Fiction

Madam

Madam

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  • Create Date：2021-06-15 07:51:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Phoebe Wynne
  • ISBN：1250272041
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Summary

A darkly feminist， modern gothic tale pitched against a haunting backdrop， and populated by an electrifying cast of heroines

For 150 years， high above rocky Scottish cliffs， Caldonbrae Hall has sat untouched， a beacon of excellence in an old ancestral castle。 A boarding school for girls， it promises that the young women lucky enough to be admitted will emerge “resilient and ready to serve society。”

Into its illustrious midst steps Rose Christie: a 26-year-old Classics teacher， Caldonbrae’s new head of the department， and the first hire for the school in over a decade。 At first， Rose is overwhelmed to be invited into this institution， whose prestige is unrivaled。 But she quickly discovers that behind the school’s elitist veneer lies an impenetrable， starkly traditional culture that she struggles to reconcile with her modernist beliefs—not to mention her commitment to educating “girls for the future。”

It also doesn’t take long for Rose to suspect that there’s more to the secret circumstances surrounding the abrupt departure of her predecessor—a woman whose ghost lingers everywhere—than anyone is willing to let on。 In her search for this mysterious former teacher， Rose instead uncovers the darkness that beats at the heart of Caldonbrae， forcing her to confront the true extent of the school’s nefarious purpose， and her own role in perpetuating it。

A darkly feminist tale pitched against a haunting backdrop， and populated by an electrifying cast of heroines， Madam will keep readers engrossed until the breathtaking conclusion。

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Reviews

Jenna Holzhauser ，

I knocked this book out in a day on vacation。 I am giving it a 4。5– it was quite a gripping story！ I really enjoyed the connections to Greek mythology and how they made their way into Rose’s kinship with the girls。 I would love to see more from this author！ Great read all around。

Judy ，

Chosen aspart of a subscription series by Old Town Books in Alexandria， Virginia。

Dianne Landry ，

I tried， I really tired but I couldn't I tried， I really tired but I couldn't 。。。more

Samantha ，

Though not my favorite specific breed of Gothic， this was fun， creepy， and worked the genre’s signature slow build well。 This is modern-ish Gothic， and the basis for why this is as horrifying as it is is stakes largely on the timing of it。 Rose， our well-meaning but frazzled and overwhelmed heroine is mostly ineffectual in her fight against evil， but y’know， she tries hard。 Though we like Rose and root for her， the students and the other educators （both the good and the bad） prove to be more com Though not my favorite specific breed of Gothic， this was fun， creepy， and worked the genre’s signature slow build well。 This is modern-ish Gothic， and the basis for why this is as horrifying as it is is stakes largely on the timing of it。 Rose， our well-meaning but frazzled and overwhelmed heroine is mostly ineffectual in her fight against evil， but y’know， she tries hard。 Though we like Rose and root for her， the students and the other educators （both the good and the bad） prove to be more complex and interesting characters。 Wynne did well with the settling and atmosphere， deftly building the sense of isolation and dread。 She also did something else very well that I’ve seen a LOT of authors do poorly of late: Incorporate Greek myth and history into a modern novel as allegory。 I’m not sure this book has gotten proper recognition for that， and it should。 I wish the bit with the male teachers toward the end had been left out （it takes the story from fun-creepy to just gross， which isn’t really where this book needed to go。 It’s an unnecessary and icky add-on that didn’t need to be there。 Otherwise， I thought this was fun and creepy， and I loved the way the Classics parallels came into play in the story of Rose and the girls。 *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more

Eileen ，

Very slow moving， just Rose being useless。 Very predictable， I could see the plot “twist” coming as soon as the book started。 Very cliche view of feminism。 Plus if Rose’s mom burned bras in the 70s， it did not align with her speech during conversations with Rose。

