Madam truly did ignite a fire in me, it was a beautiful and poignant story focusing on what it means to be a young woman. Despite being set in the 90s, it had this weird sense of Victoriana about it that would draw you in completely and snap you back to the 90s suddenly - both immersive and jarring, and completely excellently executed,

I adored the focus on strong Classical women, teaching stories with relevance to the modern today through women in history and literature. It completely reinvigorated my love of Classics, as well as sparking a feminist fire in my heart on behalf of the young women in the story.

The actual book and plot was beautiful and shocking and impactful, but mostly, this book had a truly profound impact on me as a young female classicist. I will carry this book with me in my heart, it reminded me to educate other young women and stand up for them. To uphold the values I believe in, and remember the lessons taught to us by classical women. Thank you to Phoebe Wynne for writing this book, it's exactly what I needed.

Madam starts with Rose, a young woman in her twenties, leaving her home town and travelling up to rural Scotland to start her new position as the head of the Classics department at Caldonbrae Hall, a prestigious all girls school for the wealthiest of Britains families. The first few chapters of the story are slow and a little bit dreary as Phoebe Wynne recounts the sorrows of Rose’s life, the reasons for her move, the struggles of her ill mother, and the long, arduous journey up to the school. These first few chapters are why I haven’t given this book 5 stars. They almost lost me.

But I implore you to keep going.

Once Rose reaches the castle, settles in, meets her colleagues and students, this story changes for the better. The pace doesn’t necessarily pick up, but that isn’t a problem, because now the atmospheric writing and scenes as dark as the weather outside the castle are full of strange interactions with other staff members, off remarks by students, unanswered questions from Rose that start building a picture of what this story is about. It’s about secrets, traditions, rules and formalities, and I so drawn into the plot, the setting, the dark corridors and gloomy classrooms, the black skies threatening storms, the wild waves on the shore. I was with Rose, aghast, curious, godsmacked.

This book definitely has likenesses to The Handmaid’s Tale, but I would also say Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young, but with an adult audience in mind rather than a YA one.

There is no doubt that this book is dark, it’s unbelievable in places, but Phoebe Wynne makes you believe in the context of this castle, that this is how it is. Unfortunately, a lot of the Classic’s stuff went straight over my head, and I did skip some of the sections about Gods and Goddesses because I’m just not that interesting in that kind of thing. But I don’t think skipping those bits took away from the rest of the book, and I was still able to follow the bits of history that were sprinkled into the plot, and their meaning and reference in relation to the rest of the book. And I absolutely loved it. The way details are revealed and the feeling of the castle that seeps into the writing is just marvellous and I enjoyed reading this so much!

Madam is out now in the UK and out in May in the US, so you can follow the links below to either buy or pre-order your copy, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I will definitely be on the lookout for future novels by Phoebe Wynne in the future, and hope she delivers more of this gothic, mysterious goodness that I enjoyed so much here!

Rose Christie takes up the role of Classics teacher at Coldonbrae Hall, an imposing girls' school set on Scottish cliffs. She finds it hard to make sense of the rules and expectations, and also the mystery of what happened to her predecessor. A dark and feminist tale, highly original and very readable.

CW: mention of abortion, grooming, rape, racism, suicide

In Madam, we follow Rose Christie as she starts her new job as a Classics teacher at the 150-year-old Caldonbrae Hall, an elite boarding school for girls that promises its students will emerge as the cream of the crop, ready to be a boon to society.

The traditions are arcane, the students are frighteningly self-assured, and Rose's love of sharing historical tales of powerful women are garnering the wrong kind of attention. As Rose discovers what really makes Caldonbrae tick, it becomes increasingly apparent that the only way to avoid the fates the school has planned for her, and her girls, will be to save them herself.

What I Liked:
- dark academia but not from the student's POV!
- dark academia but not YA!
- gothic horror but set in the 90s!!!!
- plenty of lore into Greek and Roman tales!
- eat the rich!

