Her debut novel, The Flames, was published to great acclaim and was longlisted for the H WA debut crown . The unresolved jealousies and tensions between Adele and her sister are threaded neatly through the pages. Egon is himself a controversial artist and his love for painting nude portraits leads to him becoming famous for all the wrong reasons.

Sophie Haydock - Penguin Books UK Sophie Haydock - Penguin Books UK

An author of historical fiction who acknowledges their own interpretations and fictionalizing of events is a good one, and I can't fault Haydock for any decisions made in that sense. Passionate about short stories, Sophie also works as a digital editor for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award and is associate director of the Word Factory literary organisation. The Flames has some of the most memorable characters I’ve come across in the books I have already read in 2022 I felt as if I knew each of the women not just as Schiele’s muses but as individuals, I found all characters three dimensional and even though I didn’t love all the characters I did find them interesting and well suited for the plotline.

When he decides to marry Edith, he tries to convince Walburga that he will be able to continue a relationship with her.

The Flames by Sophie Haydock - Publishers Weekly The Flames by Sophie Haydock - Publishers Weekly

The only discordant note for me was the Eva thread where she meets Adele a few days prior to her death, it felt surplus to requirements in what is otherwise a superb piece of historical fiction. I felt she was the only one to stand up to Schiele, not willing to just be his mistress after four years together.On top of the great story, characters and plot, there is some gorgeous writing and excellent scene setting.

The Flames by Sophie Haydock | Goodreads The Flames by Sophie Haydock | Goodreads

Najbardziej trudną relacją jest oczywiście ta między siostrami, gdzie finalnie doszło do długoletniego konfliktu. Autorka tak umiejętnie powiązała fakty z przypuszczalnymi scenariuszami zdarzeń, że nie sposób się tego domyślić.She is my favourite muse as she spurns Schiele's efforts to continue to exploit her after making his more advantageous marriage as she becomes a military nurse instead. Haydock breathes life into four women, his muses: imagining their relationships with Schiele and the dynamics between them where their lives cross. A betrayal plunges her to breaking point, highlighting her mental fragility and inability to control the rage within her. We are provided with a glimpse into his modest background and family, a stationmaster father who tried to beat the need to draw out of his son, but the driven Schiele will not be dissuaded from his single minded passion and ambitions for art.

The Flames: A gripping historical novel set in 1900s Vienna The Flames: A gripping historical novel set in 1900s Vienna

Oddaje im głos, by z ich historii wyłonił namalowany słowami się obraz charyzmatycznego, łamiącego konwenanse, skandalisty Egona. I really enjoyed learning more about how the War effected the citizens of the Empire, where the higher classes soon lost much of their wealth and status, and how Schiele and Vally both played their part. We also see Schiele through the eyes of Adele and Edith Harms, those well-to-do neighbours who vie to become his wife, upsetting the balance of their sisterly love in the process. Były bohemą, czyimś marzeniem, modelkami, ale też kobietami z krwi i kości, nieujarzmionymi w swojej miłości, które dzisiaj spoglądają z portretów sterylnych sal galerii.She came from an impoverished background, having to share a bed with her two sisters, and used the money from her modelling to help her mother.