This is a good debut novel. The setting is described so well. The authors manages to we’ve fact into fiction really well.
This was an interesting piece of historical fiction

The Flames is a mesmerising debut novel from Sophie Haydock. Set in the 1900’s, we journey through the lives of four women that were muses and more to Egon Schiele, the controversial artist. Through the lens of Adele, Gertrude, Vally and Edith, we are transported to Vienna at the dawn of the 20th century.

The opening of The Flames is a little slow and felt almost awkward to me, but it picks up once we unpick the threads of Schiele’s muses. Historical facts are woven with glorious, dazzling fiction, conjuring a picture of an opulent city against more humble beginnings. Each of the four women hold intricate stories of their own, and Haydock brilliantly brings to life what they may have been like, what they felt during Schiele’s time, and how they influenced Egon and his art.

Although I knew nothing of Egon Schiele before, this novel has captured my interest into his world and I’m desperate to get on with some intense research. It’s a gorgeous little historical fiction that centres muses, not the famed.

Sadly I did not finish this book to give it a fair review. This book had everything I wanted to read about; but sadly I ran out of time.
I hope to get my hands on a physical copy and finish it.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Interesting fictionalised historical novel, based on the life of the controversial artist Schiele, and giving voice to the women who appear in his artworks.

Predominantly set in 1900s Vienna, the novel also features a dual timeline aspect, as well as being retold from the multiple perspectives of the four women.

I love Schiele's work and his relationship with his subjects, particularly female subjects always troubled me. It's nice to see them given life and a voice in this book.

Absolutely transporting - I loved being dropped into this world, with these women. I knew nothing about Egon Schiele and found this fascinating start to finish.

This was so much more than a historical fiction novel, Often historical books try and portray a women’s view but don’t pull it off. This did spectacularly on three different fronts and gave an overview of the artist’s life that was much more informed from a usual artist biography. I had not read anything about the artist before but ended up wanting to read more after this book. Bravo Sophie, a triumph.

This was an intriguing book that first caught my attention with its cover, and then with its synopsis.

I need to see Egon Schele paintings.
I was aware of Egon Schele and a fan of Klimt..
The four women who dominate the novel are Adele, her sister Edith, the model Waley and Gertrude, Egon's sister, the rivalry between forms The basis of the story.
The novel is a fictionalized version of Egon's life but could do easily be true.
It is very involving and well written, clearly describing the taut emotions of the characters, we experience the passions of them all.
Is Adele evil? A woman used to getting her own way, she is distraught when her neighbour, the artist Egon chooses her mild mannered sister Edith over her. Egon proposes to Edith and Adele can not forgive either of them, her actions will stay with her all her life.I
The family of Egon are depicted as slightly mad, especially his father. The closeness of Egon and his little sister Gertie and the love between them is incestuous.
Against a background of war, riches and poverty the story reaches its conclusion.
Thank you Sophia and NetGalley.

What a debut! The Flames was something totally different from my normal reads and I found the characters fascinating and captivating. Each of the four women main characters contributes their own uniqueness to the novel, and really serve to show how these women where the backbone of a man’s career (per usual lol).

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this! I'm sorry to say that I wasn't able to finish this before it was released! I've just gone ahead and purchased the paperback.

Despite its hopping around among people and places, I find I was enjoying how it linked to schiele... even in book's organisation! Place is well set out, and characters compelling... the difficult outcomes for all the women who knew him even though he died young is well worth this fictional explaination of exploitations too ...

The Flames is a book that will consume you and that will get wholly lost in, swept away by the history and the authors vivid descriptions. A wonderful debut.

The Flames by Sophie Haydock is an enjoyable historical novel, set in early 20th century Vienna. The book is divided into quarters, with each section concentrating on one woman who had a relationship with and modelled for the artist Egon Schiele.

Each character was very well drawn and I was inspired to look up Schiele’s works online and match the artwork to the women. A recommended read for lovers of historical fiction.

Not sure what happened between me and this book. The concept sounds amazing, true-life stories behind iconic paintings, but I finished this book feeling unsatisfied. I really really wanted to love it but something was missing for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

So so good! Set in/around WW1, based on the life and art of Egon Schiele and his 4 greatest muses. Love, art, scandal and tragedy are all squeezed into this one. Sent me off down an internet rabbit hole looking up all his portraits. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but so interesting to read about the struggles faced by artists to be accepted for their talent.

3 stars

I really wanted to love this book. I was trying very hard for that. But, unfortunately, I just couldn’t. It was written in such a weird manner that instead of pleasure, as it usually is, it was hard work to get through it. Especially the part where Adele was the main character. I just couldn’t stand the way she was written into this book. All of this was absolutely chaotic and even though she was our central point of interest, we didn’t really have too much of a view of what she’s thinking or what is motivating her to do the things she did.

The comment above is actually valid for all four of the female characters we’ve got to know in this book. Author was trying to convince me that she’s trying to show their lives, to show these women that were an inspiration to a great artist. But for me what she did was to show them only through the artist. Almost like they don’t exist without him. Once they played their part in his life, they’re discarded as unnecessary and forgotten both by Egon and by the author. I can understand that there’s probably very little about them in the books and other sources of information, but as the author stated herself, her novel is a work of art. A fiction, loosely based on real characters and events. I would prefer to know more about these women. About what motivated them. What has shaped them into the beings they were before they’ve met the artist.

All in all, it was a great idea for the book. It could have been even better if the writing wasn’t so tedious and the author decided to give more room to her female characters.

This is a fictional biography, of sorts, of the Austrian artist Egon Schiele, told from the perspective of four of the key females in the life of this remarkable, talented but tragically shorted-lived man and who had a key influence upon him and his work.
There is Adele Harms, who became besotted with the artist in Vienna, and also includes Schiele’s younger sister Gertrude and their traumatic upbringing in provincial Austria, with a mentally unstable father. Vally Neuzil is Schiele’s flame-haired model who appeared in some of his more notorious works. And Edith, Adele’s sister, who became Egon’s wife. Schiele’s artistic talent was recognized within the artistic community in Austria and Europe, but within provincial bourgeois society, he was initially seen as little more than a pornographer who seduced and ruined the reputation of women and younger girls who sat for his perceived corrupt works. The writer examines the role of these females, and the limitations that society imposed upon them
This modular approach does not always make for a greatly joined up read, rather it’s sometimes a series of loosely inter-connected narratives, with the common denominator being Egon Schiele and the descriptive drive can be a little flat at times. The novel is well-researched, however, and the author has an impressive knowledge of Schiele, his works and his milieu, both artistic and historical. It is an engaging read, and while Sophie Haydock admits to using some creative licence when facts are thin on the ground, it is still a most impressive work of historical fiction.

A fascinating story about someone I knew nothing about other than their name - the 1920s Austrian painter Egon Schiele - and the women that he painted. The book focuses on four women, who were his muses,-some were lovers, one was his sister - and the relationships between them and the wider historical setting. Sophie Haydock uses a mix of historical fact and what she has found on record, along with some beautifully crafted fiction, to give the women a real voice of their own rather than just being known as faces on canvas.