A review by bookmaddie
The Flames by Sophie Haydock

adventurous emotional 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? No

4.0

i cried at the end :-( so sad 

If you're in the mood for an immersive, lively historical fiction novel, this is for you! Traversing the years before and just after World War I, this story imagines the lives of some of the seminal women in Egon Schiele's life. Schiele was a seminal Austrian Expressionist artist, a follower of Gustav Klimt who constantly pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable to display as art. The four women that this story revolves around captured Schiele's imagination just as he captured theirs.

While the details of these women's lives are fuzzy, Haydock vibrantly colors in the lines that history has left behind. The short chapters and engaging, lively characters make this book one you can speed through—I found myself quickly turning pages as I rode the train to and from work. There is a fifth, contemporary perspective briefly used, and I think it could have been interesting to expand that woman's story just slightly. But honestly, I think this is a very well-balanced story that is bound to inspire and pull at your heartstrings. Schiele's work is magnificent, and I never knew his life was so fascinating (and unfortunately cut short too soon). The ending is absolutely heartbreaking, but the tears I shed speak to the life Haydock has injected into a story many never knew.

Thanks to the Overlook Press for my advanced digital copy.
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