Review: Madam

Madam by Phoebe Wynne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had lowered by expectations going into this book because some people did not enjoy it. I loved the atmosphere of the setting and the creepy vibes of the elitist boarding school. This is a story centered around a young teacher named Rose who was invited to become a Classics teacher at Caldonbrae, an elite boarding school in Scotland. From the start, she is not sure why she was singled out for the job but ultimately decides it would be a great opportunity for her teaching career.
Rose moves to Scotland from England and has an apartment on the campus and does some duties monitoring one of the dorms. Creepy things start to happen early in the story, with the prior Classics teacher’s departure and mystery surrounding this. In addition, the girls at the boarding school, who are mostly from wealthier and prestigious families in the UK, are leveled with the upper girls seemingly unconcerned with taking their A levels or attending university. They also have done very little earlier work in Latin or Classics reading. Rose has a rough time and then is accused of touching a student that she doesn’t really know and an investigation into this ensues.
The story develops into a dramatic ending, although I do see why people disliked the ending. It seems a bit of a let down after the whole story leading up to it. It resolves the story but seems simplistic compared to the remainder of the story.
I listened and read the book. The narrator, Nathalie Buscombe, does a great job creating the atmosphere and the nuances of each character. I would definitely recommend this narrator and enjoyed the book.
#Madam #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio

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