Helen Precious ，

Madam is a gripping thriller set in a boarding school for wealthy girls nestled in a remote corner of the Scottish mainland。 Isolated within its walls from the immediate community and the modern world， newly appointed teacher Rose must learn the archaic rules and regulations to fit in。 However， under the veneer of perfection an unsettling truth emerges beneath the usual cattiness of teenage girls a darker vein of destructiveness is at work。 Punishments are Victorian in their cruelty and the inte Madam is a gripping thriller set in a boarding school for wealthy girls nestled in a remote corner of the Scottish mainland。 Isolated within its walls from the immediate community and the modern world， newly appointed teacher Rose must learn the archaic rules and regulations to fit in。 However， under the veneer of perfection an unsettling truth emerges beneath the usual cattiness of teenage girls a darker vein of destructiveness is at work。 Punishments are Victorian in their cruelty and the internal hierarchy a throwback to a bygone era。 At times unsettling to read， Wynne has created a novel that highlights the power of truth and the bravery of the few who can see beyond the institutional line。 The heroines are as complicated as the structure of Caldonbrae Hall， none as perfect as they might first appear。 A very original book with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader hooked。 An author to watch。 。。。more

Leslie ，

Madam by Phoebe Rynne is billed as a modern gothic， and the “gothic” part is certainly taken care of by Caldonbrae Hall， the forbidding Scottish mansion， now serving as a girls’ boarding school， at which teacher Rose Christie arrives in 1992 as its new head of Classics。 Chosen as a result of a recommendation from a colleague， Rose’s youth and relatively limited experience seem hardly to fit her for such a senior position at a prestigious school， but the salary and benefits will assist her in car Madam by Phoebe Rynne is billed as a modern gothic， and the “gothic” part is certainly taken care of by Caldonbrae Hall， the forbidding Scottish mansion， now serving as a girls’ boarding school， at which teacher Rose Christie arrives in 1992 as its new head of Classics。 Chosen as a result of a recommendation from a colleague， Rose’s youth and relatively limited experience seem hardly to fit her for such a senior position at a prestigious school， but the salary and benefits will assist her in caring for her mother， who has MS and is steadily getting worse。 Rose is even less prepared for the secrets she will find within the walls of Caldonbrae。Madam， which takes its title from the peculiar custom at the school of addressing all the female staff indistinguishably as “Madam” （and all males as “Sir”） had a rather slow start， although it did pick up after the first third or so as Rose gets to know and slowly win over her initially hostile students and also attempts to navigate the labyrinthine structure （both figurative and literal） of the school。 After that， it builds towards a shattering climax。While my opinion of the book improved as it went on， my biggest problem was suspending my disbelief about whether – even in the 1990s - its system of “education” could have been maintained and kept secret from the world at large， especially given the fact that part of it was that its students would be moving in the highest circles of society， and it seemed unlikely that they would have been able to be kept isolated and insulated from “new” ideas for what would essentially have been the rest of their lives。 This is where the “modern” part of the description failed for me。 I could see this taking place far more easily in the 1950s or 1920s， but then， of course， most of the “traditions” would have seemed much less outlandish。 I also found the character of Rose to be so impulsive and unable to keep from voicing her disapproval and opposition that it became unbelievable that they would have kept her on for as long as they did， continuing to give her “another chance” however outrageously （in their view） she behaved。 （view spoiler）[ Also， given the realities of human trafficking in today's world， while the school's method of operation was pretty appalling， I also found it impossible to summon what seemed to be the expected feelings of horror when it was revealed what was actually going on。 （hide spoiler）] Rose's mother， too， was not very believable as a feminist; this was a situation where the author would have benefited by “showing， not telling，” as the saying goes， since we're told that she was one but never see any evidence of it in the “present” of the book or even in the dealings with her daughter in the past to which we are made privy。 On the other hand， I did like the stories about strong women in the classical tradition （although they rarely came to positive ends） and how Rose used them to encourage her students to question the future that was laid out in front of them。 On the whole， I would give this book 2。5 stars， mainly due to my issues with it， but will round up to 3。I received a copy of Madam for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Amrita ，

I love books with gothic undertones and had high expectations from this book， which may be why it didn't really work well for me。 There is not a single likeable character in the book and that includes the protagonist Rose。 I could not wrap my mind around the reasons why she would choose to remain and work at a place like Caldonbrae。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc。 I love books with gothic undertones and had high expectations from this book， which may be why it didn't really work well for me。 There is not a single likeable character in the book and that includes the protagonist Rose。 I could not wrap my mind around the reasons why she would choose to remain and work at a place like Caldonbrae。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc。 。。。more

