The Madam

by Julianna Baggott

West Virginia, 1924: Alma works in a hosiery mill where the percussive roar of machinery has far too long muffled the engine that is her heart. When Alma's husband decides that they should set out to find their fortune in Florida, Alma has little choice but to leave her three children and ailing mother behind. But when Alma is then abandoned at a Miami dock, she is suddenly forced to make her own way in the world. With the help of a gentle giantess and an opium-addicted prostitute, Alma reclaims her children from the orphanage and forges ahead with an altogether new sort of family. As an act of survival, she chooses to run a house of prostitution, a harvest that relies on lust and weakness in men, of which "the world has a generous, unending supply."
The Madam is the story of a house of sin. It is here where Alma's children will learn everything there is to know about "love and loss, sex and betrayal." Based on the real life of the author's grandmother, The Madam is a tale of epic proportions, one that will haunt readers long after its stunning conclusion.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adult Fiction, Book Club, Prostitution

316 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2003

About the author

Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Julianna Baggott has published more than twenty books under her own name as well as pen names Bridget Asher and N.E. Bode. Her recent novel, Harriet Wolf’s Seventh Book of Wonders, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year (2015). Her novel Pure, the first of a trilogy, was also a New York Times Notable Book of the Year (2012) and won an ALA Alex Award. Her work has been optioned by Fox2000, Nickelodeon/Paramount, and Anonymous Content and she currently has work in development at Netflix with Shawn Levy attached to direct, Paramount with Jessica Biel attached, Disney+, Lionsgate, and Warner Brothers, to name a few. For more on her film and TV work, click here. There are over one hundred foreign editions of Julianna’s novels published or forthcoming overseas. Baggott’s work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Modern Love column, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The International Herald Tribune, Glamour, Real Simple, Best Creative Nonfiction, Best American Poetry, and has been read on NPR’s Here and Now, Talk of the Nation, and All Things Considered. Her essays, stories, and poems are highly anthologized.

Baggott began publishing short stories when she was twenty-two and sold her first novel while still in her twenties. After receiving her M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she published her first novel, the national bestseller Girl Talk. It was quickly followed by The Boston Globe bestseller, The Miss America Family, and then The Boston Herald Book Club selection, The Madam, an historical novel based on the life of her grandmother. She co-wrote Which Brings Me to You with Steve Almond, A Best Book of 2006 (Kirkus Reviews); it has been optioned by Anonymous Content, and currently by BCDF, with a screenplay penned by playwright Keith Bunin.

Her Bridget Asher novels, published by Bantam Dell at Random House, include All of Us and Everything, listed in “Best New Books” in People magazine (2015), The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted, The Pretend Wife, and My Husband’s Sweethearts.

Although the bulk of her work is for adults, she has published award-winning novels for younger readers under the pen name N.E. Bode as well as her own name. Her seven novels for younger readers include, most notably, The Anybodies trilogy, which was a People Magazine summer reading pick alongside David Sedaris and Bill Clinton, a Washington Post Book of the Week, a Girl’s Life Top Ten, a Booksense selection, and was in development at Nickelodeon/Paramount. Other titles include The Slippery Map, The Ever Breath, and the prequel to Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, a movie starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and Jason Bateman. For two years, Bode was a recurring personality on XM Sirius Radio. Julianna’s Boston Red Sox novel The Prince of Fenway Park (HarperCollins) was on the Sunshine State Young Readers Awards List and The Massachusetts Children’s Book Award for 2011-2012.

Baggott also has an acclaimed career as a poet, having published four collections of poetry – Instructions: Abject & Fuming, This Country of Mothers, Compulsions of Silkworms and Bees, and Lizzie Borden in Love. Her poems have appeared in some of the most venerable literary publications in the country, including Poetry, The American Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry (2001, 2011, and 2012).

She is an associate professor at Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts where she teaches screenwriting. From 2013-2017, she held the William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at the College of the Holy Cross. In 2006, Baggott and her husband, David Scott, co-founded the nonprofit organization Kids in Need – Books in Deed which focuses on literacy and getting free books into the hands of underprivileged children in the state of Florida. David Scott is also her creative and business partner. They have four children. Her oldest daughte

Reviews

[Jeana · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started reading The Madam, I fell in love with the beautiful writing, but by end, I was exhausted of it. I just wanted her to say things without trying to be so artistic.

I realize that this book is based on the author's true grandmother's life and while I can appreciate that, I didn't feel the book showed enough motivation/character development to make the things the characters did plausible. For example, the most pivotal part of the novel--Alma deciding to run a brothel out of her home--seemed to not be a struggle at all. Like she just decided what the hell? It didn't work for me that she made such a borderline moral decision without much inner conflict. And it seems like most of the events in the story were done without much personal conflict. It just didn't work for me.

My favorite character in the story was the nun. I liked that she was different and human and I liked a lot of the author's observations about nuns v. prostitutes.

All in all, I would say the reading was fast, but it was hard to get into the lives of the characters because of the layer of flowery language between the reader and the characters.

