I found this to be rather an odd book. On the one hand it was gripping at certain points and I was keen to know what happened. On the other hand, though, the premise is not easy to accept.

Mild spoilers - beware:

I found it hard to believe that Rose would allow herself to be constrained in such a manner simply to keep her mother in a better class of home or to pay for her treatment. Has she not heard of the National Health Service? Social Services? This type of premise doesn't really cut it for residents of a country which (still) has free health care. We don't need to go full Walter White to pay for treatment. The second strand of her blackmail, if we can call it that, is to keep her deceased father's name unsullied. Hmmm - not sure I buy that either. Surely, freedom and the ability to live one's own life is of greater value than the reputation of someone now dead, who can't be hurt.

Add to that the idea that the girls (not to mention the staff) go along with the restrictions of life at this awful school, and the cracks start to show. I couldn't believe that Rose would actually go back when she got away for half term the first time. Anyone with any sense would have run away after the first week.

Plus, neither Rose nor the author seem to care about the innocents sacrificed in order for the wrongdoers to get their comeuppance.

So, yes, it is, for a time, a compelling read, but not, for me, a satisfying one in the end.

This was a solid Gothic mystery full of atmospheric, gloomy world-building, and an insidious aura of dread as the truths about Caldonbrae are revealed. I also particularly enjoyed the references to Greek and Roman mythology, given the protagonist's position as a Classics teacher.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Madam by Phoebe Wynne was one of my most anticipated books of 2021. I love campus novels especially when there are unsettling undertones and mysterious elements involved and Madam has both of these things in spades.
It is the story of Rose, a young Classics teacher who has seemingly hit the occupational jackpot by being given the opportunity to work at an elite academy for young girls. However, things are not all that they seem. Pertinent information is kept from Rose as she is initially put on a probationary period. Rose is constantly on the backfoot from the teachers and from the students who know the ways and traditions of Caldonbrae. As Rose discovers the truth she has to come to a decision about the kind of teacher she wishes to be.
Phoebe Wynne has created a deeply unsettling novel. As my suspicions grew and as Iearned more about the academy alongside Rose I felt more and more uncomfortable. When a writer manages to get a visceral response from a reader you know that they have done a great job.
Madam by Phoebe Wynne will be released May 13th 2021.
For more information regarding Phoebe Wynne (@phoebewynne) please visit her Twitter page.
For more information regarding Quercus (@QuercusBoks) please visit www.quercusbooks.co.uk.

This was a really strange book. I loved the premise of a school with its own wayward rules that harbours a secret but something didn't fit rights somehow- the protagonist did little to help herself and the other teachers , even some of the girls were indistinguishable as characters.
I felt it could have been edited better so that the story flowed more slowly at first building to a reveal when we realise what is happening at the school. It was hard to connect the poor treatments of one or two of the girls with the others and that could have been made more clear. It also felt like we dint need the mystery of where the previous techer had gone as there was enough mystery at the school itself and the hold they had over the mothers care. The scene setting was good, I felt the school was very evocative, the sea very present, the classics tuff felt a bit shoe horned in as a way to make girls into feminists instead of what they were being groomed to be?
It had great stuff but as a cohesive whole I felt It needed work from a skilled editor.

This is like a YA novel but for grown ups! Set in a boarding school, and following bee teacher Rose, this is creepy and keep me in suspense throughout.

“As she poured the blood-red liquid into a glass at the bar, she wondered how an establishment that promised to educate ‘girls of the world’ could somehow make its women feel so small.”

CW: Suicide, arson, death by arson, arranged marriage, teacher-student relationship, terminally ill parent

I don’t really know what to make of this book. Even a day after finishing it, I’m still unsure because I just kind of felt nothing towards it. It weirded me out a lot and there was a brief moment where I had the drive to keep picking it up, but I was just picking it up to read because I had to most of the time.
The setting for Madam is an almost cult-like gothic manor house. The main character, the first new teacher in over a decade, feels something is off from the get-go, but doesn’t really have the words to explain why until two thirds of the way through.
I think the setting would have been more effective had the characters been more appealing. Cults are so readable and effective because the people at the head of them are so alluring and they’re nice and they draw you in until it’s difficult to escape - and you’re not sure you do want to leave anyway. I didn’t feel this here. Rose wasn’t a particularly engaging character or narrator, and her relationship with the other staff didn’t exactly make me care either. I mean, I think that’s the point, Rose doesn’t like her coworkers.
The girls, the students, all kind of blurred together and I couldn’t remember who was who enough to really react if anything happened.
I liked how mythology was interspersed into the story, if nothing else because it introduced me to some more mythological feminist figures.
There were questions pasted into the story from the start that don’t really get answered or only get answered in snippets. It gives you a reason to keep reading, to work out what’s going on.
Then, the big reveal comes about two thirds of the way through, and it partly made me really interested (because I wanted to see how it would resolve) and but mostly made me super uncomfortable - which is exactly the cause of my confusion re my review: I was meant to feel uncomfortable with this book and I did, but how much am I uncomfortable about the story and how much did I just not like? But there are two specific scenes that made me feel extra icky, mainly some...sexual stuff between the students and teachers - and one scene wasn’t even that sexual.
I just. Don’t know. I feel like some people may love this, but it wasn’t for me. It clearly gave me a lot to think about and review the book on, but I don’t think I liked it.