Jessica Frank ，

I wanted to like this one more。 It's a decent first book by Phoebe， but she's no Margaret Atwood。 The plot dragged， and it was hard to keep track of all the characters。 It was just okay。 I wanted to like this one more。 It's a decent first book by Phoebe， but she's no Margaret Atwood。 The plot dragged， and it was hard to keep track of all the characters。 It was just okay。 。。。more

Jacki York ，

Very dark gothic read and obviously， not suitable for all audiences。 Looking forward to future books by the author。

Vicki ，

In many ways this book's plot resonnated with me。 I'm a retired high school teacher and the MC of this novel， Rose Christie， is also a school teacher who's only been teaching a few years but is offered the position of head of Classics at a very prestigious all girls school， Caldonbrae Hall in Scotland。 She is unsure of whether she is qualified or ready for such a positioni， but her sickly mother pushes her to accept it。 Once Rose arrives at the school and takes on her title， it doesn't take long In many ways this book's plot resonnated with me。 I'm a retired high school teacher and the MC of this novel， Rose Christie， is also a school teacher who's only been teaching a few years but is offered the position of head of Classics at a very prestigious all girls school， Caldonbrae Hall in Scotland。 She is unsure of whether she is qualified or ready for such a positioni， but her sickly mother pushes her to accept it。 Once Rose arrives at the school and takes on her title， it doesn't take long for her to realize that the school is not 100% what one might think。 Her students test her in ways that go beyond reason。 It's evident to the reader perhaps before Rose even realizes that this school is different in ways that are frightening。 I commiserated with Rose and what she went through as a teacher of her students， as a staff member， and as a "detective" who needed to figure out what was going on when she was not supposed to ask questions but adhere to the rather stringent rules set before her。 She was "attacked" from all directions so naturally the reader questions why the students and staff seem to be difficult and and not helpful to Rose's acclamation to her new job。The story of Rose and her teaching experience in the well-known school is a deliciously dark story and the writing is skillful and the plot particularly well-done。 I loved Rose and her tenacity and I will definitely read more from this author。I'd like to thank NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for an e-ARC for an honest opinion and review。 。。。more

Isabel ，

3。75 This was an interesting one， definitely more elaborate than the synopsis。 This is a tale of a dark grim boarding school， with nefarious intentions。 This is a story describing the trials and suffering women endure in life and one feminist teacher’s interpretation of the situation。

Liralen ，

Huh。 I can see what Wynne was going for here， but I ended up finding it pretty slow and unconvincing。It's like this: Rose is the new teacher at a renowned boarding school for girls in Scotland: it's known as a place of academic excellence， and it's been years since a new teacher was recruited。 And now there's Rose， who knows less about the school than anyone else there， including the youngest students。About half the book is lead-up to the Big Reveal: （view spoiler）[The school has， in fact， no in Huh。 I can see what Wynne was going for here， but I ended up finding it pretty slow and unconvincing。It's like this: Rose is the new teacher at a renowned boarding school for girls in Scotland: it's known as a place of academic excellence， and it's been years since a new teacher was recruited。 And now there's Rose， who knows less about the school than anyone else there， including the youngest students。About half the book is lead-up to the Big Reveal: （view spoiler）[The school has， in fact， no interest in academics; it's effectively a finishing school devoted to marrying its students off to the rich and powerful。 This is meant to be a huge secret—to the public， the school is just a very good British boarding school。 Once Rose is in， she's kept in the dark for the first few months as well: not allowed to see certain lessons; frowned upon for seemingly innocuous things; restricted in her movements。 Female teachers are Madam and male teachers Sir， anytime there's any chance that a student will overhear。 Rose apparently hasn't read her contract， so she's surprised to find that the school has moved her ill mother from one facility to another。。。and taken over her power of attorney。 （hide spoiler）] And yes， the school takes etiquette seriously:'You've left the teabag in – your tea is black， Rose。' 'That's how I like it。' 'Not very ladylike， is it？' Emma gave a squinting smile。 'Surely you must know there is such a thing as etiquette， Rose。 Lord Hope would've been appalled！' 'Oh，' Rose answered， taken aback。 She'd never been criticised for the way she took her tea。 （47）The book is set in the 90s， perhaps because in the Internet age it would be far too easy for the veneer to crumble。 （view spoiler）[People might start asking why， if this school is so excellent， nobody goes on to university; somebody might sneak a cell phone in; et cetera。 But。。。it's so odd to me that the school goes so far as to hide that it's a finishing school rather than an academic school。 Oh， the level of wtf-ery goes way beyond 'finishing school' and into 'child sexual abuse' territory， and Rose is threatened （including threats against her mother's life） should she reveal anything about the school。 But it was clear so early on that the school had no interest in academics， and I'd have found Rose's continued ignorance much easier to believe if it had been understood from the beginning that it was a finishing school—an outdated concept， yes， but as far as I know they still exist—and the Big Secret was more about the predatory sexual aspect。 I'm reminded heavily of Only Ever Yours， which has a similar setup except it's explicitly a dystopian story。 （hide spoiler）]And then we have the Classics angle。 Classics is Rose's passion—she's been recruited as department head， in fact—and numerous short chapters summarise various stories of women from mythology。 She spends some time trying to teach her students basics of feminism， using these mythological women as her examples。 And。。。I sort of get it。 The end of Madam is something of a nod to those stories。 But the implications: （view spoiler）[In the stories Rose shares， she thread she finds that pulls them together is the fates of women trying to assert themselves in a world run by men。 Often those fates are terrible。 Here， too， the older girls in particular—the ones who have already been marketed to rich and powerful men—face a terrible fate at the end of the book。 But。。。where is the update？ It's an updated setting， sure， but the only agency （if we can call it that） any of the girls who suffer the worst display is to try to keep Rose in her misogynist-setting place。 They have no say in their ultimate fate （and most of the students seem to have no personality or interests beyond increasing their Value）， which is true in some （not all） of the stories Rose tells， and—I'd have liked a rather more modern ending， I suppose。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Estella ，

I couldn’t wait for this book to end。 I just didn’t buy into the story at all。 I gave it two stars because of the attention to Greek mythology and the actually writing was good but the plot was boring and not believable。

Kokie ，

This sounded like a great book， but it dragged too much for my taste。 I was expecting a fast thriller-like plot to propel the the action but it wasn't there and the characters and gothic setting weren't enough to keep me interested to the end。 This sounded like a great book， but it dragged too much for my taste。 I was expecting a fast thriller-like plot to propel the the action but it wasn't there and the characters and gothic setting weren't enough to keep me interested to the end。 。。。more

Nelisha Silva ，

weirdly uncomfortable but strangely compelling？ I both loved and hated it and could not put the book down

Barbara ，

I received the audio of Madam from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Set in Scotland， Caldonbrae Hall is an exclusive boarding school for upper class girls。 Rose Christie feels both honored and nervous of teaching classics there。 Rose is extremely naive and things aren’t going too well with the students， faculty and administration。 Good—the narrator is superb。 Even with increasing the speed， it was easy to understand her。 Bad—the book。 The story is a rework on gothic fiction， but gothic I received the audio of Madam from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Set in Scotland， Caldonbrae Hall is an exclusive boarding school for upper class girls。 Rose Christie feels both honored and nervous of teaching classics there。 Rose is extremely naive and things aren’t going too well with the students， faculty and administration。 Good—the narrator is superb。 Even with increasing the speed， it was easy to understand her。 Bad—the book。 The story is a rework on gothic fiction， but gothic elements just don’t fit with modern times。 The students are brats， the faculty nonsupportive and the administrative just horrible。 I only finished it to fulfill my commitment to net， but it was painful for me。 。。。more

