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izzy_reads7 's review for:
Madam
by Phoebe Wynne
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The main character of Rose gave me whiplash. At the start of a new chapter, I never knew which Rose was going be present. She was either empathetic towards the girls or had no empathy whatsoever and was ice cold. There is also a strong savior complex here which is really annoying to read. I understand where she was coming from, but it was not written well. She had no solid personality. I didn’t like her and I could not connect with her. With the side characters, this is set at an all girls boarding school therefore the girls are white English teenage girls. There’s lots of them because of Rose teaches multiple classes. I knew names, but I was overwhelmed with how many there were. Same with the teachers. The staff was predominantly female, and they were all interchangeable for me.
As I said, this is taking place at a boarding school in the 1990s in the Scottish Highlands. We are on an island so there is somewhat of a claustrophobic feel but it didn’t play a huge part of the story for me. I know a lot of people like dark academia, and there is a slight slight vibe of that but nothing too strong.
The writing was fine and I have no strong emotions to that. I did like that we had little sections, about the classic Roman or Greek stories, Rose was teaching her students and how those stories reflected what was going on in the plot of the novel. I know some people aren’t going to be a fan of that thinking maybe it’s too omnipresent or maybe hitting the point too closely to be believable, but I am somebody who’s really into ancient history at the moment, I did enjoy it.
The plot was good as well. It is a story of taking down a system, or trying to take out the Victorian constructs that still make up the British nobility, trying to modernize that world. It can be seen as powerful, but since I really didn’t like our main heroine, I wasn’t really gripped. I do think there is a great metaphor here of why people don’t come forward when they are abused. It’s so hard for one person to take down something so powerful and connected, and it feels impossible like you’re trapped on a claustrophobic island off the coast of Scotland. I was really curious where the story would go and intrigued. I did predict what was happening at the school, but I was satisfied with that prediction and thought that it would lead to a great story but the character work just was executed properly at times this did all seem a bit out there, but at the same time with the stuff we see in the news this could be possible for all we know, especially back in the age before social media and the dominance of the Internet and smart phones. Also, I do not believe this book needed to continue into a series. It would be fine where it left off without the last two pages. This book didn’t do a whole lot for me and I wouldn’t really recommend it.
2.25 out of 5 stars
As I said, this is taking place at a boarding school in the 1990s in the Scottish Highlands. We are on an island so there is somewhat of a claustrophobic feel but it didn’t play a huge part of the story for me. I know a lot of people like dark academia, and there is a slight slight vibe of that but nothing too strong.
The writing was fine and I have no strong emotions to that. I did like that we had little sections, about the classic Roman or Greek stories, Rose was teaching her students and how those stories reflected what was going on in the plot of the novel. I know some people aren’t going to be a fan of that thinking maybe it’s too omnipresent or maybe hitting the point too closely to be believable, but I am somebody who’s really into ancient history at the moment, I did enjoy it.
The plot was good as well. It is a story of taking down a system, or trying to take out the Victorian constructs that still make up the British nobility, trying to modernize that world. It can be seen as powerful, but since I really didn’t like our main heroine, I wasn’t really gripped. I do think there is a great metaphor here of why people don’t come forward when they are abused. It’s so hard for one person to take down something so powerful and connected, and it feels impossible like you’re trapped on a claustrophobic island off the coast of Scotland. I was really curious where the story would go and intrigued. I did predict what was happening at the school, but I was satisfied with that prediction and thought that it would lead to a great story but the character work just was executed properly at times this did all seem a bit out there, but at the same time with the stuff we see in the news this could be possible for all we know, especially back in the age before social media and the dominance of the Internet and smart phones. Also, I do not believe this book needed to continue into a series. It would be fine where it left off without the last two pages. This book didn’t do a whole lot for me and I wouldn’t really recommend it.
2.25 out of 5 stars