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The Flames

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The Flames

By: Sophie Haydock
Narrated by: Hattie Morahan
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About this listen

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....

©2022 Sophie Haydock (P)2022 Penguin Audio Biographical Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Biography Heartfelt

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All stars
Most relevant
I would heartily recommend this book.

It’s a fascinating insight into the artist world from the early 20th century.

A social history plus a moving account of the women that we still look at in the art galleries all around the world.

It is fiction but a fascinating theory nevertheless.

A wonderful imagining of the life and times of Egon Schiele models

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This was one of the best books I've listened to for ages. Fantastic story, well written, well narrated and completely absorbing. I didn't want it to end. I have seen Schiele's work in Vienna but knew little of his life other than it ended too soon. The story of the women behind the paintings was intriguing and I enjoyed the author's imaginings of the many gaps in their stories. I recommend this to anyone who loves art and history and who knows that life rarely works out as you think. I hope this author produces more of this quality.

Fascinating and completely absorbing

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Absolutely loved this book. Really interesting and so much raw emotion with sibling rivalry vs family loyalty. The ups and downs and general life paths.

Fabulous

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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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