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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Sophie Haydock did a beautiful job of giving a voice and rich lives to four of the women Egon Schiele painted in Vienna in the early 20th century. I loved that the characters and their lives felt incredibly real, despite the limited historical resources. Often the women were quite dislikeable, but I found that I loved them all the same for the incredible strength that was depicted in each of the very different women. I loved the structure - each woman’s story was told separately, but through time markers they were still interwoven, slowly revealing a full picture. For some inexplicable reason this was an uncharacteristically slow read for me, which was frustrating at first but once I settled into the pace I absolutely adored it.
This historical novel describes the life of the artist Egon Schiele told through the POV of 4 women that he had a profound effect upon. The two Harmms sisters, the model Vally and Egon's sister, Gerti. The Flames is a powerful debut from Haydock that focusses on Schiele's influence and impact on the women in his life.
Haydock has managed to bring the pre first world war one world of the lavish Vienna to life. I enjoyed seeing Schiele through the different eyes of the women that played a huge part in his life. Each one a strong woman striving to find a place for themselves in a repressive society while under the influence of the provocative artist. I've always liked the art work of Schiele but knew little about his life or the various scandals that surrounded him. I'm still unsure if I actually like him at all anymore!
This is a very strong debut. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an e arc of this novel.
Haydock has managed to bring the pre first world war one world of the lavish Vienna to life. I enjoyed seeing Schiele through the different eyes of the women that played a huge part in his life. Each one a strong woman striving to find a place for themselves in a repressive society while under the influence of the provocative artist. I've always liked the art work of Schiele but knew little about his life or the various scandals that surrounded him. I'm still unsure if I actually like him at all anymore!
This is a very strong debut. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an e arc of this novel.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
dark
sad
slow-paced
I originally gave it 3 stars but then I read the historical note and I’m reducing it to 2.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not a bad book- I just got 2 holds I had been waiting on so I let this one go.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes