Ratings9
Average rating3
A contemporary gothic debut with a feminist edge, for fans of Naomi Alderman and Madeline Miller 'The simmering menace and mystery kept me absolutely gripped' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne For 150 years, Caldonbrae Hall has loomed high above the Scottish cliffs as a beacon of excellence in the ancestral castle of Lord William Hope. A boarding school for girls, it promises that its pupils will emerge 'resilient and ready to serve society'. Into its illustrious midst steps Rose Christie, a 26-year-old Classics teacher and new head of department. Rose is overwhelmed by the institution: its arcane traditions, unrivalled prestige, and terrifyingly cool, vindictive students. Her classroom becomes her haven, where the stories of fearless women from ancient Greek and Roman history ignite the curiosity of the girls she teaches and, unknowingly, the suspicions of the powers that be. But as Rose uncovers the darkness that beats at the very heart of Caldonbrae, the lines between myth and reality grow ever more blurred. It will be up to Rose - and the fierce young women she has come to love - to find a way to escape the fate the school has in store for them, before it is too late. ______________________ 'A highly entertaining and atmospheric read' - Kate Sawyer, Costa Book Awards nominated author of The Stranding 'Rebecca meets The Secret History. Gloriously dark, gloriously gothic' - Sara Collins, Costa First Novel Award-winning author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton 'Imagine if Donna Tartt and Margaret Atwood got together to write a creepy, suspenseful novel . . . Brooding and unsettling, Wynne paints a gorgeous picture that only serves to camouflage the dark secrets she's hidden within' - Chandler Baker, author of Whisper Network 'Strange, dark, and utterly consuming . . . I loved it' - Katie Lowe, author of The Furies 'Chilling, eerie and very clever. I devoured it' - Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child 'A thrilling debut, reminiscent of Du Maurier. The narrative, written in precise prose with beautifully crafted characters, barrels along at pace, leaving us breathless at each twist and turn. A truly wonderful read' - Nydia Hetherington, author of A Girl Made Of Air
Reviews with the most likes.
I had high hopes for what looked like a creepy boarding school story set in remote Scotland, but this was a mess. The main character, young teacher Rose, is very underdeveloped and not especially interesting, and the school's secrets are not very difficult to guess. There's just not a full novel's worth of material here.
2.5/3 out of 5 stars. This book sounded like something I would really enjoy. However there were a few things that niggled me. The plot felt very all over the place. It would go at a snails pace for ages and then suddenly try to thrush the plot forward making for a reading experience similar to whiplash. I found the schools values and the threatening, coercive hold over Rose at the boarding school unbelievable and unrealistic for Scotland in the 1990s. I agree with a lot of reviews that say this book feels like it's set in the 1890s not the 1990s. Most characters were so wet and weedy they were infuriating and the dystopian elements felt stilted and artificial. I wasn't buying this book as a whole.
But I can't deny I loved the boarding school setting and the descriptions of rugged Scotland. I found the Greek history and myth sections really intriguing but the plot was too slow and cumbersome to get higher than a three star rating. Wynne is a very impressive writer and the author has strong potential. I certainly will be checking out anything else this author writes.
Thanks to the author Phoebe Wynne, Quercus books and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.