What I Didn't Like:
- the pacing was off now and then - although I didn't struggle, I was definitely more bored in some places than others. The classes felt quite repetitive.
- there are a LOT of characters to keep track of

Overall this was a moody, atmospheric, easily-read gothic horror/thriller. I loved the school and its disgusting underbelly, I loved the girls gaining their baby feminist perspectives. Weird, dark, and unsettling throughout - it kept my attention throughout and I'd definitely recommend it.

Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Quercus Books for the ARC. This one's available to buy now!

Very creepy story about a prestigious private girl's school which is not what it seems. With echoes of The Handmaid's Tale this book kept me wanting to read more.
Our protagonist, Rose, is the new teacher and a rare outsider as the school usually chooses it's own pupils to go on to become staff. She realises that she is not at a normal school and starts questioning just what is going on. At times I wanted to shout at her and tell her to get out and tell the authorities what is happening!
Well worth reading. A cross between Mallory Towers and a dystopian nightmare!

Caldonbrae Hall is a prestigious private school for girls, educating daughters of the British elite to become resilient women “ready to serve society”. Rose Christie is a young Classics teacher, sought out to be head of department at the remote Scottish school. Out of her depth in an unfamiliar world, Rose battles between her need to impress in order to pay for her mother’s medical care, and her responsibility to the girls in her classes. Her modern feminist ideals clash with the strict traditions of Caldonbrae, and the longer she lives and works there, the more she realises the power and darkness behind its exemplary reputation.

Madam is described as a gothic novel, and to some extent this fits, but if this is the main reason someone picks up this book they may be disappointed. I enjoyed the setting high on cliffs in remote Scotland. The locals don’t like to have anything to do with Caldonbrae, and the location, miles from the nearest village and gated to prevent even teachers taking an unapproved trip, adds to the trapped isolation. As an outsider, Rose is well placed to notice everything wrong with the school. There are some dramatic gothic scenes throughout, and moments of eerie threat during Rose’s first weeks in her role. But the further into the book I read, the less I found this eeriness carried. As the true nature of the school became clearer, the tension stemmed more from misogyny and the compliance of teachers, students and parents to traditions so dated that it became unbelievable. I found the feeling of dread and the subtle sinister spell cast in the first chapters, broken. There was still tension in the hopelessness of the situation for Rose and her students, but by this point Madam had morphed into a different kind of book. I preferred the first half more than the second for this reason.

Though the isolated setting aids the school’s detachment from the modern world, it was still hard to believe the book is set in 1992. I kept waiting to be surprised, and returned to the gothic atmosphere. However, I did need to know the outcome, and for that reason the book was a quick read. Those who enjoy dystopian type fiction might enjoy this more than I did. I had similar feelings to Madam as I did to Vox by Christina Dalcher, so readers who enjoyed this might fare better.

I love mythology, so the embedded tales of Ancient Greek and Roman women were a highlight. Rose discusses the stories with her classes, which is interesting for those who want more depth or context. These tales are timed to mirror realities of the school and the rebellion against misogyny. Empowering her students through lessons on strong women of history and myths, Rose wonders if she could do more to help girls brainwashed by the institution.

Madam is a book that I wish I loved more, but it was still an interesting read and got me feeling angry at times. Rose and the students are certainly trapped by a system there seems no way out of. The callousness (or refusal to confront traditions through fear or denial), of many of the characters sets up for an interesting story in the ecosystem of an isolated boarding school. This book was shaping up to be a great read, but for me it became a bit too obvious, the sexism and elitism too exaggerated. It is though, a solid read.

Thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy, which I have reviewed based on my own opinion.

Ok so I did enjoy this book, but would it be a book that I’d pick up and reread? No its not. The story is based in Scotland during the 1990’s. Where there are no mobile phones and the only way of communication is via letters or a landline/pay phone. Except this school for girls is run as though they are living in the 1800’s. Where women had no say or choice in how their lives would work out. When women were classed as men’s belongings and anything that they had like money or property became their husbands to do as he wished.

Rose Christie a 26 year old classics teacher is offered a job as head of department at a private all girls school.

Caldonbrae Hall which is situated in a remote part of Scotland, is the ancestral castle of Lord William Hope. The founder had lots of daughters that he needed to marry off. So the school was his way of preparing other young girls like his daughters for a life of servitude. Where the most elite students end up marrying important men like the head of state, barons, high ranking judges etc.

