librarian_erinn's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
larkken's review against another edition
The atmosphere was depressing and the plot slow to develop, so when the library hold expired it was never top of my list to pick back up… and now the library no longer has it available to borrow. Not worth buying to find out how the story develops.
sara_beth_11's review against another edition
DNF. I’m going to recommend skipping this one. Each page was more irritating than the last.
annika_fabbi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alexisdpatt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
“Madam” by Phoebe Wynne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
“Madam” follows the story of Rose Christie, a young teacher, as she secured a job as head of classics at the elite all girls boarding school, Caldonbrae Hall, situated on the east coast of Scotland. Caldonbrae is reclusive and secretive, but trying to uncover the abrupt firing of her predecessor, Rose just might discover what truly lies at the heart of this victorian institute.
I absolutely loved this. I liken this to “Dead Poets Society,” but the female version as all the young girls learn about real and mythological women in Ancient Rome and Greece. The novel is set in 1992 so it’s very interesting to see how a third wave feminist, who was raised by a second wave feminist, is portrayed by a fourth wave author.
This book has a lot to say about women and choice and consent and control and complacency. Honestly, I just loved everything about it. I did manage to figure out where the story was going before the MC did but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment, neither did the slow pacing.
This is a wonderful addition to the dark academia genre and it should be talked about and respected more. It’s beautifully written with a compelling story. I loved it.
emcollen's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
catreader18's review against another edition
3.0
This story is about an all girls school with old values. A new teacher, Rose, is excited to work at the school until she finds out it is not everything she thought it would be.
I was very interested in this book. Some points were not as interesting but overall I was intrigued. As the story unfolded you learned more about the school and what the girls were really there for. I liked how some of the girls began to stand up for themselves.
I was very interested in this book. Some points were not as interesting but overall I was intrigued. As the story unfolded you learned more about the school and what the girls were really there for. I liked how some of the girls began to stand up for themselves.
greencactus's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
It could’ve been so much better. The atmosphere was great and it could’ve been more of a gothic horror but the horror never really stayed. Everything was predictable and rose took so long to figure anything out. She was also kinda dull and I don’t know I just didn’t feel connected to her. Overall it was a fine read just not one I would necessarily recommend or reread.
kylieqrada's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Meh. I'm not mad I read it, and it did have some interesting themes. The writing just wasn't really it for me and I found myself wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Abortion, and Sexual assault
jaw417's review against another edition
3.0
Rounding up from 2.75 ish.
I see that others either found this book haunting and fascinating, or they really didn't see the point. I'm somewhere in the middle, and I think that largely this book is the product of some interesting ideas meeting the reality of being a debut novel.
The author is trying to do a lot here. The book is clearly meant to be a social commentary, and I believe the goal for execution was more of a thriller/horror-esque feel. That's not what I got. This read to me like a mystery, plane and simple (with a fairly slow pace for the first 30%). Unfortunately I think the author's intended message(s) wound up being pretty heavy handed, in such a way that almost warps things a bit.
To that end, lets talk about the classics element. I enjoyed threads of Roman heroines and their stories throughout. Spoiler, I'm a classicist. The author clearly knows her stuff and I appreciate how she addresses these bits in an academic context, with the narrator passing down these stories to the girls she teaches. What gets hard though is that the narrator effectively champions these heroines for finding ways to be influential and wield power despite living in a society in which they function as bartering chips of political capital. I get that. That's a common theme in many modern analyses of classical literature. However, the protagonist is horrified and outraged to find that the school she's teaching at is basically perpetuating the same system: similar practices, mentalities, and means of evaluating the worth of an upperclass woman. That juxtaposition is never examined, so we get a teacher championing feminism, bashing things that genuinely amount to cultural practices in a sense, and telling girls they should want more for themselves...while teaching them about women who existed in a very similar system and made the most of it. It made much of the protagonist's reasoning feel hollow. I wish there had been a conversation at some point in which the girls challenge the protagonist (which they often do) about why they should aspire to something any different than Agrippina. This would have allowed for more fleshing out of the protagonist's mindset and added nuance to the social message at hand. (/spoiler)
All this said, this book is super atmospheric and was a nice audiobook for my morning commute as we shift into fall. I could have done without some of the shock value, though (trigger warning for ), and in some ways I feel like the author was trying too hard to deliver a particular message. I'll be curious to see what she writes next, and I'm hopeful that like with most authors, this debut will be a good learning experience for more nuanced projects to come.
I see that others either found this book haunting and fascinating, or they really didn't see the point. I'm somewhere in the middle, and I think that largely this book is the product of some interesting ideas meeting the reality of being a debut novel.
The author is trying to do a lot here. The book is clearly meant to be a social commentary, and I believe the goal for execution was more of a thriller/horror-esque feel. That's not what I got. This read to me like a mystery, plane and simple (with a fairly slow pace for the first 30%). Unfortunately I think the author's intended message(s) wound up being pretty heavy handed, in such a way that almost warps things a bit.
Spoiler
The protagonist's feminism comes off a bit as "I'm enlightened, you're all barbarians, and I have a savior complex," which is frustrating and makes elements of how she engages with the plot (and how people respond to her) pretty clunky. Her feminism is also written as basically the sole characteristic that defines her, resulting in a "I'm so deep in this one dimension that I'm more of a flat caricature" situation.To that end, lets talk about the classics element. I enjoyed threads of Roman heroines and their stories throughout. Spoiler, I'm a classicist. The author clearly knows her stuff and I appreciate how she addresses these bits in an academic context, with the narrator passing down these stories to the girls she teaches. What gets hard though is that the narrator effectively champions these heroines for finding ways to be influential and wield power despite living in a society in which they function as bartering chips of political capital. I get that. That's a common theme in many modern analyses of classical literature. However, the protagonist is horrified and outraged to find that the school she's teaching at is basically perpetuating the same system: similar practices, mentalities, and means of evaluating the worth of an upperclass woman. That juxtaposition is never examined, so we get a teacher championing feminism, bashing things that genuinely amount to cultural practices in a sense, and telling girls they should want more for themselves...while teaching them about women who existed in a very similar system and made the most of it. It made much of the protagonist's reasoning feel hollow. I wish there had been a conversation at some point in which the girls challenge the protagonist (which they often do) about why they should aspire to something any different than Agrippina. This would have allowed for more fleshing out of the protagonist's mindset and added nuance to the social message at hand. (/spoiler)
All this said, this book is super atmospheric and was a nice audiobook for my morning commute as we shift into fall. I could have done without some of the shock value, though (trigger warning for