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A review by blogginboutbooks
Madam by Phoebe Wynne
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.