Rose finds it hard to settle in to her new role. Where all of the female staff are called Madam and the male staff are called Sir. There is to be no familiarity with the students. She also finds the older students very hard to teach as they just aren’t interested. However she does have some luck with a small group of younger girls she teaches, as they want to know more about the strong and fierce women in Greek and Roman myths.

Even with this small victory Rose still feels uneasy, as though there is something more sinister going on at the school that she isn’t privy too. When she does find out the true reality of what goes on in the school she is horrified. Then strange and threatening letters start to appear in her flat. Rose starts feeling more and more trapped as she has no way of leaving the school grounds. She has no escape.

Then things are made worse when the headmaster and the schools governors threaten Rose. Saying she’ll never getting another job of any kind and if that wasn’t bad enough, they also make threats against her mother. As they try to make Rose compliant to their way of things.

Will Rose ever be able to help save these young girls and herself from their grips and influence? As the school has deep pockets along with prominent people who can do their bidding.

Phoebe Wynne has written a stunning debut novel. From the very beginning it is unsettling, chilling and original. I thought it was breathtakingly good.
On a windswept peninsula somewhere north of Edinburgh stands Caldonbrae Hall. It is a school for girls of the rich and famous. Rose Christie is the first new teacher appointed in over a decade. Gradually she will learn the dark secrets of the place.
The plot is emotionally intense, intellectually satisfying and absolutely gripping.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC

A Gothic mystery full of atmospheric, gloomy world-building, with fantastic mythology reference and an insidious aura

A dark, gothic horror set in an isolated private girls' school in the coast of Scotland.

I found the first half of the book to be frustrating as I wanted answers and the protag was repeatedly left in the dark. Once the dark truth of the school was revealed, the story continued to be deeply compelling right until the end.

This is definitely a book that I look forward to reading again and will likely enjoy it even more as I will be able to pick up on the hints sprinkled throughout the book as to the true nature of the school.

I also really enjoyed the clips of classical literature and the clever parallels that could be drawn to the story.

Brilliant premise for a novel, with a sturdy second half, but the first 50% was tedious...very little in the way of plot, foreshadowing or stylish writing. I enjoyed the vignettes of. Greek females, however am left disappointed by the failure to deliver on the potential of this book.
A more accurate description would be Rebecca meets Mean Girls via The Stepford Wives.

I was excited to read this based on the synopsis that compared it to Rebecca and the Secret History - both books I loved loved loved reading. This book however is not at all like those books. I do love a good gothic boarding school tale but I really couldn’t get into the story. I disliked Rose a lot and was kinda bored after a while with the story. The dialogue was very stilted and weird...I had to keep reminding myself that the book is set in modern times and not the 1800s. As a feminist, I took offense to a lot of the themes and scenes in the books. First of all, why why why have these girls call everyone Madam? It took me immediately to the negative connotations of the word. There were other things I disliked about the book but I pretty much checked out as I was reading it. I wish it had been written differently in a way that kept my interest better. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book to give an honest review.

I usually shy away from reviewing books that I have really not enjoyed, but in the spirit of balance, and my credibility as a blogger, I couldn’t go without putting Madam in my round up. I eventually made it through the whole book with a fair few stops and starts, and wanted a second opinion, so saying nothing about its contents, I passed it on to Mama Raven for a little look see. Mama Raven unceremoniously tossed it at page 100 with a few choice words. A picture is emerging isn’t it? First of all this is being compared with Rebecca and The Handmaid’s Tale, two of the finest books in the canon of world literature. It’s also being touted as marvellously Gothic fiction. Um. No. The writing is simplistic and cliched, and the plot overly gratuitous probably in an effort to shock and stand out and tick off a few political correctness boxes. The main character is weak, the other characters are pretty one dimensional, and the book is about 50 pages too long. I did enjoy the little inserts about the classical female figures and their fates at the hands of horrible men and gods, but even this was not enough to change my overall opinion of the book. A boarding school drama that left me, well, bored. Disappointing…

Well this is such a creepy dark and thoroughly Gothic story that had me gripped and intrigued throughout.
It tells the story of Rose, the young classics teacher who is the first new teacher to be employed at Caldonbrae School, an exclusive private school in Scotland where all of the female teachers are referred to as Madam.
Things however are not what they seem. The last head of classics has left mysteriously and the girls seem unusual, on edge and thoroughly disinclined to learn. Rumours abound and there is a palpable sense of danger throughout.
Comparisons have been made to Daphne du Maurier and I can certainly understand how Rose might be compared to the second Mrs de Winter. It certainly gripped me. Just be careful though because there are several trigger warnings.

