlike (or nightmarish) quality. The reader will alternately admire Rose and want to shake her. #Madam #NetGalley

This modern gothic had a great creepy mystery at its core but I felt it dragged a bit and it just didn't grab me the way I had hoped. Rose Christie arrives as a young Classics teacher at Caldonbrae Hall, a 150 year old Scottish girls' boarding school. From the beginning she receives a less than warm welcome from the teachers and students and she quickly detects that all is not as it appears in these hallowed halls. Set in the 1990s, this school is very much stuck in its aristocratic traditions and ideologies, where girls are treated as property for creating new alliances. Parts of this were stronger than others but I found it could have used some editing in the middle. Just an okay read for me.

This book has so much to hook me in. It's an academic novel, it has a cool Gothic setting, it presents a suspicious and mysterious faculty, and it establishes overall suspense and anxiety. However, I still struggled a great deal with it.

Others have mentioned the "too old fashioned" discourse of the characters. I agree that this was off-putting. However, I could get past that; part of the idea of this plot is that the students are very elite and very sheltered--so they would speak like they're trained rather than typical young women in the early 1990s. My problem was more with the pacing; I kept waiting for the big secret and, when I got it (I figured it out pretty early), I felt like it wasn't quite shocking enough. That sounds odd, perhaps, since there are some scenes meant to invoke response, but there it is.

In some ways, the novel is timely in reminding us that equality is not guaranteed and that it has been hard-fought for. Yet the characterizations are often confusing. I think I know what the author was trying to do (for instance, the main character's mother is put in a very bad light; I think maybe we're supposed to understand that we are only seeing her through a daughter's critical gaze), but there were no alternate facets to the often limited views nor were there clear indications of author's tone or intent. So . . . I wasn't sure how the author wanted me to feel about women, equality, independence, community of women, etc.

Ultimately, I was excited about this and thought it might make a good addition to a course on Gothic studies or Women's Studies. I'm not sure, though, that I could make this work in a classroom. As far as pleasure reading, it just missed the mark for me. It was close many times, but my final opinion was that it left me conflicted and unengaged.

Absolutely not what I expected (and hoped) this one to be. To be honest, the synopsis feels misleading to me. Could not manage either the characters or the writing, unfortunately. DNF'd, but not posting a public review because I didn't read enough to justify dinging it.

Thank you, St. Martin's, for the opportunity.

Caldonbrae Hall, one of the UK’s most illustrious boarding schools, has been educating girls from elite families for 150 years. The school commands loyalty from its faculty and staff and rarely hires new teachers. Twenty-six-year-old Rose Christie, the first new educator in over a decade, is equally delighted and intimidated to become head of the Classics Department.

The job, though, requires her to move to campus in a remote part of Scotland, and she quickly learns the locals do not care for those associated with the school. The students wear curiously old fashioned uniforms and call female teachers “Madam” and male students “Sir” and seem oddly disinterested in their classes, especially Latin, and the girls test Rose. She wonders what she’s gotten herself into, especially when she begins to question what happened to the Madam she replaced. Her queries put her on a collision course with powerful enemies but unexpected allies surprise her.

Set in the early 1990s, the book contained fun pop culture references, but the stories of Greek women were major highlights. While I thought the story was over the top, it seemed intentionally so, and I found it an entertaining and shocking read. There’s something irresistible about boarding school settings, plus I like thrillers that have individuals in conflict with seemingly omnipotent institutions.

I wanted to like this book - I really did. But, I knew liking it just wasn't going to happen after finishing about 25% of the book. It is painfully slow. All of the classrooms scenes are trite and annoying. And why are there so many of them? 1 or 2 I can see. I skimmed through the remaining 75% of the book, thankfully missing some of the more ridiculous parts. The whole plot made absolutely no sense to me - in the 1990's, a YOUNG teacher is brought to teach in a VERY traditional, elite private school. The powers that be think that they can tell this young teacher what to do and have her just be compliant with what they want. REALLY?

There were just too many flaws here and holes in the plot. It was not an enjoyable read.

This review was also published on Goodreads.

This was a book that was hard to get into. This tale was very slow. Also, I didn’t like the main character. She was very passive and weak. There were also some very disturbing scenes that made it hard to continue reading. The only thing I liked was the Greek mythology. I wished it was an anthology of Greek tales than this story that was not much of a thriller. Very disappointing read!

In 'Madam', Rose Christie arrives at a renowned girls' boarding school to replace a Classics teacher who has just left. She is shocked to learn that she is the first hire in about a decade. Teachers, it seems, just don't leave. Except her predecessor did, under very suspicious circumstances, and the minute the old teacher is mentioned, the intrigue begins. Another curious thing about Rose's new gig is that though it is the 90s, the girls are strangely old-fashioned in their dress, speech and obvious lack of curiosity about the world.

