139 reviews for:

The Flames

Sophie Haydock

3.84 AVERAGE


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit I requested this book solely because of the cover; I read this book as pure fiction, I know the author took liberties, I didn't know how much was the truth or close to the truth until I took it upon myself to furiously google the people in this book. Luckily Sophie Haydock tells you herself all the things she added in the end. I really appreciated that and I have a new appreciation for these people who I had no idea existed before reading this book... Not the artist, not the artwork and certainly not the muses.

What Sophie does with this debut book truly is beautiful. Written through the eyes of the women affected and used by an idealistic artist you see the women who lived outside the confines of those drawings. In the end, this book does leave you sad for lives cut short and the knowledge that we just won't ever truly know how these women truly felt but at least they will never be forgotten.

I love books about women who have throughout history become a footnote despite, for example, being the subjects of famous works of art. In her debut novel Haydock brings to life Adele, Gertrude, Vally, and Edith, the four women who have inspired and modelled some of Egon's most famous works, and through them we pice together Schiele's life. 

Haydock has a very easy to read writing style which, combined with a compelling story, meant I finished the book in three sittings. I did, however, have a hard time getting into the book. I thought the opening scene was brilliant, hooking me immediately, but as soon as we got to Adele's flashback, I was struggling to connect with both the characters and the book. There are many time jumps, not just between chapters but also between scenes, and it's especially noticeable at the start with Adele and Gertrude's perspectives. It made the narrative feel stunted. The time jumps between chapters do start to make sense later on as the story evolves and we put together Schiele's timeline through the different women's perspectives and experiences, however within the chapters I felt that the scenes could be expanded upon and even connected by including more background and insight into the characters.

Which brings me to the second thing that made it harder for me to connect with the book. I felt the start was very plot-driven with very little introspection. For example, at one point, a man grabs Adele's arm, preventing her from leaving, and although she says something angrily to him, two sentences later, it's like nothing happened to her. This lack of introspection continued throughout Gertrude's perspective as well, but thankfully by the time we reached Vally, the narrative does start to include her (and later Edith's) thoughts and reactions to the events happening to and around them. I am very much a lover of character driven books, so I am aware that this is more of a personal preference rather than a comment on the book itself. 

What I enjoyed most about the book is the interconnectedness between the women -how each was affected by the presence of the other women's influence on Schiele. However, with the exception of Adele and Edith (who are sisters), we don't really see much interaction between the women when their presence in Schiele's life overlapped, which I thought was a shame. It would have brought a richness to the story beyond just learning about how the women felt about one another from a distance.

All of the above notwithstanding, and as a massive credit to Haydock's writing, I really enjoyed this book. It was reminiscent in some way of the Song of Achilles, especially because I found myself staring into space while I processed the ending (not the epilogue, even though I loved how that tied everything up nicely, but the end to Schiele's section). My heart ached for the characters and I was comforted knowing that Adele got some closure. 

Many thanks to NetGally, and especially Random House U.K., Transworld, Doubleday for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Wish I'd read it before going to Vienna and seeing some of the art discussed. We were particularly struck by THE FAMILY, and the sad tale on the accompanying text. This is a pretty good book and I'll read more by the author. 
emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes

kvphilli's review

4.0
emotional informative reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: Complicated
emotional sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The prose is rudimentary and a little clumsy, and the interiority of each woman is reduced to a desperate, jealous competition for Egon’s affection, which leads to the same story beats in multiple parts of the novel, and flattens the women into jealous schemers. Egon is not a sympathetic or romantic figure either. I can’t help but feel that the characters are all thinned out, rather than rounded out and made real with a depth of compassion and research. 

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Actual rating: 3.5/5

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.
adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The interludes were not good