This was an odd story. I can see where the comparisons to 'Rebecca' and 'The Secret History' are made, but it really doesn't fit with either one of those. With the latter being one of my favourite books, the only comparison I could tell was that classical references were made in both. For a story that requires a level of tension and grip to keep the pages turning, its pacing wasn't brilliant and I found myself getting bored in the chapters upon chapters of set-up. The premise itself was certainly interesting and for the first couple of chapters, the book is entertaining and intriguing. But after that...it struggles.
I almost certainly could have done with a few more edits, a little more tightening of the text. But, there will be an audience for this. It's just not me.

This is a very very strange story, one that I have to admit, I didn’t really enjoy. Its going to be a total marmite book for sure. I couldn’t really get to grips with why Rose reacted as she did in the situations she was faced with and it felt completely anachronistic for it to be set in the 1990s. I suppose I just didn’t really “get” it.

While I appreciate that this is not at all a fault with the book, I also have a huge problem with how it has been marketed. The hashtag and one of the tag lines associated with it completely destroys any sense of suspense that might have been created by the narration. If you’re planning to read it I would suggest going into it completely blind. Although you may wish to know that there are many many trigger warnings.

A classically gothic tale with a modern feminist bent.

Rose, a young classics teacher, is the first new hire at Caldonbrae in over a decade. Caldonbrae, a honored and selective all women's boarding school in Scotland, is fiercely proud of its traditions and is not eager to update them. It promises its graduates will emerge refined young women, "resilient and ready to serve society." Rose, a very modern women, is excited about the prestigious opportunity, but is unsettled about the school's more archaic mores.

The students are also skeptical of Rose, and the presence of her predecessor -- a woman who left the institution under mysterious circumstances--seems to linger over her classroom. As Rose uncovers more about the women and the girls in her class, she begins to believe the staff and students of Caldonbrae may be hiding a dark secret.

Acclaimed as The Secret History meets Rebecca, this haunting mystery eloquently revitalizes gothic literature while commenting on modern issues of feminism, sex, and class. Perfect for lovers of the "dark academia" subgenre.

Madam was just the book I needed to read last week! It kept me engrossed from start to finish and made me question everything I was reading. I kind of guessed what was going on but nothing really prepared me for the whole picture. Wynne has an impeccably creepy and patient writing style, covering what she needs to and keeping you on your toes throughout. The main narrative is interspersed with ancient myths which was an interesting foreshadowing technique - I really liked how it worked within the story.

Rose was an interesting character, feminist and loyal to her students, I did feel like she only wanted the best for the girls however sometimes it did come across as quite arrogant in the steps she took. It drove me crazy willing her to do and not to do things but I was sympathetic to the position she found herself in and curious about where it would take her in the story.

I’m not going to say this book was perfect, there are elements I really didn’t like surrounding the male characters and occasionally the narrative would skip ahead before retracing its steps which I didn’t think it needed but it was a damn good read and I could imagine it being made into a film. The setting was creepy, the protagonist endearing and the narrative style was very thought provoking. The fact that Madam is a debut is even more impressive, Wynne writes as if she’s been doing it for decades and I’ll be keeping an eye out for any future works!

I wouldn’t say this was a scary read but it is atmospheric and gothic in its style. It has an academic setting which appeals to a lot of readers (me included!) and has a mystery at its heart and feminism in its veins.

Trigger Warnings for death, suicide, drowning, abortion, alcoholism, and fire although they aren’t described in detail (in my opinion), I want to warn you just in case.

