The Flames

By: Sophie Haydock

Narrated by: Hattie Morahan

Set in the extravagant, Bohemian art world of early 20th-century Vienna, the electrifying untold story of the four women who posed for and inspired the groundbreaking erotic art of controversial painter Egon Schiele

Amid an opulent society living under the shadow of war are four muses, women whose bodies were shown in intimate detail, depicted by the charming yet controversial artist Egon Schiele. Adele, his passionate and fierce admirer; Gertrude, his sister who survived their blighted childhood but is possessive, single-minded, and jealous; his mistress Vally, a poor young woman from a bad background but with steel at her core; and the two, very different, Harms sisters, Edith and Adele, both of whom vie to become Schiele’s wife.

Over the course of little more than a decade, the four women risk everything—their reputations, their most precious relationships, and their sanity and souls—as they try to hold on to the man they adore. As World War I throws their lives off course forever, and the Spanish influenza pandemic ravages Europe, threatening everyone in its path, one question remains: Will any of them emerge unscathed from their relationship with this man? Sophie Haydock’s The Flames reimagines the intertwining lives of these women: four wild, blazing hearts longing to be known. In an elegant Bohemian city like 1900s Vienna, everything seems possible. But just as a flame has the power to mesmerize, it can also destroy.

©2022 Sophie Haydock. First published in the United Kingdom by The Random House Group Limited. Published in 2023 by The Overlook Press, an imprint of ABRAMS, New York. (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Smart Historical Fiction

it is always a great surprise to find a book about subjects I am unfamiliar with. These characters from the art world lived in or around Vienna before and during WWI. The book is a very good read that leaves you wanting to learn more about the subject.

Worth the read

Hard to believe this was a debut for author Sophie Haydock. Appreciated how the book was divided into sections. Really felt like I was in Vienna around the turn the the century with the descriptive scenes.

Hadn’t heard of Egon Schiele until this book. Interesting concept to have the focus on the women who posed for him.

Would recommend.