For centuries, Caldonbrae Hall, an elite boarding school for girls, situated on the cliffs of remote Scotland, is a vestige of excellence in the ancestral castle of Lord William Hope. In the autumn term of 1992, Rose Christie, a 26-year-old Classics teacher starts her new position at the school. Rose is overwhelmed by the institution's antiquated traditions and attitudes of the of the staff and students. As time passes and Rose settles into her new role, she uncovers the darkness that hides behind the pretence of a school that promises its pupils will emerge 'resilient and ready to serve society'.

Madam is Phoebe Wynne's debut suspenseful dark academia novel that I am now obsessed with. The setting, atmosphere, dialogue and mystery, all coalesce to create a perfect contemporary gothic novel with stunning writing. I was fascinated by the mystery and sinister undertones, it made me feel unsettled all the way through. This book. is without a doubt a page-turner, the horror escalated with ferocious pace that I absolutely devoured.

This book was a dark, atmospheric but I did find it a bit slow to get into. Although I did find it a bit hard to get into I did want to know what Rose had gotten herself into and what had happened to the previous teacher. The book does pick up paces and doesn't continue to feel slow. I feel I can't say too much as I don't want to give anything away and the end does pay off.

At the start of Madam I was really gripped and enjoyed the chilling and disquieting atmosphere that the author created really well. I felt that the comparisons to Margaret Atwood and Daphne du Maurier were justified.

And then the secret mission of the school was revealed and it just became weird and distressing as it began to deal with deeply uncomfortable subjects in often more graphic and provocative ways than I felt were necessary.

I’d say it’s also too long by about 100 pages. Really disappointing as the start held a lot of promise.

I’m grateful to the publishers for my free review copy in return for this honest review.

Chilling, prescient and utterly gripping, Madam is an astonishing debut. Perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood and gothic thriller, Madam takes place in a mysterious traditional boarding school based in an isolated Scottish peninsula, where the locals mutter darkly about the people inside. It also reminded me a little of Bridget Collins' The Betrayals! Very gothic, very twisty and a spectacular ending, I would highly recommend. Thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the ARC!

Rose is surprised to be offered the role of Head of Classics at Caldonbrae Hall, a prestigious girls’ boarding school. She’s an outsider to their upper-class institution, and at least a decade younger than the rest of the staff. But the perks sound too good to be true, and so off she goes to a remote Scottish coast and the imposing, castle-like school, where she’ll live and work – if she survives the probation period.

Her first impressions are confused, and strange. She puts most of it down to ‘tradition’ – the peculiar, old-fashioned uniforms, the forms of addressing the teachers, the stiff, formal attitudes all around. At least her class is as unwilling to learn ancient Greek and Latin, same as stroppy teens everywhere. But then there are the dark hints dropped about the fate of her predecessor, and the strangest girl who seems to be following her…

I have such mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I wolfed my way through it. It’s very well written and very hard to put down. I did feel the mysteries were relatively easy to guess at, but there was still a compulsion to find out if those guesses were right.

On the negative side, though, I struggled to find the opening scenario as believable as I would have liked. There was just something in Rose’s many doubts about the situation, and the rather too thickly laid on mystery and ‘wrongness’ that she seemed to just be a bit too meek about? Once things progressed then yes, the feeling of trapped-ness was believable, but at the start – maybe it’s just me, I can’t imagine being that lost and baffled about a weird set up and allowing everyone to fob me off without answering the most basic questions.

Still, as I say, it remained highly readable. At the beginning the sense of mystery is that much higher so that it carries you in anyway despite a few bumps in the telling, in my view, and then once I did feel it was a tad on the inevitable then you’re already totally sucked in and need to see the resolution.

Gothic and fulling living up to the ‘Dark Academia’ tag, while not perfect it’s still an ideal choice for a dark and drafty night! I thoroughly look forward to seeing more from the author in future.

Rose Christie has been approached to take up a position as the Head of Classics at the illustrious Caldonbrae Hall boarding school in the Scottish highlands. On arrival things don’t appear to be quite as they seem and Rose struggles with the archaic rituals and the strange behaviour of students and staff alike. As the real purpose of Caldonbrae Hall becomes clearer can Rose do anything to help the girls she has grown closer to?