Susan ，

Gothic is definitely one of my favorite genres， and what could be better than an all-girls boarding school on the Scotland coast with mysterious secrets？Young Classics teacher， Rose， is recruited to the exclusive boarding school， the first new faculty member in a decade。 But she immediately senses something is off。 What happened to her predecessor？ Why is the troubled young student， Bethany， obsessed with her？ And why are her colleagues so uncommunicative？ While she suspects only that there is a Gothic is definitely one of my favorite genres， and what could be better than an all-girls boarding school on the Scotland coast with mysterious secrets？Young Classics teacher， Rose， is recruited to the exclusive boarding school， the first new faculty member in a decade。 But she immediately senses something is off。 What happened to her predecessor？ Why is the troubled young student， Bethany， obsessed with her？ And why are her colleagues so uncommunicative？ While she suspects only that there is a story behind the termination of the former teacher， the school is hiding much bigger secrets。 Rose realizes she needs to save not only herself， but the students as well。Super creepy with a dreamlike （or nightmarish） quality。 The reader will alternately admire Rose and want to shake her。 #Madam #NetGalley 。。。more

Leane ，

I kept putting this book down。 Because the author was doing too good a job making my skin crawl。 I know this is being touted as the love child of >Rebecca and A Secret History and I think there are similarities to both。 If you want a suspenseful gothic horror experience mixed with the secluded boarding school setting then comparisons to both titles make sense。 The Scotland seaside location of Caldonbrae Hall is beautifully painted for the reader and the tone of mystery and dread effectively evok I kept putting this book down。 Because the author was doing too good a job making my skin crawl。 I know this is being touted as the love child of >Rebecca and A Secret History and I think there are similarities to both。 If you want a suspenseful gothic horror experience mixed with the secluded boarding school setting then comparisons to both titles make sense。 The Scotland seaside location of Caldonbrae Hall is beautifully painted for the reader and the tone of mystery and dread effectively evoked。 Its occurring in the 1990's allows some of my feminist disbelief to simmer on hold while the enfolding horror of the real purpose of the girl's school chilled my blood and really angered me。 I believe Wynne's main character， Rose， is well-constructed; however， I am still finding it hard to swallow how long she went along in the story without getting answers to her questions。 Wynne tries to lay the groundwork by explaining her insecurities but I never quite bought those as motivation， even after it is obvious she is trapped。 This weakened the storyline for me。 What is nicely done besides tone and setting is the weaving of Classical mythological female figures as both separate chapters and metaphor。 I also thought the author does a great job describing the "class" system of the school （caste really！）， the complicity of some characters， and in her description of Rose's students。 The ending was a let down after an immense build up。 Not that I thought there would be justice but having an Epilogue almost hint at a possible sequel cost this a star。 。。。more

Allison ，

Madam kept me enthralled from beginning to end。 Parts of the book and dialogue were frustrating at times but of course everything can’t be spelled out from the beginning。 What started as a sort of gothic horror， even though it’s set in the early 90s， maintained a slow burn of dread。 I enjoyed the themes and Rose as a character。 A vivid illustration of how horrible and manipulative teenage girls can be。

Liz ，

Thanks to Secret Readers for a free copy of this ebook。I skipped to the end after reading reviews here as I don’t like the story theme。Rose’s lack of confidence was very annoying and I wondered why she bothered taking the job。 She seemed ill suited to teaching。

Sri ，

Too long。 Felt like I was reading the same dialogue and scene over and over。 Too contrived。

Mardi ，

The theme of Madam sits alongside The Handmaid’s Tale。 The protagonist， Rose， is a likeable character who confrontational against the system and stays true to her values。 Not all characters were likeable so it made for a good balance。 The pace was consistent with fast and slow points。 I enjoyed the story however， I felt some areas could have been developed a little bit more。 This version， which I hope is in the published version， needed to have scene break markers to know when the scene changed。 The theme of Madam sits alongside The Handmaid’s Tale。 The protagonist， Rose， is a likeable character who confrontational against the system and stays true to her values。 Not all characters were likeable so it made for a good balance。 The pace was consistent with fast and slow points。 I enjoyed the story however， I felt some areas could have been developed a little bit more。 This version， which I hope is in the published version， needed to have scene break markers to know when the scene changed。 Overall， it was a great story that showed insight into a disturbing and potential real-life scenario。 3。5/5#netgalley 。。。more

Katya ，

Madam has echoes of The Secret History， The Handmaid's Tale and Jane Eyre wrapped up in a gothic thriller， darkly feminist package。 Only。。。 it's not as great as it could have been。 This is another novel that suffers from a debut author's inability to kill her darlings （not literally）。 The book is weighted down with bloat - the digital copy I read was 270 pages that could have easily delivered the story in 170。 There seems to be a belief here that a good gothic novel should build up the suspen Madam has echoes of The Secret History， The Handmaid's Tale and Jane Eyre wrapped up in a gothic thriller， darkly feminist package。 Only。。。 it's not as great as it could have been。 This is another novel that suffers from a debut author's inability to kill her darlings （not literally）。 The book is weighted down with bloat - the digital copy I read was 270 pages that could have easily delivered the story in 170。 There seems to be a belief here that a good gothic novel should build up the suspense and the creeping unease slowly and relentlessly， and it should！ But the pacing here was just too slow， the unease creeping sluggishly and drawing out the glacial pace of the book。 Several scenes could have been eliminated entirely - Rose's sojourn to the village and the Worship scene that was written solely for shock value， for example， were entirely unnecessary to the plot and did little to further any development。 There were also frequent moments of utter implausibility。 Hope's reach， for example， was cartoonishly wide - am I really to believe that this school has connections in every single hospital in Northern Scotland and left-wing newspaper， just waiting to pounce and apprehend an unwitting interloper？ I have no doubt that an institution such as Caldonbrae Hall would have powerful friends， and many， but just like with magic， there have to be rules and parameters。 Otherwise， if the shadowy cabal of misogynists can do literally anything with impunity it takes the premise out of the realm of possibility and into eye-rolling territory。 Rein in your villains， please。 That being said， there were things I liked about it。 The premise itself was promising - an old boarding school catering to young ladies of good breeding， isolated on the wild Scottish coast （have I mentioned that I'm in love with Scotland and will read most anything set there？） and a young Classics teacher caught in a web of darkness and deceit。 The atmosphere was great， I was really made to feel the isolation， the imposing setting of the school， how on edge and out of place Rose was there。 I also felt her desperation and her fear as she was drawn deeper and deeper into the sinister web of the institution， and her powerlessness was palpable。 I liked how Wynne wove strands of Greek mythology into the text， illustrating the awful things women would， and have， done to survive in a world that treats them as property， as disposable， as less-than。 I just wish that Rose had done something just as horrible herself。 。。。more

Gail ，

I love boarding house stories， but not this one。 Once I saw where it was going， I decided to put it down。 There is a lot wrong here including a main character who can’t decide who she is

Maren ，

Was really looking forward to this one but decided to DNF it at 30%。

smalltownbookmom ，

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 a 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。 。。。more

Janine Padro ，

While the writing is not bad at all， it was the pacing and the characters that made this book extremely hard to get through。 I didn't particularly like any of the characters and their actions/attitudes， and I felt like the book was very slow and a bit boring at times。 Sadly， I don't think the book was all bad， which makes me sad， because it's harder to rate something fairly poorly （2-1 stars） when there is， in fact， a good amount of potential。 But the characters turned me off and the story itsel While the writing is not bad at all， it was the pacing and the characters that made this book extremely hard to get through。 I didn't particularly like any of the characters and their actions/attitudes， and I felt like the book was very slow and a bit boring at times。 Sadly， I don't think the book was all bad， which makes me sad， because it's harder to rate something fairly poorly （2-1 stars） when there is， in fact， a good amount of potential。 But the characters turned me off and the story itself fell a bit flat for me。 。。。more

Melanie Johnson ，

I love a boarding school book with a Gothic vibe; however， I felt like some of the story was missing。 I would have liked to read more about the students backgrounds and sometimes the book the jumped around by days and I was lost in the narrative。 I did read an advanced copy， so I hope that it gets cleaned up before publication。

Sue ，

A Gothic looking cover and a story about an isolated private， all girls boarding school piqued my interest。 Right away I started questioning the real purpose of the school。 There is a hint of “The Stepford Wives” and “The Handmaid’s Tale。 If you like Greek tragedies you’ll enjoy how they are woven into the story。 If you like suspense， secrets and Gothic elements， Madam should be your next read！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Madam

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Madam&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Madam&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0