Throw a wedge of dark academia my way and I will thank you profusely. I was very excited about this debut novel set in a prestigious, girls’ boarding school and despite some less than favourable Goodreads reviews, I completely ate it up.

Caldonbrae Hall has sat high on a Scottish cliff for 150 years and it very rarely recruits new staff from the outside. So, imagine Rose Christie’s surprise when she is offered the position of Classics professor at the elusive institution. But almost as soon as she arrives, Rose learns that there are plenty of buried secrets hidden within the walls of Caldonbrae and it’s time they were uncovered…

Right away, we’re introduced to the exclusive and prestigiousness that comes with Caldonbrae Hall. The book opens with a letter addressed to the previous Classics mistress, dismissing her with some very vague, intriguing clues as to the reason. This perhaps wasn’t completely necessary to the overall plot but it certainly set Caldonbrae up to be a place of mystery, before we or Rose were even there.

On Rose’s arrival, she is very much left to her own devices, which was definitely very strange. The school itself is very much your typical brooding, Gothic monster, perched alone on a cliff with a view of the tumultuous Scottish coast. In some ways, it very much took on a personality of its own -much like Manderley and Wuthering Heights. As Rose wandered the grounds on her own, I could certainly feel the ghosts and energy of the past watching her. This same Gothic vibe didn’t quite continue throughout the narrative with the same level of creep that it started with. However by then, my attention was on other aspects, so I didn’t really notice it until the end.

Rose is passionate about her subject and I learnt a lot about Greek and Roman mythology. Caldonbrae is propped up by a deep love of tradition and this is something that is firmly instilled in its students. Life at Caldonbrae runs on conforming to what society expects of young women and its students have no problem doing exactly this. The fact that Rose is a young feminist with new ideas puts her in danger and certainly makes her stand out within the faculty. The more I read, the more I realised that at Caldonbrae, humans really haven’t changed very much since the age of antiquity at all.

There is a shortened version of several Greek and Roman myths within the narrative and I really enjoyed the stories I didn’t know. Rose encourages her students to think about the treatment of women in these stories and she seems to have the biggest success with a trio of girls in her Fourth year class. Daisy, Freddie and Nessa are bright 14-year-olds who ask questions and seem to be re-considering the way of life that Caldonbrae prepares its girls for. When the school appears to try to take hold and reel them back under its spell, Rose becomes determined to tug them back and protect them.

The true intentions of Caldonbrae Hall become clear about halfway through the book and although it’s not a completely grotesque truth, it is an alarming one. These girls have been brainwashed into believing that marriage and motherhood are their only options in life, which is a tragic thought but it’s a belief that we know was true for many women for hundreds of years. I think the fact that Madam takes place in 1992, not 1892, adds to the horror but it’s not chilling -it’s just sad and worrying. I can understand the argument that the time period makes it seem unbelievable. I agree with the fact that this book could easily be set in the 19th century and I think you could pretend that it is, if you wanted to get better invested. Perhaps the year of 1992 could have been established a little more -maybe more talk of VHS and Walkmans or even earlier mobile phones would have given it a more fleshed-out setting.

Madam is a an addictive, dark read with a feminist message to convey. There were plenty of unlikeable characters who I was desperate to see get their comeuppance and I met some fascinating ancient women whose stories I didn’t know before. There was a twist that I didn’t see coming that left me thoroughly disappointed in one particular character, so the book definitely sparked all kinds of feels for me. I couldn’t figure out how it was all going to end and I think that may have been why I couldn’t put it down. It doesn’t really maintain the true Gothic vibe throughout but it is thrilling, gloomy read with a very Shirley Jackson-esque ending.

oooh this was a wonderfully dark story. I was fumbling along with Rose for at least 50% of the story. We tripped and sumbled together as she tried to figure out the outrage and rolled eyes, the disdain and the confusing curriculum of her new school - Rose's new teaching position.

But once we know what's going on, I was definitely Rose's outrage. I loved her voice and her personality. The story is a little slow to start but is paced well after. I like the way it circled back around. It's dark and horrible and I loved it. I will absolutely look for more from this author (and dare to hope for a book 2?!)