Though Rose remains bewildered by this for a long, long, long time, within a few chapters, the reader will easily figure out the secret of Caldonbrae Hall, also known as "Hope". That didn't trouble me so much. What did was that with gothic novels, though lush language and atmosphere are part of the lure, you also want textured, complicated characters; villains with a clear motivation to their villainy, and for it all to end in an extraordinary crescendo. With this book, I did not get any of that. The heroine, ostensibly a plucky young woman raised by a feminist mother, from page one is a little bit of a shrinking violet. When we first meet her, she is shrinking under the criticism of her difficult mother, which sets up a never-to-be-explained-or-resolved interesting interpersonal dynamic. And later, at Caldonbrae when Rose discovers the most shocking things about the place where she has come to teach, her responses are, variedly, to cry, have a public tantrum, withdraw in silence and to attempt a series of small, ineffectual rebellions that only worsen her situation because she knows (as the reader does) that they are doomed to fail.

My other quibble was the arc of the novel. Up to about 85% in, the heroine is still finding herself shocked anew by each new discovery, even though she has already been clued in to the nature of the place. She is still crying, 'Why?', 'How could you?' 'Who would endure this?' All the while, she teaches the Caldonbrae girls about heroic and complicated women in history and mythology and extolls their bravery, yet displays none of her own. It felt like the author got a little lost in her novel concept, and spent much too much of the book proving that concept relevant and current, and very little time developing the story to wrap around that concept. The concept is interesting and basically that

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

there is a vast network of influential men who want women trained and be proper wives--schooled in hostessing and conversation and sex, but not challenging the patriarchy with things like ... independent thought, or lesbianism. That this network is so committed to maintaining a certain kind of society that they choose their wives from, and send their daughters to Caldonbrae to train new crops of compliant women is just close enough to what we know of the upper classes to not seem too farfetched; it's close enough to reality to live in the realm of, 'okay, this could totally happen.'

Since this novel is set in the nineties, what the author just could not overcome for me was the absence of an explanation for why Caldonbrae would not simply chuck the recalcitrant "Madam" Rose out into the street since she so early demonstrated that she wasn't going to work out. And as time went on, the more trouble she became, the more determined they seemed to keep her there as a teacher. It didn't make sense. The idea that they were a network so strong and well-connected (including heads of state, government ministers, titans of industry!) that they could do some of the outrageous things they did with impunity ... and yet couldn't find a way to make Rose leave and keep her mouth shut just didn't make sense. Hell, your average celebrity is able to do that, managing to get people to shut up about all manner of crimes and misdemeanors.

You just can't build a solid mystery suspense novel around a problem for which there is an immediately available and obvious solution. You just can't. So, for me, while the writing itself was good, plot and characters left something to be desired. This was a hard one to rate so low, because I really, really wanted to love it. And the ending? It just felt like the author ran out of things for the protagonist to be shocked about and rather than resolve anything, just ... ended it. But worst of all, it doesn't end because the protagonist exercises any agency (nope, no girl power moment) but because of something someone else does.

Audiobook note: Great on the accents, but a little overly dramatic at points. And the narration revealed an excessive use of dialogue tags like "cried" "wept" "hissed" and the like.

My rating of this book is low, but it is not because of the premise of the storyline. I definitely understood where Debut Author Phoebe Wynne was taking the characters. However, one has to insure the reader is going to relate with what you are presenting. If you are going with a Gothic theme then make sure it’s not only the correct setting appropriate, but your scenery is as well.
My impression of this book is that it was more of a Gothic setting in the 1800’s vs 1993. The only time I felt it was 1993 was the passages on teaching and the references to the Classics. For all I knew she could have stepped back in time.
There were so many things in this book taking place and it was confusing and I had to force myself to keep reading. At the very end there was reference to young girls being kept upstairs and now they were being taken away because of the fire. Another thing that was a secret.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Madam was a tough one for me. I kind of feel like the author knew what she wanted it to be but went so overboard with some elements that it just didn't work, at least not for me. The blurb mentions a modern gothic tale, and it is gothic. So much so that it doesn't feel modern. With the exception of a few references, this story feels like it's set about a century earlier than it actually is. Most of the characters aren't at all likable, including Rose. She's rather abrasive, and maybe that's intentional, but it was just one more thing that didn't work for me. I started this one with the ebook format, but the beginning was really slow, and I was having trouble getting into the story. The blurb had piqued my interest enough, so I switched to the audiobook in hopes of a better outcome. I did make it all the way through, but even the audio version felt slow, and those things that didn't work while reading didn't fare any better while listening. The story is quite dark and parts of it are thoroughly disturbing, but that wasn't the reason for my disappointment. I was prepared for darkness, but I also expected more suspense and tension. I didn't find that here, and I think that was due to the slow pacing. I will say that the narrator, Nathalie Buscombe, has a pleasant voice, but it's almost a bit too pleasant for Rose in my opinion. I would listen to her on something else though. As for the story, I feel like this debut suffered from a case of trying too hard and ended up overshooting on things that could've been important to the reading experience.