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lisahowe27's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I’m really torn with what to rate this novel. I loved the audio narrator, Nathalie Buschome, which I’m sure saved the story for me through her narration (and why I’m not giving this a 2.5 or 3). The character of Rose is dauntingly frustrating most of the time. The pacing was quite slow and the big reveal was underwhelming. I remember thinking, “That’s it? Seriously?!” Revealing this earlier to build the tension against the institution perhaps would have worked better. Otherwise, the reader is just slogging through waiting for Rose to get what is really going on.
I understand with the Greek Mythology retellings (which were wonderful) what Wynne was trying to do; however, the execution of her intent in interweaving these with her story somehow missed the mark. I did feel the tension she was trying to create throughout but it just dragged on too long. This is almost there and would have benefited from better pacing. I liked her writing, however.
The ending seems to hint at a sequel or suggests that nothing really has changed (and has it really changed even after the new millennium?). Perhaps that’s was her point? Either way, her attempt at dark academia meets Mona Lisa Smile meets Classics mythology was a jarring intermingling that the reader had to fumble through throughout the novel.
I understand with the Greek Mythology retellings (which were wonderful) what Wynne was trying to do; however, the execution of her intent in interweaving these with her story somehow missed the mark. I did feel the tension she was trying to create throughout but it just dragged on too long. This is almost there and would have benefited from better pacing. I liked her writing, however.
The ending seems to hint at a sequel or suggests that nothing really has changed (and has it really changed even after the new millennium?). Perhaps that’s was her point? Either way, her attempt at dark academia meets Mona Lisa Smile meets Classics mythology was a jarring intermingling that the reader had to fumble through throughout the novel.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
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. The narrator did a really good job with the Scottish accents and I enjoyed that part a lot.
natalies7's review against another edition
3.0
I did enjoy Madam, it wasn’t really what I was expecting but it kept me wanting to read it!
bmelisso's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Depressing, could happen in real life which makes it worse
whatabetty's review against another edition
4.0
this was good. atmospheric and creepy. idk why it's rated so low?!?
blogginboutbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I just finished MADAM and I'm really not sure what to say about it. There are things I like about it. The setting is appropriately Gothic and atmoshperic. I'm always up for that. I also like stories that keep me feeling wrong-footed, not knowing quite what is real and what's not. That's what kept me reading this book. I wanted to know what was really going on at the school, even though it becomes fairly obvious pretty early on in the story. Still, the tale did keep me turning pages. I didn't DNF it, so that's something.
As far as things that bugged me about the novel. Well, to begin with, there's Rose. While she's sympathetic and I was definitely rooting for her, she's not the most likable character. She's naive and EXTREMELY slow on the uptake. For a woman who is supposed to be smart, she's kind of an idiot. The rest of the cast is almost wholly unlikable; some of them are downright despicable. Plot-wise, the story didn't feel very realistic. I get that it's more allegorical than anything, but still, I felt like Wynne was trying so hard to get her points across that the tale lacked the kind of subtlety that would have made it a more impactful story. The fact that the book is PG-13 up until the end, where Wynne throws in a couple brief but graphic (and, frankly, nauseating) scenes also irritated me. All of these things contributed to the novel's dark, depressing vibe. I've been trying to read more uplifting books this year and, well, this one does NOT qualify! As I said, there are things I liked about MADAM; overall, though, it was a pretty meh read for me.
If I could, I would give this book 2 1/2 stars; since I can't, I rounded up.
As far as things that bugged me about the novel. Well, to begin with, there's Rose. While she's sympathetic and I was definitely rooting for her, she's not the most likable character. She's naive and EXTREMELY slow on the uptake. For a woman who is supposed to be smart, she's kind of an idiot. The rest of the cast is almost wholly unlikable; some of them are downright despicable. Plot-wise, the story didn't feel very realistic. I get that it's more allegorical than anything, but still, I felt like Wynne was trying so hard to get her points across that the tale lacked the kind of subtlety that would have made it a more impactful story. The fact that the book is PG-13 up until the end, where Wynne throws in a couple brief but graphic (and, frankly, nauseating) scenes also irritated me. All of these things contributed to the novel's dark, depressing vibe. I've been trying to read more uplifting books this year and, well, this one does NOT qualify! As I said, there are things I liked about MADAM; overall, though, it was a pretty meh read for me.
