The Flames
A gripping historical novel set in 1900s Vienna, featuring four fiery women
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
'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
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Vienna, 1912. Behind every painting, there is a story...
A new century is dawning. Vienna is at its zenith, an opulent, extravagant city teeming with art, music and radical ideas. It is a place where anything seems possible...
Edith and Adele are sisters, the daughters of a wealthy bourgeois family. 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.
Fierce, passionate and determined, none of these women is quite what they seem. 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 Viennese society. All it will take is a single act of betrayal to set their world on fire...
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'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
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Haydock's stunning debut captures the ecstatic shock of erotic art during the bohemian period of the Vienna Secession, dialing in on the brief life of Egon Schiele (1890–1918) and the four women who influenced the painter. They are his voyeuristic neighbors, sisters Adele and Edith Harms; his possessive younger sister, Gertrude; and the model Vally Neuzil, who was his lover and muse. Sections devoted to each woman explore the jealousy, guilt, and grief that swirl around their relationships with the artist. Adele takes to spying on Egon from across the street, deluded by the belief that they'll marry, and survives a bout of the flu; Gertrude recounts the Schieles' difficult childhoods with their abusive, syphilitic stationmaster father; Edith vies for Egon's attention, which leads to a tumultuous romance; and Vally remains independent. After Vally and Egon shelter a girl who's being abused by her father, the father presses charges of kidnapping and corrupting a minor (Egon is also charged with pornography). By the end, not all of the characters escape WWI or the Spanish flu pandemic, and Haydock's superb research captures the era's rich atmosphere. This assured effort will leave readers eager to see more from Haydock.
