Sophie Haydock

Every painting tells a story, but what if the women on the canvas could talk... Vienna, at the beginning of the 20th century, is an exhilarating social whirl, a city of ideas, of music, of groundbreaking art, lead by Gustav Klimt until the arrival of his scandalous protegee, Egon Schiele. Into this world come four women, each with their own story to tell- ADELE- passionate, fierce, obstinate. The daughter of a bourgeois family, she rails against the strictures of her class and longs for the freedom. GERTRUDE- spirited, single-minded, possessive. The sister to budding artist Egon Schiele, she longs for an exciting life away from their tempestuous family home. VALLY- determined, independent, proud. A model for celebrated artist Gustav Klimt, she has carved her way out of poverty and is now forging a brave new path for herself. EDITH- quiet, conventional, loyal. Or is she? Younger sister to Adele, Edith is overlooked and wonders if there is another version of the woman she might become. Four flames, four wild, blazing hearts, longing to be known. In an elegant bohemian city like Vienna, everything seems possible - until an act of betrayal changes everything. For just as a flame has the power to mesmerize, it can also destroy everything in its path . . .

The Flames

A Novel

Flames

Cztery muzy

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.

The Flames is the previously untold story of four real women, the ‘muses’ who inspired the charismatic but controversial artist, Egon Schiele. The four women are Adele, the spirited but slightly outrageous and untamed daughter of a good family, who, along with her quieter and more conventional sister, Edith, is scandalised when the notorious artist moves into an apartment opposite their home; Gertrude, Egon Schiele’s fiery sister who is also a victim of their tempestuous childhood; Vally, a poor but strong-willed model discovered by Gustav Klimt;. With Egon Schiele poised on the brink of international success and the threat of war drawing closer, each woman attempts to write her own future until an act of betrayal changes everything.

Sophie Haydock

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