Madam, Phoebe Wynne
Madam, Phoebe Wynne
8 Rating(s)
List: $28.99 | Sale: $20.29
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Madam
A Novel

Author: Phoebe Wynne

Narrator: Nathalie Buscombe

Unabridged: 13 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/18/2021

Categories: Fiction, Women, Gothic, Feminist


Synopsis

Phoebe Wynne's Madam is a riveting, modern gothic debut with shades of The Secret History, The Stepford Wives, and a dash of Circe, set at a secretive all girls’ boarding school perched on a craggy Scottish peninsula.

They want our silence…
They want our obedience…
Let them see our fire burn

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 listeners engrossed until the breathtaking conclusion.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

"Imagine if Donna Tartt and Margaret Atwood got together to write a creepy, suspenseful novel about a school for young women in the Scottish Highlands...Brooding and unsettling, Wynne paints a gorgeous picture that only serves to camouflage the dark secrets she's hidden within."––Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network

About Phoebe Wynne

PHOEBE WYNNE is the author of Madam and The Ruins. She worked in education for nearly a decade and taught Classics in the UK and English Language and Literature in Paris. She is British and French, and currently splits her time between France and England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Michael on April 14, 2021

Caldonbrae Hall is an all-girls boarding school in Scotland. It has been a prominent school for over 150 years. 26-year old Rose Christie is the newest teacher they’ve had in years, and also the youngest. She is hired on as a Classics teacher with a Latin focus. As excited as she is for this new jou......more

Goodreads review by Jayme on December 12, 2020

For 150 years Caldonbrae Hall (called Hope by the staff) has been an all girls boarding school, preparing young ladies to emerge “resilient and ready to serve society”. Or at least-ready to serve a certain component of society. All the male teachers are called Sir, and all of the female teachers will......more

Goodreads review by Ceecee on December 12, 2020

2.5 In 1992 Rose Christie is employed at Calonbrae Hall, a boarding school in Scotland for girls of wealthy and influential families. She is to be the new Head of Classics, a step up the career ladder and a good promotion as she’s only in her mid twenties. She soon learns the school is not the place......more

Goodreads review by Jenny on March 17, 2021

This genre is totally my jam but I had a hard time not wanting to throttle the characters sometimes. 3.5 stars......more

Goodreads review by Ellie on May 23, 2021

Caldonbrae was less of a school, and more of an elite institution containing its own churning practices, a forever fortess turning within itself. Madam is such a beautifully atmospheric book, and it's one of my favourite things about it. The oppressive gloom of Caldonbrae Hall perching high on t......more