If I could, I would give this book 2 1/2 stars; since I can't, I rounded up.
melolivia17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lindsayb's review against another edition
2.0
The premise is as outrageous as the tales of women of Greek mythology, which was both a fun and clunky plot device. I did not like the way Wynne presented queerness and thought the feminist-y themes were far too simplistic. This was not a great book, but it was a decent listen, if that makes any sense. Pffft.
marilynw's review against another edition
2.0
Madam by Phoebe Wynne
Greek mythology is one of the many overriding themes of this story. The part where women are so brutalized and villainized that they are considered heroic for scorching their world and others with their own reign of revenge, brutality, violence, and death, is the part that Rose, a new Classics teacher at the celebrated Caldonbrae Hall, is most thrilled to teach to her female students. Rose seems to esteem and worship the women of mythology who murder others, including their own children. These lessons are taught by her in the name of feminism and glorifying empowered women, although this type of thinking is very at odds with the aims of the school.
I am not a fan of abrasive Rose. I consider her to be naïve, lacking in common sense, and so unable to read a room that she'll yell and shriek at a room full of people who have threatened her and her loved ones with the most grievous harm. She is at times overly passive and at other times, overly hysterical. She has reasons to be hysterical but she seems to have no survival instinct to show her when she needs to hold her tongue and lash out at a more safe and appropriate time. She does this often, with no chance of making progress towards getting herself out of her dangerous situation. I was rolling my eyes at her right along with her disrespectful students. There are very few characters in this story who are likable and the story is so dark and some of the scenes so disgusting that it was hard to keep reading/listening to the story.
Caldonbrae Hall is more than a girl's school. It's a wicked, all powerful, corrupt institution that pushes archaic, cruel existences onto the girls in it's grasp. There is more than a hint of Jane Eyre in this story but it's so heavy handed, and Rose is so dull minded in her actions and reactions to the situation, that the comparison fades. The story contains brainwashing, child abuse, gaslighting, grooming, pedophilia, sexual harassment, and so much more. It was all too much for me.
Publication: May 18, 2021
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC.
Greek mythology is one of the many overriding themes of this story. The part where women are so brutalized and villainized that they are considered heroic for scorching their world and others with their own reign of revenge, brutality, violence, and death, is the part that Rose, a new Classics teacher at the celebrated Caldonbrae Hall, is most thrilled to teach to her female students. Rose seems to esteem and worship the women of mythology who murder others, including their own children. These lessons are taught by her in the name of feminism and glorifying empowered women, although this type of thinking is very at odds with the aims of the school.
I am not a fan of abrasive Rose. I consider her to be naïve, lacking in common sense, and so unable to read a room that she'll yell and shriek at a room full of people who have threatened her and her loved ones with the most grievous harm. She is at times overly passive and at other times, overly hysterical. She has reasons to be hysterical but she seems to have no survival instinct to show her when she needs to hold her tongue and lash out at a more safe and appropriate time. She does this often, with no chance of making progress towards getting herself out of her dangerous situation. I was rolling my eyes at her right along with her disrespectful students. There are very few characters in this story who are likable and the story is so dark and some of the scenes so disgusting that it was hard to keep reading/listening to the story.
Caldonbrae Hall is more than a girl's school. It's a wicked, all powerful, corrupt institution that pushes archaic, cruel existences onto the girls in it's grasp. There is more than a hint of Jane Eyre in this story but it's so heavy handed, and Rose is so dull minded in her actions and reactions to the situation, that the comparison fades. The story contains brainwashing, child abuse, gaslighting, grooming, pedophilia, sexual harassment, and so much more. It was all too much for me.
Publication: May 18, 2021
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC.