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The Flames

A story about four strong women and the artist who sets their lives on fire

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The Flames

By: Sophie Haydock
Narrated by: Hattie Morahan
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Every painting tells a story, but what if the women on the canvas could talk...

ADELE: passionate, fierce, obstinate. The daughter of a bourgeois family in 1900s Vienna, she rails against the strictures of her class and longs for freedom.

GERTRUDE: spirited, single-minded, possessive. The sister to budding artist Egon Schiele, she longs for an exciting life away from their tempestuous family home.

VALLY: determined, independent, proud. A model for celebrated artist Gustav Klimt, she has carved her way out of poverty and is now forging a brave new path for herself.

EDITH: quiet, conventional, loyal. Or is she? Younger sister to Adele, Edith is overlooked and wonders if there is another version of the woman she might become.

Four flames, four wild, blazing hearts, longing to be known. All four will become muses to the charismatic but controversial artist Egon Schiele. In an elegant bohemian city like Vienna, everything seems possible - until an act of betrayal changes everything. For just as a flame has the power to mesmerize, it can also destroy everything in its path . . .

© Sophie Haydock 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Biographical Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Thriller & Suspense Biography Exciting Heartfelt
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Critic 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.
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.
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.
Confident...urgent...illuminating: you will never again look at Schiele's vivid portraits without wondering about his subjects' lives beyond the frame.
In Sophie Haydock's impressive debut these women leap from Schiele's canvases, becoming fascinating and complex characters.
Thought provoking and illuminating and a fascinating - I so enjoyed discovering the world and the women behind works of art I adore.

'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.'
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.
'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.'
An intoxicating and evocative read full of controversy and drama. We loved it.
All stars
Most relevant
Spoiler alert! Don’t Google the characters til after you have finished the novel or you will find out what happened. Very clever story about the four muses of a successful artist. Took me a while to get into it then was intrigued by the story.

Enjoyable and interesting fictional take on real life characters

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This novel caught my attention and held it. Briliantly expressed and full of imagination within a tight historical context.

it is the women's story, and yet, some men may identify with the breathtaking egomania and insensitivity of the artist driven by his passion to create, and to be recognised.

Outstanding

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Intriguing exploration of the stories of four women whose lives were entwined with Egon Schiele

Art brought to life

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A compelling tale around four women, all of them closely associated with the Austrian painter Egon Schiele. I liked how the author did her best to give them a voice and agency. Sophie Haydock told their stories by combining what little we know about their lives with what she imagined might have happened.
I'm not entirely sure why but even though we spend quite a lot of time with each of the four woman, I never fully warmed (pun not intended) to any of them; they remained just a tad too removed for my liking and whenever I felt that I was getting to know one of them better, there was a jump in time and the momentum was a bit lost. Moreover, I found it slightly mysterious and almost baffling why those interesting women were all so very much drawn - in their own ways - to this artist, Egon Schiele. His character remained mostly in shadow and quite nebulous altogether to me which at time made it hard to believe he'd be so important to the main charterers of the book.
Nevertheless, a really enjoyable read, though quite tragic. The excellent narration by Hattie Morahan in particular made it hard for me to not give 5 stars overall.

Four flames and an artist in shadow

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Vivid unravelling tale of Schieler’s life and the women he shared it with.
Based on true stories this is a fantastically engaging tale of life in Vienna - the artist at the centre but also of other ways of life around him.

So glad to have happened upon this. I was searching for stories read by Hattie Morahan as I love her narration style.

Wonderfully told story

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