Madam

A Novel

By: Phoebe Wynne

Narrated by: Nathalie Buscombe

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Phoebe Wynne's Madam is a riveting, modern gothic debut with shades of The Secret History, The Stepford Wives, and a dash of Circe, set at a secretive all girls’ boarding school perched on a craggy Scottish peninsula.

They want our silence...
They want our obedience...
Let them see our fire burn...

For 150 years, high above rocky Scottish cliffs, Caldonbrae Hall has sat untouched, a beacon of excellence in an old ancestral castle. A boarding school for girls, it promises that the young women lucky enough to be admitted will emerge “resilient and ready to serve society".

Into its illustrious midst steps Rose Christie: a 26-year-old Classics teacher, Caldonbrae’s new head of the department, and the first hire for the school in over a decade. At first, Rose is overwhelmed to be invited into this institution, whose prestige is unrivaled. But she quickly discovers that behind the school’s elitist veneer lies an impenetrable, starkly traditional culture that she struggles to reconcile with her modernist beliefs - not to mention her commitment to educating “girls for the future.”

It also doesn’t take long for Rose to suspect that there’s more to the secret circumstances surrounding the abrupt departure of her predecessor - a woman whose ghost lingers everywhere - than anyone is willing to let on. In her search for this mysterious former teacher, Rose instead uncovers the darkness that beats at the heart of Caldonbrae, forcing her to confront the true extent of the school’s nefarious purpose, and her own role in perpetuating it.

A darkly feminist tale pitched against a haunting backdrop, and populated by an electrifying cast of heroines, Madam will keep listeners engrossed until the breathtaking conclusion.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

"Imagine if Donna Tartt and Margaret Atwood got together to write a creepy, suspenseful novel about a school for young women in the Scottish Highlands...Brooding and unsettling, Wynne paints a gorgeous picture that only serves to camouflage the dark secrets she's hidden within." (Chandler Baker, New York Times best-selling author of Whisper Network)

©2021 Phoebe Wynne (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Disappointing

Promising premise, but utterly preposterous. Rose is not a sympathetic character, and her reactions are ridiculous. I had to force my way through the stilted prose and plot.

Narration is wonderful. Story? not so much

I'm very picky about narrators and I really liked this narrator so thought I would give the book a chance. The writing and plot are very formulaic. The author does do a good job of setting an atmosphere, but the plot was not that interesting or surprising in any way. I hope the narrator reads more books that are of a higher literary quality.

Heroine can't get out of her own way

overly emotional heroine can't manage the self righteous chip on her shoulder in a mature way, creates her own problems instead of fighting the establishment more smartly. why do women have to be portrayed in such a ridiculous way.

Give it a chance

This story builds momentum as it unfolds ultimately proving to be much more than the sum of its parts. Highly recommended!

semi frustrating main character

Rose was annoying. Also, maybe helping the reader prior to recording on the way to pronounce classic Latin would have been helpful.

The ending wasn’t what I thought

It really took me at least 2 hours of listening to really get interested in this book then I couldn’t stop needing to know what the big secret was not what I was expecting and didn’t see the that ending coming but I enjoyed the story

Really a strange story

The book had me at the beginning. I love a good gothic school story. But I just kept thinking, why doesn't she leave? The idea that the school had this almost supernatural reach beyond its walls did not convince me. I finished, but it was a slog towards the end. And the narrator yelled a lot, sort of understandable as she tried to make up for the weak plot.

Eery twists and turns through every chapter

Loved this book and performance. Kept me on the edge of my seat. The author does a great job tying classical stories with female leads through her tale.

Liked it but couldn’t wait for it to be over

I have mixed feelings about this book. Part of me really enjoyed the setting, the idea behind it, and the themes of feminism. But overall it was so long and boring and 98% of the characters are unlikable. I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to a friend.

Oh Madam.

I was so excited about this book. The premise was really interesting - having visited Dunnottar Castle, the place that inspired the setting for the story, I was drawn into the connection with that isolated, mysteriously beautiful place, I would agree with other reviewers that the 'secret' is quite easy to guess, so while the author does add further elements to the story throughout later chapters, the initial build-up to the first reveal is.. frustrating. I was frustrated with Rose, the central character, that she didn't see what was going on sooner. Overall, I enjoyed the story but found that frustration throughout. Rose's character, in the end, doesn't see much development. She remains cowardly throughout, not creating any type of strategy to overcome the system she is bound by. The ending teases an obvious sequel, although I don't think one is necessary. Hard to keep fighting when not much fighting happened in the first place. Consequences through happenstance don't constitute a victory in my mind. Given the premise and setting were so enthralling, I will be interested to see if this author improves in story development as she continues,