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stolid, pragmatic Alma leaves work at the lint-filled hosiery mill and plods home through her 1920s West Virginia world awash in coal dust to a house packed full of show-people boarders, a railroad man husband with pie in the sky dreams, and three children who deserve a better childhood. When she gets there, her work will begin again, endlessly, as though the denizens of the household comprise a rather large and unseemly nest of squalling baby birds with infinite needs and peculiarities.

En route, Alma pauses at a carnival, steals time away from those infinite needs and peculiarities at a side show of oddities on display where she spends her dime to see the Mule-Faced Woman. The Mule-Faced Woman is grotesque but, on balance, her life appears better than Alma's. Yet, Alma senses impending change, she's not sure exactly what, but she needs it if she's ever going to give her kids better than she ever got.

Julianna Baggott's spartan, poetic prose weaves an off-kilter and dramatic story suggested by her own family's legends. In the acknowledgments, Baggott thanks her grandmother "who was raised with show people, nuns, hustlers and whores" for sharing the the facts of a very unusual life.

After her husband Henry leaves her when his sure-fire money making scheme doesn't pay off, after the boarders disappear when the show closes, after almost all of Alma has drained away, transforming the large house into a bordello is the only sensible solution. The whores, the clients and the police bring a new normalcy into Alma's life even though her children will one day want something better than the nest. There's money now and food on the table.

Life for Alma "becomes too complicated if she entertains the notion that her daughter is turning into a woman in a house like this. Alma can feel her life rising up for new consideration, but she prefers the way she has been for years now: A morning goes by and then an afternoon. Eventually there's evening. She sleeps. She is within it all, desperately so, and she doesn't have to think beyond it."

It's not for us to know how truth and fiction combine in this well-told tale with its careful, yet intricate plot seasoned--some will say--with Southern Gothic flavoring, and overflowing with blunt-edged emotions and a no-nonsense view of life's trials and toil. But the atmosphere from beginning to end is relentless and cruel and deeply wonderful because Baggott loved her protagonist, and the show people, nuns, hustlers and whores enough to show their world of lint and coal dust and sex as almost sacred.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was beautiful and gave me a headache. Her words brought with them extremely vivid images and yet I felt detached from all of the characters. It's a shame there was no "voice", because based on real life experiences of the author's grandma, that voice could have been powerful. The pivotal scene in which she decides to become a madam was over in a few paragraphs. The entire book felt rushed. Lovely language, but a forgettable story.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an relentlessly depressing book about a poor woman working in a hosiery mill whose husband abandons her and she opens up a whorehouse. What made it most exhausting was that the book was written completely in present tense. Besides that, there was virtually no character who was remotely appealing. One of those books that I put down in the middle and didn't finish.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok, but not quite what I expected. The prose was very dense and sometimes difficult to follow. I liked the plot but felt like a lot of things weren't really answered as the story moved along. Near the end, a new story line started very abruptly and didn't leave room to finish some of the original plot points.

[Jenney · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was beautiful, but I didn't care for the story or any of the characters.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I ravenously devoured Baggott's children's books as a kid, I haven't so much as thought of her work since middle school. When I saw her section at the library, I thought it was about time I checked out her adult publications. This may have been a mistake.

Don't get me wrong, I gave The Madam four stars and don't regret it. The writing was impeccable, the characters were (mostly) interesting, and for the most part I enjoyed it. So why did I feel like something highly important was missing?

It is possible (although not probable) that my disgruntlement stems from the ending. That was hands-down the strangest, most out of place culmination I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. After that event, the last few pages kind of floated away and the whole book made even less sense than ever. However, the reason I say it isn't probable my disquiet was born from the end is that I had the feeling throughout the whole book. From page one I had this restless, uncomfortable feeling, like someone was looking over my shoulder. I've wracked my brain to think what was wrong, and I can't figure it out. Something was missing. I couldn't tell you what it was, or why it was so darn important, but I vouch fully for the fact that it wasn't there.

Aside from that, I can't formulate much else. As I said, the writing was nice and Alma was deep and original. The time period was well-chosen and well-researched. It certainly wasn't a bad read, but I just can't shake that annoying, eerie feeling that Baggott forgot something.

[Ayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I found this in a used book store, I was intrigued. Based on the real life of the author's grandmother, The Madam was an interesting book that looked at love and loss, sex and betrayal, and it highlighted the strength inside every woman.

To be honest, the book was a little underwhelming. I found myself skimming because there was so much superfluous detail, and I just wanted to get to the story. It was predictable, and didn't give me as much insight into the lives of the women in the 'house of sin'.

That said, I appreciated how the author focused on issues different women had, and how they handled them. Strength comes in many forms, and that part was beautifully written.

[Emily Reitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baggott has a poetic, emotional, associative way of writing, and it's intoxicating. This story was like being swept along in a fit of desire, fear, and malaise. But I love the book! It was informative for me to read about whores as I intend to use this for a character I want to write. That being said, feminists will love this book for the strong female characters and oftentimes the realistic horrors of male figures (not all men but enough).

