Madam by Phoebe Wynne

Madam by Phoebe Wynne

Publication Date: May 18, 2021

Wow! I am still in shock over Madam by Phoebe Wynne. This novel starts off with an introduction to Rose, a young teacher who has been offered a grand opportunity to teach at a prestigious all girls boarding school called, Caldonbrae Hall in Scotland. She is both shocked and humbled by such a prestigious opportunity and has packed up her small flat in London to travel to the Scottish coast to live on the grounds of the school. The school provides staff and students with housing and anything else they could possibly need making it completely all inclusive. 

Rose is a strong willed independent woman. Her mother was a strong willed feminist in her day, participating in many women's rallies oftentimes taking Rose along. The influence of Rose's mother shines through into her teaching at Caldonbrae Hall. She is a classicist teacher and teaches mostly on the subject of strong willed, oftentimes down on their luck women. Phoebe Wynn's decision to develope Rose's character  this way fits in perfectly with the constant conflict that exist throughout the story between Rose, the school, and the girls. Rose's non-step down attitude keeps the reader engaged, and in my opinion often mirrored the way I felt throughout the novel about some of the horrible things that were happening in the school. Rose became the voice for the girls in the school that were being taught that they were voiceless. 

Madam was a shocker of  a novel. I definitely did not expect Caldonbrae Hall to be the boarding school it turned out to be, the reader will find out what I mean once you read the novel. I was so thankful for Rose being a voice for the voiceless and I enjoyed the way Phoebe Wynn used classic tales of Greek and Roman goddesses to foreshadow what was going on within the story and relate them back to characters in her novel. I thought that was an interesting and creative element to the text. The relation between those Greek and Roman tragedies and the tragedy of the girls at Caldonbrae Hall was soul shaking. I would recommend this to the reader that can keep an open mind throughout the book and can try to think outside the box. There are definitely some dark subject matters, so reader be warned, but if you can get through the darkness you will enjoy this enlightening creative read. 

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for and advanced copy for an honest review. 

For Purchase: Madam