“Madam” is due to be released by Quercus Books on 18 February. I was given an e-arc via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

There have been a lot of comparisons for Wynne’s debut novel. Names like Margaret Atwood, Madeline Miller and Daphne DuMaurier have been bandied about. Personally, I don’t like these types of comparisons, particularly for a debut author. I think it places an unnecessary level of expectation on their shoulders and may lead to readers being disappointed if they don’t feel it lives up to the comparison, whereas if they went into the book with no expectations they may have enjoyed it a lot more.

Wynne herself is a Classics Teacher, which is obviously where Rose’s background comes from, however, although Classics fits with a school like Caldonbrae she is previously said to have been teaching in a state school in London and that just doesn’t feel realistic for me for an early 1990s state school.

Due to the nature of the story a lot of the characters are deeply unlikeable. I liked Rose, although she did come across as massively naive, I felt like I figured out what was going on quicker than she did and it was frustrating that she hadn’t caught up. I also liked the trio of fourth year girls, Freddie, Daisy and Nessa, who she becomes closer to and tries to help.

I liked the little excerpts from Ancient Greek history between the chapters. Some of these stories were ones I had heard of and others were new, but as I do have an interest in Ancient Greece and the Gods of legend these little bits were really interesting to me, as were the lessons that Rose was giving. I particularly liked that she focused on taking the women from these stories and almost changing the narrative and getting her students, and us as readers, to think about them in a slightly different way.

The story was gripping enough, I think starting with the flash forward definitely helped as I obviously knew where the story was going to end up and wanted to find out how we got there but I did also find some of the twists quite obvious. I enjoyed Wynne’s writing style on the whole although there were a couple of places where the action seemed to jump suddenly, almost as if there was a paragraph missing. I also felt some of the supporting characters could have done with a little more fleshing out.

It’s honestly a shame, I was really excited going into this one and whilst I didn’t hate it I was a bit disappointed with it. I do think this is a case where, for me, it was overhyped and that spoilt my enjoyment somewhat.

I would recommend that readers go into it with an open mind. I can see where the comparisons have come from; there’s definitely an air of Gilead to the activities at the school, the Classics lessons are obviously reminiscent of Madeline Miller’s work and the old school building setting is clearly inspired by Manderley, but the writing and plot isn’t as strong as those authors’ works. It’s one thing to take inspiration from other authors but I don’t think that should lead to comparisons. Not everyone who includes Ancient Greece in their books needs to be compared to Madeline Miller. There were also some bits that were obviously inspired by “Jane Eyre” as well as Rose at one point out and out referencing the first Mrs Rochester locked in the attic.

In summary, I didn’t hate it but it was definitely overhyped.

I was totally swayed to read this by the 'Rebecca meets The Secret History' tag line/quote. But it really isn't. If you are thinking you are getting something as accomplished, gothic, gripping and all consuming as either of these two books then you will be disappointed. So best not to draw comparisons and read it for what it is.

Rose is newly appointed as head of classics at the remote Scottish boarding school where all is not what it seems. The sinister nature of the school and its long serving staff are on the whole well written. As is the unease of Rose as she struggles to fit in alongside her frustration in uncovering the truth of what the girls are actually being schooled in. But every so often it feels clumsy especially the development which as a reader seemed obvious was laid bare (pun intended) for us in what felt an unnecessary way.

A fun bit of gothic intrigue and escapism.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was not the Gothic story I was hoping it would be. I found it uncomfortable and difficult to read at times, due to the subject matter which included paedophilia, child abuse, and sexual harassment. The book was set in the 1990’s but felt like it was the 1890’s and the whole thing just felt weird and unbelievable. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, so I found it difficult to sympathise with them. There was a suffocating sense of dread throughout which I did like, and I enjoyed the setting, but the book ultimately fell flat for me, and I found myself skimming just to get to the end.

Rose Christie at 26 years-old had been offered and taken the position of head of her department in the most prestigious school for young ladies. Caldonbrae Hall is a boarding school in Scotland and noted for its excellence and sort after with wealthy families to give their girls high status in society.


Rose is a dedicated teacher, but things are not what they seem to be in the school. Nothing sits right with the pupils with something lurking under the surface that Rose can’t pin down. The girls have a spitefulness about them that never seems to be brought back into line. The school abides by its own rules of pupils always being right. A very frightening prospect as Rose discovers.

It is a compelling story that I haven’t read anything like before. One that you can see becoming a Netflix top series. The horrors mount while the tragedies escalate. A gripping story that will make the most avid reader has to stop to take a cleansing breath.