[Melissa Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed emotions on this one. While I loved the plot and the writing I dont really feel connected to the characters? I love how this is based on the authors own family history and it was dark and upsetting and emotional. But that doesnt quite make up for the lack of character depth. That aside I recommend this for fans of historical fiction with a harsh edge.

[Christina Yorke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this strong passionate story of Alma and all the amazing women who make up her life. A tale of a womans strength and grit , to survive the dirty hands dealt to them by their men, their parents, by life.

[Oriana]

Julianna has an essay about the writing of this book in The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol 3, which is awesome.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A motley group of survivors strive to negotiate 1920s dustbowl America. Negotiating a life of grim beauty and unsteady redemption, a thread of hope and salvation somehow remains. A gritty but thoroughly enjoyable read, based on the author's grandmother's life and memories. 3.5 stars.

[Elizabeth R · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept, especially because it was based on the lives of the author’s ancestors, but it all got lost in the blathering on and on in the characters’ subconsciouses. It’s too bad, because the women getting sh*t done are downright impressive.

[Danyel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book a great deal. It touches on a particularly lucrative way of rebuilding a life at the end of a relationship. I always felt like the characters were not completely formed but I still felt that they were accessible.

[Nikki McKinney · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF - story line was hard to follow and didn't keep my interest

[Jessica (thebluestocking) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alma is married and has three children. She is suffocating from her daily life, from her children’s needs, from her work in a loud and dusty hosiery factory in a loud and dusty mining town, and from poverty. When her husband Henry learns that there are abandoned trunks full of valuables for sale at a reasonable price in Florida, they decide to take a trip. That trip is the catalyst for change in almost all aspects of Alma’s life.

I liked this book. Well, more specifically, I liked the writing. It’s just so evocative of time and weather and place and change. Here’s a sample from the beginning of the book:

But Alma can feel things shifting. She knows nothing of atoms. She can’t. She’s a woman in a hosiery factor in Marrowtown, West Virgina. It’s 1924, nearly summer. Atoms are still the matter of physicist’s dreams, dim stars with the skies just beginning to ink. But if she did know of atoms, she would say she could feel the restlessness of them, like schoolchildren at the end of a long spring day. She’s aware of the vibration of everything - not just the factory’s thrumming hive, but in some minute invisibility all around her, inside of herself, a small electric charge.

In addition to excellent writing, the story was interesting. However, about halfway through, it kind of lost me. It took some unexpected turns, and left me a little unsatisfied. The characters are so good. At least, their potential is good. There’s Delphine, the opium-addicted whore. There’s Roxy, the homeless lesbian. There’s Sister Margaret, the good-hearted and practical nun. And there’s Alma herself. But each of these characters, for me, failed to live up to her potential. In fact, I felt like this whole book failed to live up to its potential.

While I can’t wholeheartedly love this book, I am curious as to Baggott’s other, more critically acclaimed works. Perhaps I’ll read one of those someday.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sigh. I really wanted to give Julianna Baggott's fiction a chance. I adore her poetry and admire her ability to make a living through popular novels too. Unfortunately, I just cannot get into her prose. I tried reading The Miss America Family years ago, but put it down after just a few pages. I decided I owed it to her to at least read one of her novels straight through. The Madam looked promising, but ugh, nothing happened. The characters were not interesting. The plot was predictable.

So, I'll stick with Baggott's poetry. :)

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Writing of this book was well crafted and artistic. I give it four stars for the writing alone. I do wish there had been more plot. 200 pages more in fact. There were so many things going on that in just over 300 pages the reader barely has time to delve into any of the events. Everything was so surface I wish that there were fewer characters and fewer happenings so that the author had time to develop things more.

[Amber Gardiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are books written for writers and books written for readers, this one was so "writing" heavy that the plot was lost along the way. There is no question that the writer was accomplished and wrote beautifully, but if the plot isn't there, writing good will never save you! Very jumpy and the characters were very under-developed. I didn't care for ANY of the characters with enough compassion to actual care what happened in the book.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this book had come out the same year as Water For Elephants, the American public would have eaten it up..it would make a great companion read for that and for Sex in the City. My mom, who grew up in the depression, read it and found it so true to life and beautiful, and so did I.

[Mark Malone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rate this book 2 of 5 -- FAIR. I would probably have liked this book better, with its depiction of poverty, subjection of women, and overcoming life's difficulties, if I had not read it right after reading Betty Smith's A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, which developed these themes so deeply and poignantly.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started out slow (really? a dancing bear at the dinner table?), but after Henry left the picture, the story was darn good, until the very end. I understand how the story ended, but I feel like it was cut off at an awkward point. Still, the book was enjoyable, and I am glad that I read it.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

so nice i read it twice

[Gapeach · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot different from the other books I've read of this author. Heartbreaking and strong female characters

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this story. It was all over the place and totally insane. I read to part 2 and had to put it down. I wasted too much time on a horribly written story.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure I care for this author she's too wordy with similies (is that the way you spell it?)

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took many turns with all of the different characters. Also interesting that a bear once lived in the house. Can only imagine all of them living under one roof

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful absolutely wonderful and poetic in the descriptions

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Local author from Wilmington/Newark area.