The Flames: A gripping historical novel set in 1900s Vienna, featuring four fiery women

(Hardback)

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A stunning debut novel about the intertwining lives of four remarkable women, the muses who inspired the artist Egon Schiele. For fans of THE PARIS WIFE, THE FAMILIARS, THE MINIATURIST and THE DUTCH HOUSE. 'Fascinating & compelling. I loved all four women' ELODIE HARPER, author of THE WOLF DEN 'MAGNIFICENT...It's simply too good' KATIE LOWE, author of THE FURIES 'Utterly compelling' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of THE MERCIES ___________________________________________ Vienna at the dawn of the 20th century. An opulent, extravagant city teeming with art, music and radical ideas. A place where the social elite attend glamorous balls in the city's palaces whilst young intellectuals decry the empire across the tables of crowded cafes. It is a city where anything seems possible - if you are a man. Edith and Adele are sisters, the daughters of a wealthy bourgeois industrialist. They are expected to follow the rules, to marry well, and produce children. Gertrude is in thrall to her flamboyant older brother. Marked by a traumatic childhood, she envies the freedom he so readily commands. Vally was born into poverty but is making her way in the world as a model for the eminent artist Gustav Klimt. None of these women is quite what they seem. Fierce, passionate and determined, they want to defy convention and forge their own path. But their lives are set on a collision course when they become entangled with the controversial young artist Egon Schiele whose work - and private life - are sending shockwaves through Vienna's elite. All it will take is a single act of betrayal to change everything for them all. Because just as a flame has the power to mesmerize, it can also destroy everything in its path... _______________________________ 'Glorious' Guardian 'Intoxicating and evocative...full of controversy and drama. We loved it' Woman & Home 'Thought provoking and illuminating - I so enjoyed discovering the world and the women behind works of art I adore' KATE SAWYER, author of THE STRANDING 'An exquisite sense of place and era with a passion and sensuality that transcend time altogether.' ISABEL COSTELLO, author of SCENT 'Confident...urgent...illuminating' Sunday Times 'Impressive' The Times 'A stunning story of love, art and betrayal' RED magazine 'Full of scandal, love, betrayal, and heartache' Cosmopolitan 'Mesmerising' Good Housekeeping 'A drama of love, loss, rivalry and betrayal. A terrific debut, brilliantly imagined' Saga Debut of the Month 'An unforgettable book about wanting more for ourselves than we are told we are allowed' Ericka Waller, author of Dog Days

Reviews

MAGNIFICENT. Feels destined to be a classic - exquisitely crafted and so absorbing. I loved it and REFUSE to accept it is a debut. It's simply too good. * Katie Lowe, author of The Furies *
As a feminist reworking of Schiele's story, and as an exercise in redressing historical injustice, this novel is a glorious success. Haydock ensures that these women emerge from behind Schiele's gaze, and she also uses them to illuminate a period of seismic change... an impressive and highly enjoyable debut. * GUARDIAN *
Completely convincing and utterly compelling, THE FLAMES gives vivid voice to four muses who refuse to be remembered as just that. Haydock is a writer to watch. * Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies *
Confident...urgent...illuminating: you will never again look at Schiele's vivid portraits without wondering about his subjects' lives beyond the frame. * SUNDAY TIMES *
In Sophie Haydock's impressive debut these women leap from Schiele's canvases, becoming fascinating and complex characters. * THE TIMES, 'Best historical fiction books of 2022' *
Thought provoking and illuminating and a fascinating - I so enjoyed discovering the world and the women behind works of art I adore. * Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding *

'A reimaging of the lives of artist Egon Schiele's four female 'muses' it is both fascinating and compelling. I loved all four women...and the final scenes with Egon himself were truly extraordinary.'

* Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den *
The four women who loved Schiele come back to life, combining an exquisite sense of place and era with a passion and sensuality that transcend time altogether. * Isabel Costello, author of Scent *
'I knew nothing of Egon Schiele. I'm now obsessed, and heartbroken for all four women. An unforgettable book about wanting more for ourselves than we are told we are allowed.' * Ericka Waller, author of Dog Days *
An intoxicating and evocative read full of controversy and drama. We loved it. * Woman and Home *
Impressive...one of the great joys of reading The Flames is looking again at the women's portraits and letting them be animated by Haydock's careful, vibrant animation * The Times *
Readers are going to fall very hard for this one. * Sue Rainsford, author of Redder Days *
For anyone who enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring, Sophie Haydock's debut novel will delight and entertain....an intoxicating and evocative read full of controversy and drama. We loved it. * Woman *
Enthralling and utterly captivating! Sophie's prose is as evocative and beguiling a the stories it tells. Prepare for The Flames to become your next obsession. * Laure van Rensburg, author of Nobody But Us *
A stunning story of love, art and betrayal * RED magazine *
'In The Flames, Haydock turns a forensic eye on the loves, fears, hopes, and heartbreaks of four extraordinary women who might otherwise have been swallowed by history...a beautiful and timely narrative, which focuses its lens on the closest details to reveal an understanding of the most profound human emotions and behaviour.' * Costa shortlisted novelist, Rebecca F John *
We learn more about great figures in time by watching the spaces around them. The Flames paints a history so detailed and vivid that we feel we were there in the flesh. A book to get lost in, a great feat of a debut. * Booker Prize winner, DBC Pierre *
'Full of scandal, love, betrayal, and heartache ... Adele, Gertrude, Vally and Edith are given voices loud and clear' * Cosmopolitan *
The untold stories of four women depicted in the paintings of artist Egon Schiele ... are brought to life in this mesmerising debut... movingly told' * Good Housekeeping *
'Exhilarating... a dynamic, vivid debut pulled off with considerable lan' * Mail on Sunday *
An intoxicating and evocative read * Woman's Weekly *
Enlightening and impeccably researched ... Haydock perfectly captures the spirit of the era. [The Flames] is moving, illuminating and evocative * Culturefly *
A drama of love, loss, rivalry and betrayal. A terrific debut, brilliantly imagined. * SAGA Debut of the Month *
Story by story, woman by woman, The Flames is kindled by mystery, desire, and Haydock's own resonant prose. * Alison MacLeod, Booker longlisted author of Unexploded *
Absolutely loved this one....As rich, dark and delicious as a piece of Sachertorte. * Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl *

Author Bio

Sophie Haydock is an award-winning author living in east London. The Flames is her debut novel. She is the winner of the Impress Prize for New Writers. Sophie trained as a journalist at City University, London, and has worked at the Sunday Times Magazine, Tatler and BBC Three, as well as freelancing for publications including the Financial Times, Guardian Weekend magazine, and organisations such as the Arts Council, Royal Academy and Sotheby's. Passionate about short stories, Sophie also works for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award and is associate director of the Word Factory literary organisation. Her Instagram account @egonschieleswomen - dedicated to the women who posed for Egon Schiele - has a community of over 100,000 followers. For more information, visit- sophie-haydock.com.