I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

There is one thing that will ALWAYS draw me to reading a book, and that is if it’s in some academic setting. If it’s a boarding school, even better.
There is just something incredibly fascinating about Dark Academia, so when I encounter a book that has elements of that, I’m sold on it.
This book in particular is set in all-girls boarding school, and features mysterious elements. What is it about boarding school books that is so magical? There is something witchy and mystical about throwing a bunch of girls and women in a structured environment, almost as if the chaotic energy women exude could dismantle that order that is always brought by the patriarchy.
Madam is that book: a feminist protagonist gives examples of female courage and strength to her students, teaching them what the great women of the Roman and Greek ancient civilisation have accomplished.
This book incredibly written: the reader can feel what the MC feels, truly feeling the agony and distraught the MC feels when discovering what goes on at the school.
A no-brainer 5 star read, and one of the best books i've read in a while!

I couldn't really get on with this one. The description sounded appealing - a gothic tale in a remote boarding school with a sinister secret - but it fell a bit flat for me. It's supposed to be set in the 1990s but the characters speak as though they're in a Jane Austen novel, and the secret focus of the boarding school (and the willingness of the students to be part of it) is pretty hard to believe. I found it hard to engage with the characters and the story was very slow burning and a little too unbelievable.

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. To be honest I have toyed with giving this 5 stars it is so good but there were some things i was not so sure about.

The opening of the book immediately pulls the reader in to a scene of developing catastrophe the where, the when and the how are, however a mystery.

Rose is a young, relatively newly qualified teacher of classics when she is offered a head of classics post at a prestigious private school. Her mother is in a nursing home with Multiple sclerosis and is to some extent happier with the appointment than Rose is. She encourages Rose to accept the position suggesting that it will improve both their lives.

Arriving at Caldonbrae Hall Rose finds everything confusing. There is a real creepiness to the storyline throughout, a not so thin veil of unease. Rose teaches differently and is not widely accepted.

The book is described as feminist literature and certainly Rose's teaching is about Female deities with a feminist bent but i find it difficult to say that the oppressive tenor of the school or the acceptance of its tenets (even by Rose - although it is difficult to see how she could have acted differently) espouses anything like feminist viewpoints.

It reads a bit like a modern day Stepford Wives and just like that book there is widespread acceptance of the society. The author has woven in some truly shocking incidents into the storyline and I found it difficult to put down.

For a debut offering this is an amazing book and Phoebe Wynne an author to look out for

Brilliant! What a fabulous read! I think I saw this described as a cross between The Stepford Wives and The Secret History and that’s exactly right. Set in a girls boarding school in an inhospitable are of northern Scotland, there is a sense of menace running right through this and I genuinely couldn’t guess which way this was going to go. Kept me gripped well into the night.

Rose isn't sure she's made the right choice in her new job; but once she's in the elite boarding school, there's no turning back.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the early 90's, Rose is a Latin teacher who gets the chance to work at an elite girls boarding school set in Scotland. She has her doubts about working for the Upper Class, and why they hired a 25 year old woman with only 4 years teaching experience to be the new Head of Classics; but this is outweighed by her need to cover her mother's increasing medical bills.

When she gets there, she's at a loss to all the traditions that Caldonbrae clings to so fiercely.
As the first new member of staff in a decade, and easily the youngest; Rose finds it hard to get respect from students and teachers alike.
Adding to her misery, is the mystery of why her predecessor left, and the previous Madam's favourite pupil, who is intent of being Rose's personal, spiteful ghost.

For the first half of this book, I was convinced that I wasn't going to like it, and was hovering around 2 stars.
I almost DNFed several times, but I'm glad I persevered.
The first half is slow and repetitive, showing how restricted Rose's life is. She's in a remote part of Scotland, with the school located on it's own craggy island. It's cold and it's dark, and the only way she can get out is with permission of the Headmaster, and booking the use of the school cars.
She finds little support amongst her colleagues, who mostly view her as some social experiment. And as this was before the internet and even mobiles, communication to the outside world is nearly non-existent.

All Rose has is her lessons, trying to teach girls who treat her with condescension, as they know so much more about the school than the new Madam.

The characters are all a blur of names and faces, all treating Rose the same. It was hard to keep track sometimes.
The only one who stood out in the first half was Bethany. I thought the author did a good job at making the character very unlikeable, but you could still feel pity for her.

In the second half of the book, I felt things really picked up.
The truth behind the school is slowly revealed, and Rose starts to connect with those around her. She becomes personally invested in the lives of the girls and her friends; and she finds Caldonbrae tightening it's clutches, so she wonders if she will ever be free.
I thought that the story became creepy and disturbing on many levels, and I was hooked, waiting to see how it all played out.

I really liked the classic stories. I got definite "Mona Lisa Smiles" vibes, as Rose gets her students to engage in their work, and think for themselves.
One group of students are quick to see that Rose is showing them the stories from the ancient women's point of view, and the sacrifices they made to make a difference on the world.

The ending was shocking. At the time of reading, I loved it. I thought it was powerful, decisive and believable.
Having had a few hours to think about it, the ending does make me feel somewhat queasy.

I thought the second half really showed the author's strengths, and I would be interested in reading more of her work.